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Pulse oximeter, crucial device in Covid-19 fight, may not work on dark skin
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that pulse oximeters have limitations and risk of inaccuracy in certain circumstances.
Pulse oximeters became an essential tool for healthcare workers to fight the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic as some patients experience dangerously low levels of oxygen. The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government had even distributed thousands of oximeters to patients isolating at home to help them check their oxygen levels and minimise pressure on hospitals.
But the lightweight device used to monitor the oxygen level in the blood may yield inaccurate results for people with dark skin, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. The US federal agency on Friday said that although pulse oximetry is useful for calculating blood oxygen levels, pulse oximeters have limitations and risk of inaccuracy in certain circumstances.
It highlighted that multiple factors could affect the accuracy of oximeter readings, including skin pigmentation, skin thickness, skin temperature, current tobacco use, and even the use of fingernail polish. “Patients with conditions such as Covid-19 who monitor their condition at home should pay attention to all signs and symptoms of their condition and communicate any concerns to their health care provider,” the FDA said in a statement.
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Elaborating on other signs and symptoms, the agency advised that patients should pay attention to bluish colouring in the face, lips, or nails, shortness of breath, chest pain, and racing pulse rate. “Be aware that some patients with low oxygen levels may not show any or all of these symptoms. Only a health care provider can diagnose a medical condition such as hypoxia (low oxygen levels),” it further stated.
The FDA’s warning comes days after the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), citing limited data from studies with small numbers of participants, said that skin pigmentation can affect pulse oximeter accuracy. The authors of the research, published in December 2020, reported that occult hypoxemia, defined in the study as a disconnect between their arterial oxygen saturation and their pulse oximetry, was not detected by pulse oximetry nearly three times more frequently in Black patients than White patients.
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