Pulse oximeters have become standard equipment in both biomedical education and clinical settings. Since the operational principles of a pulse oximeter are straightforward, and since the analysis of these sensor data require basic computational and mathematical toolsets, this type of device is well suited to hands-on experiences geared toward both undergraduate and graduate students. However, t...

The pulse oximeter has become a vital instrument in the care of infants and children with cardiopulmonary disease. Recent advances in pulse oximetry technology have improved some aspects of pulse oximeter performance. However, the reliability, accuracy, and clinical utility of pulse oximetry remain problematic in some types of patients under certain conditions. Improved signal processing techno...

We measured the effect of Patent Blue dye on oxyhaemoglobin saturations after injection into breast tissue: 40 women had anaesthesia for breast surgery maintained with sevoflurane or propofol (20 randomly allocated to each). Saturations were recorded with a digital pulse oximeter, in arterial blood samples and with a cerebral tissue oximeter before dye injection and 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, ...

The use of the pulse oximeter to estimate oxygen saturation has revolutionized monitoring capabilities in medicine. However, there can be circumstances in which there is a discordance between oxygen saturation measurements via pulse oximeter (SpO2) and actual arterial oxygen levels (PaO2). In these situations, there is a possibility the patient could have a variant hemoglobin as the etiology of...

The photoplethysmographic waveform sits at the core of the most used, and arguably the most important, clinical monitor, the pulse oximeter. Interestingly, the pulse oximeter was discovered while examining an artifact during the development of a noninvasive cardiac output monitor. This article will explore the response of the pulse oximeter waveform to various modes of ventilation. Modern digit...

BACKGROUND A new eight-wavelength pulse oximeter is designed to measure methemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin, in addition to the usual measurements of hemoglobin oxygen saturation and pulse rate. This study examines this device's ability to measure dyshemoglobins in human volunteers in whom controlled levels of methemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin are induced. METHODS Ten volunteers breathed 50...