Pulse Oximeter

Pulse Oximeter

Braun fingertip pulse oximeter in box with instruction manual

Production date

2023

Production place

China

Production organisations

Xuzhou Yongkang Electronic Science Technology Co., Ltd
The Procter & Gamble Company

Associated organisations

Braun

Labels

This is a pulse oximeter manufactured in 2023. Pulse oximeters offer a painless and non-invasive way to measure blood oxygen saturation levels. They work by emitting two wavelengths of red light into the finger and then analysing the difference in how oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood absorb the light. Because of their simplicity and ability to provide continuous readings, pulse oximeters play a crucial role in emergency healthcare and are frequently used to monitor patients with breathing difficulties.

However, there is evidence that pulse oximeters provide less accurate measurements for people with darker skin tones. People with darker skin have higher levels of melanin, the pigment responsible for skin colour. This can interfere with the light absorption that pulse oximeters rely on, meaning the device overestimates oxygen saturation levels. As a result, people with darker skin may face a greater risk of hypoxaemia (abnormally low levels of oxygen in your blood), with the inaccurate readings potentially delaying medical interventions. Despite awareness of this issue as early as 1976, pulse oximeters remain in widespread use. The increased reliance on these devices during the Covid-19 pandemic brought renewed attention to this issue, and emerging data suggests it could have contributed to higher mortality rates among people of global majority backgrounds. The root cause of this issue can be attributed to the lack of representation of people of colour in the design and testing of medical devices such as pulse oximeters, highlighting the detrimental impact structural racism can have on people’s health outcomes.

Chloe Jackson, Hidden Histories Project Researcher