Association of response time and intermittent hypoxemia in extremely preterm infants

Aim To determine the relationship between medical staff's response time (RT) to oxygen saturation (SpO2) below 80% and the associated time from tactile intervention until SpO2 normalisation (CT). Methods Time‐lapse video and continuous SpO2 were recorded for six consecutive 24 h periods. Regression analyses of RT and SpO2 in association with postmenstrual age (PMA), weight, infant sex and frequency of intermittent hypoxemia (IH). Results Five hundred and twelve hypoxemia episodes received tactile intervention in 20 extremely preterm infants (gestational age ≤28 weeks, birthweight 60 s, even with short RT. Conclusion The RT is a critical factor that affects the overall time of IH treatments and the depth of desaturation. The consequences of a prolonged RT are worse for more immature preterm infants.