Chest
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Comparative Study
Comparison of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry and co-oximetry during exercise testing in patients with COPD.
Measurement of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) is frequently performed during exercise testing of patients with COPD to monitor for hypoxemia. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy and precision of pulse oximetry during exercise. We hypothesized that the SpO2 would more closely reflect oxygen saturation as measured by co-oximetry (SaO2) when it was corrected for carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). We also hypothesized that SpO2 would more closely reflect SaO2 when the pulse rate by oximeter was equivalent to the heart rate by ECG. Finally, we hypothesized that SpO2 would be a better measure of SaO2 at maximal workloads than at rest or submaximal workloads. ⋯ Oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry (SpO2) in patients with COPD undergoing exercise testing is not sufficiently accurate to replace SaO2 as the gold standard for oxygen saturation.