How do pulse oximeters work and how does one operate a pulse oximeter? Pulse oximetry is often regarded as the “golden standard” when it comes to monitoring blood oxygen saturation in many surgical procedures. Watch this video to learn more about this important medical device.
Self-Assessment Questions:
Click here to test your understanding on pulse oximeters and how they work.
Discussion Questions:
- Consider the effect of COVID-19 on the respiratory system. Do you think pulse oximeters are necessary for monitoring patients with COVID? Why or why not?
- Imagine a pulse oximeter that is only able to produce one wavelength of light. Will this device be able to calculate heart rate? Will it be able to calculate SpO2? (Refer to technical descriptions of pulse oximeters from Nitzan et al. and Jubran.)
- Look up some common values for SpO2 of healthy and diseased patients. What do you notice? Is the human body sensitive to changes in oxygen saturation?
- With the chemical properties of hemoglobin in mind, why can Red and IR light be used to determine oxygen saturation (refer to Nitzan et al.)?
- Search the provided literature for heart rate determination. What are two possible methods the pulse oximeter software could be using to calculate heart rate?
- What are two potential issues with measuring SpO2 in neonates (refer to Nitzan et al.)?
- How can skin color affect pulse oximetry measurements (refer to Bickler et al.)?
Continue Reading:
- A. Jubran, “Pulse oximetry,” Crit Care, vol. 19, no. 1, 2015, doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-0984-8.
- This article performs a general overview of the principle pulse oximetry and its importance.
- F. E. Robles, S. Chowdhury, and A. Wax, “Assessing hemoglobin concentration using spectroscopic optical coherence tomography for feasibility of tissue diagnostics,” Biomed Opt Express, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 310–317, Jul. 2010, doi: 10.1364/boe.1.000310/.
- This study assesses hemoglobin concentration using spectrophotometry techniques.
- M. Nitzan, A. Romem, and R. Koppel, “Pulse oximetry: fundamentals and technology update,” Med Devices (Auckl), vol. 7, pp. 231–239, Jul. 2014, doi: 10.2147/MDER.S47319.
- This article explains the calculations behind pulse oximetry; includes absorption spectra.
- P. E. Bickler et al., “Effects of skin pigmentation on pulse oximeter accuracy at low saturation,” Anesthesiology, vol. 102, no. 4, pp. 715–719, Apr. 2005, doi: 10.1097/00000542-200504000-00004.
- This study investigates the effects of skin pigmentation on pulse oximeter accuracy at low saturation. Note: This article may not be available due to subscription permissions.
About the Creator:
This video was created by a student in the Rice Bioengineering Class of 2021 (used with permission).
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