A medical device that measures oxygen levels in the blood is more likely to give misleading or inaccurate results to black patients, according to research published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The researchers analyzed data from thousands of adult patients who received supplemental oxygen at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, comparing data from 37,000 patients at about 200 intensive care units at other hospitals.
The pulse oximeter used with the fingers, they found, was more likely to give inaccurate results to Black users based on comparing the data with a test that takes arterial blood samples.
“In the University of Michigan cohort, among patients who had an oxygen saturation of 92 to 96 percent in pulse oximetry, arterial oxygen saturation was found to be less than 88 percent in 88 of 749 measurements. blood gas arteries in black patients and in 99 of 2,778 measurements in white patients, ”the study indicated.
The devices are likely to be used more widely in recent months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the study notes. Research suggests that black Americans, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, may also be at high risk of low blood oxygen content in healthcare-dependent environments to choose patients.
The devices shine a red light through the user’s fingertips, and for those with darker skin, the device can make misleading readings, according to Michael Sjoding, a pulmonologist who was the lead author of the study, at NPR.
He said errors occur about three times more often in black patients.
Inaccurate readings “don’t happen much, but if you think about how often these measures are taken, if it’s wrong 12 percent of the time, I’m worried that this could have a big impact,” he said.