Pediapod: Preterm diagnostics - The SafeboosC II trial

The brains of preterm babies are delicate - and mysterious. It can be difficult to assess what is happening in the brains of babies born preterm, in order to work out the best course of action. The SafeboosC II trial tested whether using a brain imaging technique called NIRS (Near Infrared Spectroscopy) on preterm infants could guide diagnosis, and whether it could help reduce the burden of hypoxia. It had the desired clinical effect - but two biomarkers of brain injury were not reduced in line with the burden. Researchers Gorm Greisen and Anne Mette Plomgard discuss this unexpected result. www.nature.com/pr/index.html