Rather than provide clarity on how to reduce racial bias in pulse oximeter readings, a long-awaited study commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration has muddied the path forward.
The results were meant to help researchers understand why the handheld devices, widely used in hospitals and clinics to measure blood oxygen levels, do not work as well on patients with darker skin tones. But the initial findings, published in a paper that has not yet been peer reviewed, were surprising and did not provide conclusive guidance to clinicians.
