Future Uncertainties in the Development of Clinical Cerebral Oximetry

Since the first report in 1954 outlining the in vivo use of a double-beam spectrophotometer to measure the absorption of near-infrared light by various light absorbing pigments (or chromophores) involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain (Chance, 1954), substantive advancements have been made in the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to monitor the oxidative state of various human tissues.