Differences in pulse oximetry technology can affect detection of sleep-disorderd breathing in children.

Abstract

The Masimo oximeters register many fewer false desaturations due to motion artifact. Using 4-second averaging, a Masimo oximeter detected significantly fewer SaO2 dips than the Nellcor N-200 oximeter but using 2-second averaging, the Masimo oximeter detected more SaO2 dips than the Nellcor N-200 oximeter. The sensitivity and motion artifact rejection characteristics of the Nellcor N-395 oximeter are not adequate for a pediatric sleep laboratory setting. These findings suggest that in a pediatric sleep laboratory, use of a Masimo oximeter with very short averaging time could significantly reduce workload and improve reliability of desaturation detection.