Identifying performance differences between two pulse oximetry systems in simulated critical neonatal conditions
Neonatal Medicine
Identifying performance differences between two pulse oximetry systems in simulated critical neonatal conditions
Neonatal Medicine

Identifying performance differences between two pulse oximetry systems in simulated critical neonatal conditions

J Perinatol. 2025 Jul 30. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02364-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Pulse oximetry is used to guide critical clinical decisions in neonatology. We used a vital signs simulator to compare performance of two pulse oximetry systems in conditions not tested in standardized clinical verification studies.

STUDY DESIGN: We devised a set of simulated tissue translucency, perfusion, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and heart rate (HR) parameters to mimic challenging real-world neonatal data and applied them to two marketed pulse oximetry systems (Nellcor™ and Masimo®). At each combination of input parameters, we used the response from both systems to assess SpO2 error.

RESULTS: The mean SpO2 error for Nellcor™ was below 1.1% across all parameters explored, while Masimo® showed significantly higher (p < 0.005) error at lower translucencies.

CONCLUSION: Significant performance differences can be observed when comparing pulse oximeters at low translucency and perfusion conditions. Patient simulators cannot replace clinical testing but provide a safe and cost-effective method for additional performance profiling.

PMID:40738966 | DOI:10.1038/s41372-025-02364-4