Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 May;39(5):708-716.
doi: 10.1038/s41372-019-0331-z. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Differential effects of the retinopathy of prematurity exam on the physiology of premature infants

John B C Tan  1 , Jennifer Dunbar  2 , Andrew Hopper  3 , Christopher G Wilson  3 , Danilyn M Angeles  4   5
Affiliations

Differential effects of the retinopathy of prematurity exam on the physiology of premature infants

John B C Tan et al. J Perinatol. 2019 May.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the differential effects of the retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) examination on the physiology of premature infants with and without oxygen support.

Study design: We collected data from 42 premature infants (room air = 19, oxygen support = 23) and compared physiological metrics including heart rate (HR), systemic peripheral saturation (SpO2), mesenteric tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) and clinical events (oxygen desaturation episodes, bradycardia events, and gastric residuals).

Results: We found significant differences between groups in HR during and briefly after the exam, and in mesenteric StO2, during eye drop administration, eye exam, and up to 8 min after the exam. SpO2 was significantly different between the groups at all time points. Gastric residuals were higher after the exam in infants on oxygen support, compared to baseline.

Conclusion: Premature infants on oxygen support may be at a higher risk of adverse physiologic effects in response to the ROP exam.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Experimental Protocol Flowchart
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Mean and Standard Deviations for A) Heart Rate B) SpO2% C) mesenteric StO2% and D) FTOE. Red lines indicate time points with significant differences between groups. Blue lines indicate start of eye drop administration.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Histogram of A) Apnea and B) Bradycardia Events 12 Hours Before and After the ROP Exam. C) Bar plots of average gastric residuals of both groups 24 Hours Before and After the ROP Exam
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Histogram of A) Mild Desaturation Events (85-89%), B) Moderate Desaturation Events (81-84%), and C) Severe Desaturation Events (≤80%) 12 Hours Before and After the ROP Exam
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hellström A, Smith LEH, Dammann O. Retinopathy of prematurity. Lancet. 2013. October 26;382(9902):1445–57. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Grabska J, Walden P, Lerer T, Kelly C, Hussain N, Donovan T, et al. Can oral sucrose reduce the pain and distress associated with screening for retinopathy of prematurity? J Perinatol Off J Calif Perinat Assoc. 2005. January;25(1):33–5. - PubMed
    1. Belda S, Pallás CR, De la Cruz J, Tejada P. Screening for retinopathy of prematurity: is it painful? Biol Neonate. 2004;86(3):195–200. - PubMed
    1. Şener Taplak A, Erdem E. A Comparison of Breast Milk and Sucrose in Reducing Neonatal Pain During Eye Exam for Retinopathy of Prematurity. Breastfeed Med Off J Acad Breastfeed Med. 2017. June;12:305–10. - PubMed
    1. Mitchell A, Hall RW, Erickson SW, Yates C, Hendrickson H. Systemic Absorption of Cyclopentolate and Adverse Events After Retinopathy of Prematurity Exams. Curr Eye Res. 2016. December;41(12):1601–7. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types