Shining a light on cerebral autoregulation: Are we anywhere near the truth?

The near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-derived cerebral oximetry index (COx) has become popularized for non-invasive neuromonitoring of cerebrovascular function in post-cardiac arrest patients with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI). We provide commentary on the physiologic underpinnings and assumptions of NIRS and the COx, potential confounds in the context of HIBI, and the implications for the assessment of cerebral autoregulation.
Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: J.D.B. is an R&D Consultant for Kent Imaging Inc. D.B.M, D.E.G., M.S.S. and R.L.H. report no conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.