Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method of monitoring the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood that can quickly detect changes in those oxygen levels. It became an especially useful tool in patient care decisions during the pandemic, with recommendations for hospitalization and the authorization of certain drugs based on specific thresholds as measured by oximeters.
A letter by a team of doctors from the University of Michigan Medical school published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2020 put a spotlight on this known issue and how differences in the pulse oximeter measurements posed an increased risk for Black patients. Specifically, their research found that Black patients had three times more undetected occult hypoxemia than white patients in two large cohorts.
“The inaccuracy of pulse oximetry in Black patients is one further example of how medical information generated in White people contributes to inferior clinical outcome in patients of colour,” they added.
Among the 1,452 remaining patients, or 76.3 per cent, who were eventually recognized as being eligible, Black patients had a median delay of one hour longer than white patients. “Such a scenario was reflected in the overrepresentation of Black patients who had unrecognized eligibility for treatment with remdesivir and dexamethasone.” They added that this issue could also be associated with treatment and triaging decisions for other respiratory diseases like pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Or people with psoriasis? Bring some nuance to your reporting.
Pulse oximeters and Covid are racist? Wow!
Jesus