• T E Morey, M J Rice, T Vasilopoulos, D M Dennis, and R J Melker.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida, PO 100254, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32601-0254, USA morey@ufl.edu.
• Br J Anaesth. 2014 Jun 1;112(6):1109-14.

BackgroundThe nasal ala is an attractive site for pulse oximetry because of perfusion by branches of the external and internal carotid arteries. We evaluated the accuracy of a novel pulse oximetry sensor custom designed for the nasal ala.MethodsAfter IRB approval, healthy non-smoking subjects [n=12; aged 28 (23-41) yr; 6M/6F] breathed hypoxic mixtures of fresh gas by a facemask to achieve oxyhaemoglobin saturations of 70-100% measured by traditional co-oximetry from radial artery samples. Concurrent alar and finger pulse oximetry values were measured using probes designed for these sites. Data were analysed using the Bland-Altman method for multiple observations per subject.ResultsBias, precision, and accuracy root mean square error (ARMS) over a range of 70-100% were significantly better for the alar probe compared with a standard finger probe. The mean bias for the alar and finger probes was 0.73% and 1.90% (P<0.001), respectively, with corresponding precision values of 1.65 and 1.83 (P=0.015) and ARMS values of 1.78% and 2.72% (P=0.047). The coefficients of determination were 0.96 and 0.96 for the alar and finger probes, respectively. The within/between-subject variation for the alar and finger probes were 1.14/1.57% and 1.87/1.47%, respectively. The limits of agreement were 3.96/-2.50% and 5.48/-1.68% for the alar and finger probes, respectively.ConclusionsNasal alar pulse oximetry is feasible and demonstrates accurate pulse oximetry values over a range of 70-100%. The alar probe demonstrated greater accuracy compared with a conventional finger pulse oximeter.© The Author [2014]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

13 keywords...

hide…