Pulse oximetry plethysmogram analysis could help identify infants with possible apnoeas requiring full investigation.

Non-invasive monitoring of breathing is a holy grail in paediatric respiratory, neonatal and sleep medicine. Respiratory rate is a key marker for the surveillance of sick infants and children (1-3), while repeated infant apnoeic episodes are associated with an increased risk of apparent life-threatening events (4). In clinical pulse oximetry, the photoplethysmographic (pleth) signal is assessed mainly to infer the validity of measured arterial oxygen saturation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.