Pulse Oximeters - What Do They Really Do?

Pulse oximeters have a racial bias, which is inherent in the pulse oximeter device itself. A good profusion index requires both a good cardiac output and also it quires that the patient isn't profoundly vaso constricted. The best way for us to figure out what we can do with these patients is just to feel their extremities. If you see a strong wave form from an o two sat monitor, it tells you not only that the heart is beating at x beats per minute, but that the cardiac contractility is strong enough to create a peripheral pulse.