Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Sickle Cell Pediatric Patients

NIRS is an emerging technology for measuring tissue oxygenation and endothelial function. NIRS light can penetrate through biological tissues, including skin, bone, and muscle. Similar to other optical methods, light is applied to the region of interest and undergoes scattering and absorption before being detected by a photosensor. This technique is commonly used to assess oxygen availability and consumption in living tissues. Using different wavelengths, NIRS can differentiate between oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in blood and can measure changes in total hemoglobin concentration, using the sum of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin.