“Non-invasive tissue oximetry: current and prospective applications”

Keywords: tissue oximetry, interpretation, vascular autoregulation

Monitoring of tissue perfusion is necessary to timely recognise a lack of oxygen and to prevent tissue and organ damage. This dissertation shows that non-invasive tissue oximetry is a useful alternative during short-term and long-term use of heart-lung machines. Non-invasive tissue oximetry is also useful in monitoring transplant viability. However, the different applications of tissue oximetry require different interpretation strategies due to the presence or absence of vascular autoregulation. For instance, cerebral autoregulation has a direct effect on the oxygen supply to the brain. Therefore, it is important to take all available clinical data into account when applying tissue oximetry.