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Blood oxygen concentration, measured by pulse oximetry, often is used to determine when neonatal resuscitation is required. But whether pure oxygen should be used for resuscitation still is questionable, in part because of limited normative data about normal newborn oxygen saturations.
In one study, Australian researchers used pulse oximetry to measure oxygen saturation in 175 healthy newborns (54 of whom were preterm). Median oxygen saturation levels were 63% at 1 minute (range, 53%–68%), 70% at 2 minutes, 76% at 3 minutes, 81% at 4 minutes, and 90% at 5 minutes (range, 79%–91%). The rise in oxygen saturation was slower in premature babies and those born by caesarean section than in others; maternal anesthesia had no effect.
In a second stud…