Laser light, instead of harmful X-rays, can be used to measure oxygen content in lungs of babies born prematurely, scientists have found.
Premature babies have a hard time getting the oxygen they need as their lungs are not sufficiently developed.
Today you can only use X-rays to see how much air babies' lungs contain, but these types of tests could be done using laser light, researchers said.
"Multiple X-ray examinations involve a certain increase in the risk of developing cancer, not least in small children. Decreasing the number of X-ray examinations would be a major advantage," said Emilie Krite Svanberg, from Lund University in Sweden.
The basic principle of using light to measure oxygen in a human body is to send light of a certain wavelength into the body, and then measure how much of the light can be retrieved. Based on this, it is possible to calculate the oxygen supply.
Technology that measures oxygen bound in the blood already exists. Free oxygen that exists in cavities such as lungs is much more difficult to measure.
Here, the submitted light must be at exactly the right wavelength - 760.445 nanometre.
The researchers are the first to successfully perform these types of measurements. Trials with healthy newborn babies have shown that the method works.
"Today, the method requires one person to hold a measuring instrument against the baby's chest, while another sits by the computer, registering the results. Our goal is to simplify this technology," said Krite Svanberg.
"We hope that the measurements will be possible to perform automatically, by using small transmitters attached to the baby's chest," she said.
The measurements could help determine whether a premature baby needs treatment in order to improve their breathing.
If intensive interventions are necessary, such as inflating collapsed parts of the lungs, light measurements could also be used to minimise the risk of injury from the treatment.
Another part of Krite Svanberg's research is about refined oxygen measurements to monitor severely ill adult patients. In critical conditions, such as circulatory failure (medical shock), the body focuses mainly on maintaining blood supply to the brain and the heart.
The blood flow to less vital parts of the body, such as arms and legs, decreases, which can be measured through a newer method that uses short laser pulses.
"In cases of circulatory failure, time is crucial. The faster healthcare staff realise the oncoming crisis, the better the chances of the patient to survive," said Krite Svanberg.
By measuring the oxygen supply, in for instance the forearm, it will be possible to detect signs of medical deterioration at an early stage and thereby save lives, she said.
