The current status of pulse oximetry. Clinical value of continuous noninvasive oxygen saturation monitoring

The history of the development of pulse oximetry is outlined and the principle of how the apparatus works is described. The instrument detects hypoxic hypoxia and the shape of the oxygen dissociation curve means that the minimum saturation alarm should be set at 94% in anaesthetic usage. It is accur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anaesthesia 1986-09, Vol.41 (9), p.943-949
Main Authors: TAYLOR, M. B, WHITWAM, J. G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Anesthesiology
Biological and medical sciences
Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous - instrumentation
Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous - methods
Critical Care
Emergency and intensive care: techniques, logistics
Female
Humans
Intensive care medicine
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Monitoring
Monitoring, Physiologic
Oximetry
Pulse
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Description
Summary:The history of the development of pulse oximetry is outlined and the principle of how the apparatus works is described. The instrument detects hypoxic hypoxia and the shape of the oxygen dissociation curve means that the minimum saturation alarm should be set at 94% in anaesthetic usage. It is accurate to within 2% and is usually unaffected by racial pigmentation, but accuracy can be affected in low perfusion states, hypothermia and in the presence of abnormal forms of haemoglobin and pigments in the blood. Its clinical evaluation in the operating theatre and intensive care unit is reported. It was found to be useful and reliable and would appear to have logistical and other advantages over current methods of detecting hypoxia. Pulse oximetry may make a significant contribution to the safety of anaesthetic practice.
ISSN:0003-2409
1365-2044
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2044.1986.tb12922.x