Emergency Medical Minute Podcast 659: Racial Bias in Pulse Oximetry
Apr 14, 2021
03:27
Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD
Educational Pearls:
- Study in NEJM looked at occult hypoxemia, when oxygen saturation reads at >92% when the actual saturation is
- Rate of occult hypoxemia was 3 times higher in those who identified as black (12% vs 4%)
- Keep this disparity in mind when providing care to patients of all backgrounds and incorporate into clinical decision-making
References
Sjoding MW, Dickson RP, Iwashyna TJ, Gay SE, Valley TS. Racial Bias in Pulse Oximetry Measurement. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(25):2477-2478. doi:10.1056/NEJMc2029240
Summarized by John Spartz, MS3 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD
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