An unusual explanation for low oxygen saturation.
Pulse oximeters are now commonplace in modern medical practice, but we still need to be aware of their limitations. We present here a case of a 62-yr-old gentleman who underwent general anaesthesia for a recurrent parietal meningioma. He had received multiple general anaesthetics in the past. Persistent low pulse oximetry readings in the perioperative period, without any suggestion of respiratory compromise, led us to investigate him further and to discover a new, but benign, haemoglobinopathy.
Department of Anaesthesia, St James's University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK. s.p.holbrook@leeds.ac.uk
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Holbrook
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Quinn
D000768:Anesthesia, General; D006453:Hemoglobinopathies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008579:Meningioma / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D010092:Oximetry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D010313:Partial Pressure
D010100:Oxygen