Pulse oximeters clip onto a fingertip and pass red and infrared light through the skin to gauge oxygen levels in the blood.
Among 3 069 patients treated in a Boston intensive care unit between 2008 and 2019, people of color were given significantly less supplemental oxygen than would be considered optimal compared to white people because of inaccuracies in pulse oximeter readings related to their skin pigment, the study found.
For the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, pulse oximetry readings were checked against direct measurement of blood oxygen levels, which is not practical in the average patient because it requires a painful invasive procedure. Pulse oximetry can also be affected by obesity, medications used in critically ill patients, and other factors, Celi said.
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