Impacts of Skin Color and Hypoxemia on Noninvasive Assessment of Peripheral Blood Oxygen Saturation: A Scoping Review.

Standard pulse oximeters estimate arterial blood saturation (SaO) non-invasively by emitting and detecting light of a specific wavelength through a cutaneous vascular bed, such as a digit or the ear lobe. The quantity measured at these peripheral sites is designated as oxygen saturation (SpO). Most reliable pulse oximeters are calibrated from measurements of healthy volunteers using some form of oxygen desaturation method.