Oxygen saturation (medicine)

For Oxygen saturation in general, see Oxygen saturation. oxygenated in the lungs, where oxygen molecules travel
Oxygen saturation is a term referring to the fraction of from the air and into the blood. Oxygenation is com-
monly used to refer to medical oxygen saturation.

1 Denition

Haemoglobin saturation curve.

In medicine, oxygen saturation (SO2 ), commonly

referred to as sats, measures the percentage of
hemoglobin binding sites in the bloodstream occupied
by oxygen. At low partial pressures of oxygen, most
hemoglobin is deoxygenated. At around 90% (the value
varies according to the clinical context) oxygen saturation
Blood circulation: Red = oxygenated (arteries), Blue = deoxy- increases according to an oxygen-hemoglobin dissocia-
genated (veins) tion curve and approaches 100% at partial oxygen pres-
sures of >10 kPa. A pulse oximeter relies on the light ab-
oxygen-saturated hemoglobin relative to total hemoglobin sorption characteristics of saturated hemoglobin to give
(unsaturated + saturated) in the blood. The human body an indication of oxygen saturation.
requires and regulates a very precise and specic bal-
ance of oxygen in the blood. Normal blood oxygen
levels in humans are considered 95-100 percent. If the
level is below 90 percent, it is considered low result- 2 Physiology
ing in hypoxemia.[1] Blood oxygen levels below 80 per-
cent may compromise organ function, such as the brain The body maintains a stable level of oxygen satu-
and heart, and should be promptly addressed. Contin- ration for the most part by chemical processes of
ued low oxygen levels may lead to respiratory or cardiac aerobic metabolism associated with breathing. Using
arrest. Oxygen therapy may be used to assist in raising the respiratory system, red blood cells, specically the
blood oxygen levels. Oxygenation occurs when oxygen hemoglobin, gather oxygen in the lungs and distribute it
molecules (O to the rest of the body. The needs of the bodys blood
2) enter the tissues of the body. For example, blood is oxygen may uctuate such as during exercise when more

1
2 6 REFERENCES

oxygen is required [2] or when living at higher altitudes. reading meter by a wire to collect the data. Oxygen lev-
A blood cell is said to be saturated when carrying a nor- els may also be checked through an arterial blood gas test
mal amount of oxygen.[3] Both too high and too low levels (ABG), where blood taken from an artery is analysed for
can have adverse eects on the body. oxygen level, carbon dioxide level and acidity.[4] Oxygen
saturation taken with a pulse oxymeter is often designated
SpO2 .[5]
3 Measurement
An SaO2 (arterial oxygen saturation) value below 90% 5 Medical signicance
causes hypoxemia (which can also be caused by anemia).
Hypoxemia due to low SaO is indicated by cyanosis. Healthy individuals at sea level usually exhibit oxygen
Oxygen saturation can be measured in dierent tissues: saturation values between 96% and 99%, and should be
above 94%. At 5,280 feet altitude (one mile high) oxygen
Venous oxygen saturation (SvO2 ) is measured to see saturation should be above 92%.[7]
how much oxygen the body consumes. Under clini- An SaO (arterial oxygen saturation) value below 90%
2
cal treatment, a SvO2 below 60% indicates that the causes hypoxemia (which can also be caused by anemia).
body is in lack of oxygen, and ischemic diseases oc- Hypoxemia due to low SaO is indicated by cyanosis, but
cur. This measurement is often used under treat- oxygen saturation does not directly reect tissue oxygena-
ment with a heart-lung machine (extracorporeal cir- tion. The anity of hemoglobin to oxygen may impair
culation), and can give the perfusionist an idea of or enhance oxygen release at the tissue level. Oxygen is
how much ow the patient needs to stay healthy. more readily released to the tissues (i.e., hemoglobin has
a lower anity for oxygen) when pH is decreased, body
Tissue oxygen saturation (StO2 ) can be measured by
temperature is increased, arterial partial pressure of car-
near infrared spectroscopy. Although the measure-
bon dioxide (PaCO2 ) is increased, and 2,3-DPG levels
ments are still widely discussed, they give an idea of
(a byproduct of glucose metabolism also found in stored
tissue oxygenation in various conditions.
blood products) are increased. When the hemoglobin has
Peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) is an greater anity for oxygen, less is available to the tissues.
estimation of the oxygen saturation level usually Conditions such as increased pH, decreased temperature,
measured with a pulse oximeter device. It can be decreased PaCO2 , and decreased 2,3-DPG will increase
calculated with the pulse oximetry according to the oxygen binding to the hemoglobin and limit its release to
following formula: the tissue.[8]

HbO2
S p O2 = HbO2 +Hb
6 References
4 Pulse oximetry [1] Hypoxemia (low blood oxygen)". Mayo Clinic. may-
oclinic.com. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
Main article: Pulse oximetry [2] Understanding Blood Oxygen Levels at Rest. t-
Pulse oximetry is a method used to measure the concen- day.com. tday.com. Retrieved 6 June 2013.

[3] Elllison, Bronwyn. NORMAL RANGE OF BLOOD

OXYGEN LEVEL. Livestrong.com. Livestrong.com.
Retrieved 6 June 2013.

[4] Your Oxygen Level. The Ohio State University Wexner

Medical Center. Retrieved 6 June 2013.

[5] SPO2. TheFreeDictionary.com. 19982008. Re-

trieved 2014-01-28.

[6] Oxymoron: Our Love-Hate Relationship with Oxygen,

By Mike McEvoy at Albany Medical College, New York.
Example pulse oximeter
10/12/2010
tration of oxygen in the blood. A small device that clips [7] Normal oxygen level. National Jewish Health.
to the body (typically a nger but may be other areas), MedHelp. Feb 23, 2009. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
called a pulse oximeter, uses infrared light to estimate
the amount of oxygen in the blood. The clip attaches to a [8] Schutz 2001
 3

7 External links
Interactive haemoglobin saturation graph
4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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