The History of Pulse Oximetry

The pulse oximeter is a diagnostic tool used world wide in medicine to monitor the oxygenation of a patient's blood level. Its history goes back to the 1800. Credit for its development involved much research studies and experiments by early scientists. They include names like Lambert, Beer, Bunson and Kirchhoff in 1860. Stoke and Hoppe-Seyler, Nicolai in 1932 and later Krammer and Carl Matthes.

History

• Following the ground work of the early scientists; Millikan, Wood and Shaw further developed the principles of the pulse oximeter during 1940 to 1964. In 1972, Takuo Aoyagi, a Japanese bio-engineer, invented the pulse oximeter after measuring oxygen saturation by sending light through the tissues. In 1978 William New, MD, Ph.D., improved the principle after realizing that infrared and red light measures the blood.

Significance

• The pulse oximeter has made a significant impact on the medical field and has propelled the advancement of patient care particularly in the areas of anesthesia and critical care. In an article by John Severinhaus, MD, entitled "Takus Aoyagi: Discovery of Pulse Oximetry" Published in Anesthesia & Analgesia, April 23, 2007. He concludes that the introduction of pulse oximetry coincided with 90 percent reduction in anesthesia related deaths.
  Finally, patients blood oxygenation could be continuously monitored and measured by a diagnostic tool rather than by sending a laboratory blood gas specimen and waiting for the results.

Marketing

• In 1978 the pulse oximeter was marketed by the Minolta Company in Osaka, in Japan.
  In the 1980s the product catapulted onto the world wide market and is now being used in hospitals, clinics, medical centers, pediatric centers, in operating rooms, critical areas and in some homes for monitoring oxygen blood levels of asthmatic patients. This quick, easy, safe, noninvasive and cost effective device continues to make its mark on the medical field.

Minimization of the Oximeter

• In 1970 Hewlett Packard designed and marketed a large, bulky, cumbersome ear oximeter with a clumsy ear piece. It weighed 35 lbs and cost $10,000. Today the oximeter have been minimized. They are small, light weight, some are hand held models and they are ergonomically designed to fit the fingers. They are available in a variety styles at a starting price of $50 and above.

Potential

• The focus and the goals of the future in oximetry is to improve the accuracy of the readings of the pulse oximeter during movement of the patient and when the patient is in a low perfusion state. In addition there is potential to make pulse oximeters even smaller in size to make them adaptable to wireless data transmission. The ultimate goal and outcome is to continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of patient care.