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Pulse Oximeters May Be Less Accurate For Dark-Skinned People, FDA Warns

 
• By Elizabeth Orr

The US agency’s safety alert says the devices, which measure blood oxygen levels, may be less accurate in patients with darker skin tones.

A pulse oximeter clipped onto the finger of an African-American person.

Pulse oximeters may display less accurate results when used on people with darker skin tones, the US Food and Drug Administration warned in a 19 February safety alert.

The devices, which clip onto a fingertip to measure the level of oxygen in the blood, have seen increased use recently due to their prevalence in care for people with COVID-19. But research described in a letter published by the

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