title: Pulse oximetry in critically ill children.
abstract: To confirm the clinical applicability of a commercial pulse oximeter, we compared arterial hemoglobin saturation values determined by in-vitro oximetry and pulse oximetry in 15 critically ill children. One hundred ninety-two paired hemoglobin saturations were determined by both noninvasive pulse oximetry and direct measurement of arterial blood samples. The correlation between these two methods of measurement was statistically significant (r = 0.895; p less than 0.001). The mean percentage difference between the two measurements was 1.8%. Pulse oximetry was found to be safe and less cumbersome than other methods of monitoring arterial oxygen content. Overall, pulse oximetry was precise and provided a clinically satisfactory noninvasive method for continuously monitoring arterial hemoglobin saturation in critically ill children.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010092:Oximetry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D010100:Oxygen