Since Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation(SpO2) allows non-invasive measurement of oxygen saturation in arterial blood, it is used not only in clinical settings but also in home healthcare and, more recently, as an indicator of respiratory failure in Covid-19. SpO2 can be measured at the fingertip, earlobe, nose, and forehead, but peripheral circulatory failure in the fingertip, commonly used for measurement, may prevent accurate SpO2 readings. Undesirable conditions for measurement include manicured nails, ambient light interference, and body movement.
However, the recently introduced Philips Nasal Alar SpO2 sensor can measure SpO2 even in cases of peripheral circulatory failure and is also utilized during surgeries. In this study, we report on basic experiments conducted to investigate the extent of discrepancies in measuring normal values in simulated conditions of peripheral circulatory failure, colorimetric testing, and manicured nails using the Philips Nasal Alar SpO2 sensor and a conventional SpO2 monitor.
