Effects of Oxygen Saturation Fluctuations on Retinopathy in Infants Younger than 30 Weeks’ Gestational Age

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#To evaluate the risk factors and effects of fluctuations in oxygen saturation on the occurrence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). @*Methods@#From January 1, 2013 to January 31, 2020, 260 patients hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ajou University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. @*Results@#Sixty-six patients (25%) were diagnosed with ROP; of them 39 required treatment. In the multivariate regression analysis of ROP severity, the odds ratio (OR) of gestational age was 0.32 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22 to 0.47; P<0.0001). The OR of saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) fluctuations at the 4th week after birth was 1.02 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.12; P=0.041). @*Conclusion@#SpO2 fluctuations in premature infants younger than 30 weeks’ gestational age affects ROP severity, especially at the 4th week of life.