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Measurement of venous oxyhaemoglobin saturation in the adult human forearm by near infrared spectroscopy with venous occlusion

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Abstract

Measurement of the oxygenation of the peripheral tissues provides useful information about tissue perfusion. A method is described for the measurement of peripheral venous oxyhaemaglobin saturation (SvO2) in the adult forearm by a non-invasive technique, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with venous occlusion. A series of studies is performed on healthy adults to compare measurements of forearm SvO2 made by NIRS with measurements of superficial venous SvO2 made by co-oximetry, and to study the effect of different optode spacings. There is a significant correlation between forearm SvO2 measured by NIRS and SvO2 of superficial venous blood measured by cooximetry (n=19, r=0.7, p<0.0001). Higher values for SvO2 were obtained using a 2.5 cm spacing than with a 4 cm spacing (mean difference=4.1% (95% Cl 1.4%–6.8%) n=16). This difference is likely to have been due to a more superficial volume of tissue being studied with the closer optode spacing. Peripheral SvO2 can be measured non-invasively using NIRS with venous occlusion. It may prove to be a useful method to study circulatory disturbances.

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Yoxall, C.W., Weindling, A.M. Measurement of venous oxyhaemoglobin saturation in the adult human forearm by near infrared spectroscopy with venous occlusion. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 35, 331–336 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02534086

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