Monday, August 4, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Technology and Engineering

Skin pigmentation bias in pulse oximeters to get closer look

April 18, 2024
in Technology and Engineering
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
65
SHARES
594
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

By Beth Miller

By Beth Miller

ADVERTISEMENT

Pulse oximeters send light through a clip attached to a finger to measure oxygen levels in the blood noninvasively. Although the technology has been used for decades — and was heavily used during the COVID-19 pandemic — there is increasing evidence that it has a major flaw: it may provide inaccurate readings in individuals with more melanin pigment in their skin. The problem is so pervasive that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently met to find new ways to better evaluate the accuracy and performance of the devices in patients with more pigmented skin.

Christine O’Brien, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering and of obstetrics & gynecology in the School of Medicine, and Leo Shmuylovich, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Dermatology at the School of Medicine, both at Washington University in St. Louis, are seeking ways to mitigate this potential bias. With a two-year, $375,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, O’Brien and Shmuylovich are looking at using new experimental systems that allow skin pigmentation to be varied while all the other physiologic parameters remain the same as well as changing the pulse oximeter wavelengths from red light to short-wave infrared light, which minimizes melanin absorption and scattering.

“The racial bias observed from in these devices may cause harm by impeding respiratory support in individuals with low blood oxygenation,” O’Brien said. “Overcoming this bias and separating it from other sources of potential error in the oximeter is critically important to ensuring that patients with more pigmented skin are not denied lifesaving care due to devices that fail to meet the needs of a diverse population.”

Pulse oximeters detect how tissue absorbs red and infrared LEDs, and oxyhemoglobin and deoxyghemoglobin absorb the lights differently. Researchers think that differences in melanin-related absorption and scattering of the light, particularly at red wavelengths, is behind the pigmentation-related errors in estimating oxygenation and may also impact estimates of the way blood flows through the circulatory system to an organ or tissue. However, previous studies looking at these errors have not controlled for other physiologic factors that may impact pulse oximetry, so it is unknown whether the health disparities that those with pigmented skin face may drive these errors.

Joining the team is Mitchell Pet, MD, associate professor of surgery (plastic & reconstructive surgery), who developed the preclinical model with Shmuylovich that allows researchers to simultaneously make measurements on different areas of pigmentation to check if a given device has pigment sensitivity.

“We expect at the end of our research, this lifesaving pulse oximeter technology serves the needs of patients independent of their pigmentation and no longer fails an already marginalized community,” Shmuyolovich said.

 

 



Share26Tweet16
Previous Post

Your unsupportive partner is physically stressing you out

Next Post

DOE Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Management and Operating Contract Competition

Related Posts

Technology and Engineering

Tracking Macroplastic Pollution in Myanmar’s Bago River

August 4, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Quantum Teleportation Achieved Over 12.3 km Fiber

August 4, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Unexpected Urban Greenspace Soil Microbiome Uniformity Revealed

August 4, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

AI Models Reveal Microplastics in Neuse River Basin

August 4, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Tree Scarcity Hits African Informal City Settlements

August 4, 2025
blank
Technology and Engineering

Microplastics Found in Human Feces: Dietary Links Explored

August 4, 2025
Next Post

DOE Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Management and Operating Contract Competition

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27529 shares
    Share 11008 Tweet 6880
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    938 shares
    Share 375 Tweet 235
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    640 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    506 shares
    Share 202 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Research Reveals Shortcomings in Children’s Consent Education Materials
  • Revolutionizing Disaster Finance: Exploring Parametric Insurance for Tsunami Risk
  • Factors Linked to Missed Visits in Severe Mental Illness
  • Smoking’s Impact on Breast Cancer Screening

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,184 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading