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 con...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry is commonly used for monitoring critical patients, but its utility as a diagnostic marker of acute heart failure has not been assessed. This study analyzed the diagnostic role of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry in a series of patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS In a prospective observational cohort study of 220...

Pulse oximetry data such as saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO(2)) and pulse rate are vital signals for early diagnosis of heart disease. Therefore, various pulse oximeters have been developed continuously. However, some of the existing pulse oximeters are not equipped with communication capabilities, and consequently, the continuous monitoring of patient health is restricted. Moreover, even ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This article reviews the development of novel reflectance pulse oximetry sensors for the esophagus and bowel, and presents some of the techniques used to analyze the waveforms acquired with such devices. RECENT FINDINGS There has been much research in recent years to expand the utility of pulse oximetry beyond the simple measurement of arterial oxygen saturation from the fin...

BACKGROUND Lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) is common and underdiagnosed in patients with diabetes mellitus and is associated with higher total mortality. METHODS We compared the accuracy of pulse oximetry, the ankle-brachial index (ABI), and the combination of the two to diagnose LEAD in consecutive outpatients with type 2 diabetes who had no symptoms of LEAD, in a primary care settin...

BACKGROUND Respiratory-induced arterial and plethysmographic (pulse oximetry) waveform changes were shown to be good predictors of cardiac output response to increased preload. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of arterial and plethysmographic waveform variables in patients with mild hypovolemia. METHODS Patients undergoing autologous hemodilution were studied. After anest...