Evaluating the accuracy of commercially available pulse oximeters v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the accuracy of commercially available finger pulse oximeters in a hospital setting
IRAS ID
136547
Contact name
Rory McDermott
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bart's Health NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
The aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of a sample of handheld pulse oximeters in a hospital patient population. These small devices are commonly used to measure oxygen levels non-invasively. The measurements taken will be compared with concurrent results obtained at time of arterial blood gas sampling.
The increased commercial availability of handheld finger pulse oximeters coincided with increase use in clinical practice. It is not uncommon to encounter patients who measure their oxygen saturations at home and use this information as a barometer of illness. The accuracy of these cheap, readily available finger pulse oximeters has not been robustly assessed in a clinical trial however.
The principal of pulse oximetry (spectrophotometry) relies on adequate blood flow to the nailbed. It is vital that we ensure that this technology is reliable in tracking changes in oxygen saturations at times of ill health when this blood flow may be reduced.
Similarly we will investigate the effect blood acid levels have on the accuracy of these readings.
This study will investigate whether these new devices provide a sufficiently accurate measurement of oxygen levels in the blood (when compared to arterial blood gas sampling) to endorse their use in routine clinical practice.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
15/NS/0076
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion