WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that the pulse oximeters that have become essential tools in the fight against COVID-19 may not work as well on people of color. A ...

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee met Friday to figure out ways to make pulse oximeters more accurate when doing readings on darker skin both in hospitals and at home, after research ...

Research confirms that skin pigmentation can reduce the accuracy of pulse oximeters. Researchers found that red light, a key component in pulse oximetry, is more strongly attenuated in pigmented skin.

Pulse oximeters use light to measure how much oxygen is in a person’s blood. For most people, a normal pulse oximeter reading is between 95% and 100%, researchers said in background notes. Readings ...

The longstanding problem of pulse oximeters providing less-accurate readings for people with dark skin tones got another look Friday from a panel of experts for the US Food and Drug Administration.