Decreased arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO 2 ) results in decreased cerebral blood flow, which is associated with diminished cerebral electrical activity. In such a situation, cerebral fractional oxygen extraction (CFOE) would be expected to increase to preserve cerebral oxygen delivery. This study aimed to determine whether changes in blood gases in infants less than 30 wk' gestation were associated with changes in background electroencephalograms (EEG) and CFOE. Thirty-two very low birth weight infants were studied daily for the first three days after birth. Digital EEG recordings were performed for 75 min each day. CFOE, mean blood pressure and arterial blood gases were measured midway through each recording. EEG was analysed by (a) spectral analysis and (b) manual calculation of interburst interval. Blood pressure, pH and PaCO 2 did not have any effect on the EEG. On day one, only PaCO 2 showed a relationship with the relative power of the delta frequency band (0.5-3.5 Hz) and the interburst interval. The relative power of the delta band remained within normal limits when PaCO 2 was between 24 and 55 mm Hg on day one. There was a negative association between PaCO 2 and CFOE. The associations between PaCO 2 and EEG measurements were strongest on day one, weaker on day two, and absent on day three. The slowing of EEG and increased CFOE at lower levels of PaCO 2 are likely to be due to decreased cerebral oxygen delivery induced by hypocarbia. When PaCO 2 was higher, there was suppression of the EEG. Periventricular leukomalacia is an important cause of neurologic morbidity in very low birth weight infants (1) and has been associated with severe hypocarbia during the first 24 h after birth. This effect of arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO 2 ) on the brain is likely to be mediated through its effect on cerebral blood flow, which is decreased by hypocarbia. In such a situation, cerebral fractional oxygen extraction (CFOE) would be expected to increase, as cerebral oxygen delivery is reduced (8). Decreased cerebral oxygen delivery would also be expected to be associated with reduced cerebral electrical activity. A positive relationship between cerebral blood flow and integrated amplitude of the EEG has been demonstrated on a group of infants between 27 and 33 wk' gestation (9). However, no studies have described the relationship between background cerebral electrical activity and PaCO 2 in very low birth weight infants.Electroencephalography provides a noninvasive technique for monitoring cerebral electrical activity. The normal EEG pattern of infants less than 30 wk' gestation is markedly discontinuous and consists of long isoelectric periods called interburst intervals, interspersed with bursts of high voltage and mixed frequency activity (10). Two separate studies have linked adverse neurologic outcome of such infants with an abnormal background EEG activity characterised by prolonged Received February 18, 2004; accepted November 16, 2004