Abstract
Background:
Early neonatal oxygen saturation (SpO₂) monitoring is crucial for guiding resuscitation and avoiding unnecessary oxygen supplementation. Differences in oxygen saturation trends based on mode of delivery remain an important area of neonatal research.
Objective:
To study normal oxygen saturation trends and fetomaternal correlates in healthy term newborns within the first 30 minutes of life born by normal vaginal delivery (NVD) and elective cesarean section (CS).
Methods:
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted over one year in a tertiary care center in Northern India, including 200 healthy term neonates (100 NVD and 100 CS). Pre-ductal oxygen saturation was measured using pulse oximetry from the right palm at 5-minute intervals up to 30 minutes after birth. Demographic variables and fetomaternal correlates were analyzed.
Results:
Mean SpO₂ levels increased progressively from 85.4% at 5 minutes to 97.4% at 30 minutes of life. Newborns delivered by NVD had significantly higher mean SpO₂ values at all measured intervals compared to those born by CS. Female neonates in the NVD group showed higher saturation levels than males, while no such association was observed in the CS group. A positive correlation was found between SpO₂ at 10 minutes and Apgar score (r=0.33), while inverse correlations were observed with birth weight (r=-0.12) and maternal hemoglobin (r=-0.15).
Conclusion:
This study establishes reference SpO₂ trends for healthy term neonates delivered by NVD and elective CS, which may aid oxygen titration during neonatal resuscitation. Healthy newborns are physiologically poorly saturated immediately after birth and gradually achieve optimal saturation, suggesting routine oxygen supplementation may not be necessary in clinically stable neonates. Delivery mode influences early oxygenation, with vaginally delivered newborns achieving higher saturation earlier.