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Neonatal Pulse Oximetry Disparities Due to Skin Pigmentation

Neonatal Pulse Oximetry Disparities Due to Skin Pigmentation

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06063148
Acronym
Neo-PODS
Enrollment
163
Registered
2023-10-02
Start date
2022-04-01
Completion date
2026-12-01
Last updated
2026-05-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pulse Oximetry, Skin Pigment

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if pulse oximeters show an SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy that correlates with skin pigmentation such that pulse oximetry will overestimate oxygenation in newborns with darker skin. The main questions it aims to answer is if SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy varies with the degree of skin pigmentation among neonates, if gestational age has an influence on SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy, and if packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion has an influence on SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy in newborns with various degrees of light and dark skin. Researchers will compare SaO2 and SpO2 values in neonates of various skin pigmentation.

Detailed description

Investigators will use a multicenter prospective cohort approach to measure SpO2 and SaO2 simultaneously in newborns of varying degrees of light and dark skin. The investigators will enroll 163 newborns of varying degrees of light and dark skin to assess the impact of skin pigmentation on the accuracy of pulse oximetry. Data collection will occur during routine blood samples and will involve simultaneous measurement of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry and additional data extraction from the EHR. The study consists of 4 main components: (1) Skin pigment classification (2) Race and ethnicity classification (3) SpO2 measurement collection (4) EMR data collection (including newborn screen hemoglobin type assessment and transfusion records). After adjusting for SaO2, the SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy will correlate with skin pigmentation such that pulse oximetry will overestimate oxygenation in newborns with darker skin. The distribution of SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy will have more variance in the newborns with darker skin.

Interventions

DEVICEEnrolled Participant

Participant will undergo at most 10 SpO2 measurements paired with at most 10 routine blood gas samples.

Sponsors

University of California, Davis
Lead SponsorOTHER
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 10 Days
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Newborns postnatal age \< 10 days admitted to intensive care unit * Presence of arterial catheter or undergoing arterial stick blood gas sampling

Exclusion criteria

* \<26 weeks corrected gestational age (After May 2024, infants \<26 weeks corrected GA were excluded due to skin irritation with sensor removal, those enrolled earlier were included in the analysis) * Presence of abnormal hemoglobin (including methemoglobin \> 3%) - likely to only be known after enrolled and the blood gas is obtained * Those in whom SpO2 cannot be measured in the same extremity as the arterial catheter.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Determine if SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy varies with the degree of skin pigmentation among neonates.Through study completion, about 2 yearsUsing a prospective cohort of 163 newborns, the investigators will calculate simultaneous SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy and correlate it with a measure of skin pigmentation (melanin index: Fitzpatrick Scale, Massey-Martin scale and ITA: individual Typology Angle) among neonates with and without hypoxemia.
Determine the influence of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion on SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy in newborns with various degrees of light and dark skin.Through study completion, about 2 yearsMany infants in the NICU setting are transfused PRBC with hemoglobin A, which shifts the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve to the right. While the effect of this shift on pulse oximetry is studied, the combined impact of skin pigmentation and transfusion is not known. The investigators will test the hypothesis that PRBC transfusion increases the impact of skin pigmentation on SaO2- SpO2 discrepancy. The investigators will calculate the SaO2-SpO2 discrepancy and correlate it with the skin pigmentation measurement and frequency of PRBC transfusion.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 19, 2026