Editorial: CEREBRAL OXIMETRY DURING CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS

The cerebral oximeter has been recently introduced to monitor regional cerebral oxygenation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The device is based on near infrared cerebral spectroscopy (NIRS) which can provide non-invasive and continuous monitoring of cerebral oxygen supplydemand balance during CPB including deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). The regional cerebral oxygen saturation measured by NIRS is closely related to the oxygen saturation monitored by the invasive jugular bulb technique which represents the mixed venous oxygen saturation of the whole brain. However, it is different from the values achieved by the traditional cerebral venous monitoring of the whole body.