Getting your blood oxygen measured usually involves a clamp-like oximeter that you put on your finger. Now there’s a new way to stay on top of your health.
An oximeter measures oxygen levels by passing small beams of light through a finger; it detects changes in how light is absorbed in oxygenated or deoxygenated blood. (Blood oxygen levels lower or higher than normal can be dangerous, particularly for people with certain health conditions.)
A WORRYING PROBLEM
But these devices hold the potential for racial bias, say University of Michigan researchers. After analyzing pulse-oximetry measurements in white and Black patients, they discovered that nearly three times as often as white patients, Black patients had occult hypoxemia (a below-normal blood oxygen level) that was not detected by pulse oximeters purchased over the counter. That’s because the sensors in finger-clamp oximeters send light through the top of the finger, but “if you’re pigmented, the sensors in pulse oximeters purchased OTC or on the Internet can’t pick up on them well,” says Neil Friedman, COO of BodiMetrics, which partnered with Prevention on a device that can reduce the chance of racial bias.
FINDING A FIX
The sensor in the Circul+ ring is on the underside of the finger, Friedman says, where the skin on many darker-skinned people tends to be lighter. “The ring works because it’s able to shine wavelengths of light through the skin and make measurements from pulsating blood vessels,” adds Meir Kryger, M.D., a professor at Yale University and a member of the BodiMetrics advisory board. The Circul+ ring continuously measures not only blood oxygen levels but also heart rate, heart rate variability, and finger temperature. It also measures blood pressure and has a single lead ECG. You can share the health data with family members, caregivers, and doctors.
Simply Medical now offers the Prevention circul+ Heart and Blood Oxygen Wellness Smart Ring. It’s an easy way to monitor aspects of your health and is a sleek, lightweight, durable ring that comes in three adjustable sizes to fit most fingers.