Tomisa Starr, a 61-year-old woman from Sacramento, California, experienced skepticism from doctors and nurses when she raised concerns about faulty pulse oximeter readings in Black Americans. This issue has been known for decades, with pulse oximeters often providing inaccurate results on individuals with darker skin, making them appear healthier than they actually are. The FDA has recognized this problem, issuing draft guidance for manufacturers to expand testing on a variety of skin tones to ensure accuracy for all patients.
The reliance on pulse oximeters, devices that measure oxygen levels in the blood, has been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have shown that faulty readings can impact the treatment and outcomes of patients of color, potentially limiting their access to advanced therapies like heart pumps or transplants. Despite the known racial disparities in pulse oximetry, little action has been taken to address the issue until recently.
Researchers are working to understand why some pulse oximeters perform poorly on individuals with darker skin tones, with factors like perfusion being considered as possible explanations. The delay in finding solutions is concerning to healthcare providers who treat diverse patient populations. Some companies have agreed to include warning labels on their devices to alert users about potential inaccuracies, but patients like Tomisa Starr continue to rely on pulse oximeters for monitoring their health, despite knowing the risk of receiving flawed results. The medical community is pushing for better solutions to ensure that pulse oximeters work equally well for individuals of all skin tones.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com