Pulse oximeters are inaccurate in people with darker skin, studies suggest. Now the FDA is reviewing.

Studies found pulse oximeters register higher oxygen level readings in people with darker skin tones. The devices were critical in making care decisions for COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic. The problem had been identified as early as 1990 by Amal Jubran, a pulmonologist at Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois. The general hypothesis is that darker skin pigmentation interferes with the passage of light, rendering inaccurate results, Jubran said. A 2020 study found 11.7% of Black patients registered higher than accurate oxygen levels on oximeters compared to 3.6% of white patients. The study prompted the FDA to issue an advisory in February of last year warning patients and providers to consider the limitations and “risks of inaccuracy” . . .