European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology
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Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol · Jan 1997
Accuracy of pulse oximetry during intense exercise under severe hypoxic conditions.
There is a growing need to measure arterial oxygen saturation with a non-invasive method during heavy exercise under severe hypoxic conditions. Although the accuracy of pulse oximetry has been challenged by several authors, it has not been done under extreme conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a pulse oximeter (Satllite. ⋯ SpO2[corr] and SaO2 were highly correlated (r = 0.93, SEE = 1.81) for low values. During high-intensity constant workload under severe hypoxic conditions, once corrected, pulse oximetry provides an estimate of SaO2 with a mean error of 2%. Thus, the correction previously described for SpO2 values above 75% saturation applies also to SpO2 values in the range of 57-75% during exercise under hypoxic conditions.