New research from South Africa shows that using a pulse oximeter to check oxygen levels after a Covid diagnosis really does save lives.

Wearables are stuffed with all kinds of health sensors, but the pulse oximeter is showing up in the newest smartwatches and fitness trackers.

The longstanding problem of pulse oximeters providing less-accurate readings for people with dark skin tones got another look Friday from a panel of experts for the US Food and Drug Administration.

A pulse oximeter is a small device that goes on your finger and measures your pulse and the amount of oxygen dissolved in your blood.

Levitan says that use of home finger pulse oximeters by patients with COVID-19 could preempt the precipitous oxygen desaturation that leads to a crisis that needs intensive care.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, most Americans had heard about pulse oximeters only via TV shows where EMTs shout out a patient’s “pulse ox” — or measure of oxygen in the blood. But when ...

Pulse ox readings from both wearables and finger pulse ox devices are less accurate when the wearer is moving making them much less useful for continuous monitoring of healthy, mobile users.

The pulse oximeter is intended for spot-checking of functional oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin and pulse rate.

Although pulse oximeters are commercially available, they come at many price points and the quality can vary greatly. There is no good way to know whether a home pulse ox is reading accurately.

Pulse oximeters are used to check blood oxygen saturation levels and heart rate, but research suggests these devices may be less accurate in individuals with darker skin pigmentation.