Abstract
Infants in the Neonatal Oxygenation Prospective Meta-analysis trials were randomized to SpO2 targets of 85% to 89% or 91% to 95%. Group allocation was masked. Different outcomes are likely partially attributable to differences in achieved SpO2. Infants randomized to the lower range had higher than intended readings. SpO2 distributions of infants in the low-range group of the Benefits of Oxygen Saturation Targeting II UK trial who died or developed necrotizing enterocolitis were centered around 90% to 92%. These achieved SpO2 distributions caution against using lower SpO2 target ranges early or throughout the clinical course in extremely preterm infants.
