LAUSR

The results of the Tor2rpido study1 illustrate the challenges of identifying optimal treatments and care processes for patients in the era of personalized medicine. This study investigated an important area: the initial management of oxygen during the resuscitation of an infant. Oxygen delivery has changed from beginning at high oxygen concentrations to much lower concentrations and, in both cases, titrating the oxygen to the response of the infant. These policies stem from studies of term infants, which found improved outcomes and lower markers of oxidative stress in infants who received much lower oxygen concentrations to begin their resuscitation.2,3 These results are frequently applied to the resuscitation of prematurely born infants, even though the studies in this patient population provided less consistent results.4–6 Similar to a population-based study from Canada,4 the results of the Tor2rpido study suggest that, in a subgroup of prematurely born infants, resuscitations that start with room air may be harmful. But which infants are they, and how could we identify infants for whom their … Address correspondence to Scott A. Lorch, MD, MSCE, 3535 Market St, Suite 1029, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: lorch{at}email.chop.edu