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Pulse oximetry - UpToDate

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Pulse oximetry measures peripheral arterial oxygen saturation as a surrogate marker for tissue oxygenation. It has become the standard for continuous, noninvasive assessment of oxygenation and is often considered the "fifth vital sign" [1-3]. Theoretical and clinical aspects of pulse oximetry will be reviewed here. Other measures of oxygenation, mechanisms of hypoxemia, and use of pulse oximetry in newborns for the detection of congenital heart disease are discussed separately. (See "Measures of oxygenation and mechanisms of hypoxemia" and "Newborn screening for critical congenital heart disease using pulse oximetry".) PRINCIPLES AND EQUIPMENT Pulse oximetry uses spectrophotometry to determine the proportion of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen (ie, oxygenated hemoglobin; oxyhemoglobin) in peripheral arterial blood. Light at two separate wavelengths illuminates oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in blood. The ratio of light absorbance between oxyhemoglobin and the sum of oxy

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