Abstract
Aim To compare the overnight 12‐hour oximetry component of 24‐hour oximetry recordings with the complete 24‐h recording in terms of cardiorespiratory status data in preterm infants. Methods Preterm infants from the Wellington neonatal intensive care unit underwent a 24‐h pulse oximetry recording immediately prior to discharge home. Each recording was edited to resemble a 12‐h overnight recording and compared to the full 24‐h recording. Differences in a range of cardiorespiratory variables were assessed as to whether they were statistically significant and, if so, likely to be clinically significant. Results The nadirs for heart rate and SpO 2 (both P < 0.001), the time spent <80% SpO 2 ( P = 0.017) and highest heart rate ( P < 0.001) were significantly different between the two recordings. Only the heart rate nadir differed by more than 5%, suggesting that this may be of clinical significance (median (interquartile range) 54 (28–69) for 24‐h recording vs. 78 (54–96) for 12‐h recording). Conclusion The 24‐h oximetry reports were clinically similar to 12‐h recordings for the majority of variables, and therefore, we suggest that 12‐h oximetry studies are sufficient for determining cardiorespiratory status in infants.