Via practica 3/2023

Pulse oximetry

Pulse oximetry is a valuable screening method that allows non-invasive determination of hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2) in the capillary part of the blood stream in real time. It measures the ratio between oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in arterial blood. The normal value ranges from 95–100 %. The method allows monitoring not only SpO2, but also pulse frequency values, shape, amplitude, regularity of the pulse curve (plethysmography). Thanks to the small-sized devices, the method has been used by emergency medical service crews as a standard for three decades. The article discusses the advantages and limitations of saturation measurement, provides practical types of measurement. Part of the text is a short case report from Emergency Medical Service.

Keywords: oximetry, saturation, hemoglobin