article · Open Journal of Pediatrics
Establishing normal pre-ductal and post-ductal oxygen saturation levels during the first twenty-four hours after birth is critical for identifying clinical abnormalities early, yet relevant data remain limited in Nigeria. A cross-sectional investigation assessed healthy newborn infants weighing at least 1500 grams in Makurdi, located in North Central Nigeria at an altitude of 113 metres. Measurements were gathered using a Lifebox pulse oximeter across four hundred and six neonates, encompassing normal weight, low birth weight, and macrosomic infants. The study established that average pre-ductal oxygen saturation was 97.41 percent, whereas average post-ductal saturation was 96.66 percent. This difference between the two measurement sites was statistically significant. Although oxygen saturation levels rose gradually alongside advancing neonatal age in hours and higher birth weights, these particular increases did not achieve statistical significance.
Reliable baseline values for oxygen levels in newborns help clinicians quickly identify deviations that could indicate serious heart or lung disorders. By providing specific measurements collected with standard pulse oximeters in a Nigerian setting, this work gives local healthcare workers objective benchmarks to evaluate neonatal health during the critical first day of life.
These findings establish reference baseline data that could inform clinical screening guidelines and decision-support algorithms used by neonatal care practitioners. As observational research gathered with an existing commercial oximeter, the data are applied and tested in a clinical cohort, but the abstract does not indicate a commercialisation pathway or development of a proprietary product.
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Standard reference values for pre- and post-ductal oxygen saturation within the 1st 24 hours of life are essential for comparison and early detection of deviations from the norm. Such data is sparse in Nigeria. We determined the reference values for pre-ductal and post-ductal oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry during the first 24 hours of life in apparently healthy term infants in Makurdi, a city at an altitude of 113 m above sea level in North Central Nigeria. This study was cross-sectional and eligible neonates with birth weights ≥ 1500 g were consecutively enrolled. Pre- and post-ductal pulse oximetry readings were obtained using a Lifebox oximeter®. Four hundred and six neonates (91% normal weight, 6% LBW, and 3% macrosomic) were studied. Although the mean pre- and post-ductal oxygen saturation were found to differ significantly; 97.41% ± 1.52% and 96.66% ± 1.95% respectively (paired sample t = 8.359, p < 0.001) and these progressively increased with both increases in weight and age in hours although not statistically significant.
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DOI: 10.4236/ojped.2025.153042
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