Pulse oximeter output signal adjustment to increase accuracy for pigmented skin

Abstract

With increase in the use of pulse oximeters upon the offset of COVID-19, it was discovered that pulse oximeters have some racial bias in their design. People with pigmented skin receive erroneous and imprecise results as a result of this racial prejudice. In extreme circumstances, this racial bias has resulted in hypoxia and even death. This gap was made apparent by COVID-19, but it has existed from the program's beginning in 1987 [8]. This study aims to develop an analog and digital signal processing method that can improve the precision and accuracy of pulse oximetry readings in people with pigmented skin. To distinguish between the light absorption by oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin and that of melanin, the suggested method will combine digital and analog signal processing techniques. Clinical data from patients with a range of skin tones will be used to examine the project's potential to improve the accuracy of pulse oximetry results. This research should result in a signal processing algorithm and hardware that can be combined with current pulse oximeter devices, increasing the accuracy of oxygen saturation measurements in patients with pigmented skin. The designed pulse oximeter provided significant difference in readings from those on the market. In addition to measuring results that were significantly different from those found on the market, the created pulse oximeter also had a considerably faster response time. The designed pulse oximeter provided readings with difference from the readings of a normal pulse oximeter proportional to the amount of melanin present in the patient. This could have a big impact on how respiratory distress is diagnosed and treated in this population, especially when it comes to COVID-19. Also, the research is anticipated to advance the field of digital and analog signal processing in healthcare.