Fetal pulse oximetry.

Pulse oximetry has become a standard of care in anesthetic, pediatric and neonatal practice (l,2). It measures the per cent saturation of hemoglobin based upon the Beer Lambart's spectrophotometric principle of differential absorption of red and infrared light waves (660 nm and 940 nm, respectively) by the oxyhemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin(3). Pulse oximetry has been recently adopted for continuous intrapartum surveillance and fetal pulse oximetry has been projected as an accurate predictor of fetuses at risk for asphyxia with the significant additional advantage of being a non-invasive technique (4). This communication is intended to highlight the need, advantages and limitations of fetal, pulse oximetry.