Beat to Beat: A Measured Look at the History of Pulse Oximetry.
It can be argued that pulse oximetry is the most important technological advancement ever made in monitoring the well-being and safety of patients undergoing anesthesia. Before its development, the physical appearance of the patient and blood gas analysis were the only methods of assessing hypoxemia in patients. The disadvantages of blood gas analysis are that it is not without pain, complications, and most importantly does not provide continuous, real-time data. Although it has become de rigueur to use pulse oximetry for every anesthetic, the road leading to pulse oximetry began long ago.
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030. Electronic address: avan@mdanderson.org.
Antoinette
A
Van Meter
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Uduak
U
Williams
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Acsa
A
Zavala
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390.
Joshua
J
Kee
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Elizabeth
E
Rebello
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
January
J
Tsai
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Ifeyinwa
I
Ifeanyi
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Joseph
J
Ruiz
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Jeffery
J
Lim
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 409, Houston, TX 77030.
Pascal
P
Owusu-Agyemang
D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D010092:Oximetry / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods