Wareable

Best pulse oximeters in 2026: Tested and compared

Smartwatches have made heart rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) tracking part of everyday life. And to be fair, they are useful for most people who want to monitor their activity. However, if you ...
STAT

FDA-funded study of pulse oximeter accuracy yields surprising and confusing results

Anil Oza is a general assignment reporter at STAT focused on the NIH and health equity. You can reach him on Signal at aniloza.16. Rather than provide clarity on how to reduce racial bias in pulse ...
The Hill

FDA convenes meeting on ‘mounting real-world evidence’ pulse oximeters are less accurate for people with darker skin

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a meeting on Tuesday to examine and discuss what an agency panel called “mounting real-world evidence” suggesting that pulse oximeter devices do not provide ...
CNN

People with darker skin are 32% more likely to have pulse oximeter readings overestimate oxygen levels, report says

Scientists have long known that pulse oximeters are less accurate when used for people with dark skin tones – and now, a new report offers some insight into just how much more inaccurate these ...
STAT

In this hospital, pulse oximeters went from overestimating to underestimating blood oxygen. Why?

Anil Oza is a general assignment reporter at STAT focused on the NIH and health equity. You can reach him on Signal at aniloza.16. Pulse oximeters gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, ...
Forbes

A Quick Remedy Proves Elusive For Lifesaving Pulse Oximeter’s Problems With Darker Skin

Pulse oximeter market and UMMS discharge numbers are estimates. To find a remedy, Toussaint is working with graduate student Rutendro Jakachira on a new type of pulse oximeter that plays with the ...
Wareable

Best pulse oximeter rings in 2026: For sleep, oxygen tracking, and recovery

Ever wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed? Or wonder if yesterday's workout affected how well you recovered overnight? Wearable wellness devices have made it easier to answer those ...
Medical Xpress

Pulse oximeter bias linked to gaps in care for Black patients

Pulse oximeter devices routinely overestimate blood oxygen levels in darker-skinned patients—a racial bias that can trigger downstream health harms for Black individuals, compounding well beyond any ...
EurekAlert!

Pulse oximeters infrequently tested by manufacturers on diverse sets of subjects

Manufacturers increasingly but still infrequently follow Food and Drug Administration guidance that recommends testing pulse oximeters on participants with a range of skin pigmentations, according to ...
Consumer Reports

Pulse Oximeters Don't Work as Well for People With Dark Skin. Scientists Are Racing to Fix Them.

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimani Toussant’s wife, an epidemiologist, brought him an article about how pulse oximeters appeared to be less accurate in people with darker skin. The small ...
CNN

FDA panel examines evidence that pulse oximeters may not work as well on dark skin

As an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Owais Durrani sees this issue regularly first-hand: When he clamps a pulse oximeter onto a patient’s fingertip to measure their blood oxygen levels, the small ...