Design of a finger base-type pulse oximeter

Abstract

A pulse oximeter is a common medical instrument used for noninvasively monitoring arterial oxygen saturation (SpO(2)). Currently, the fingertip-type pulse oximeter is the prevalent type of pulse oximeter used. However, it is inconvenient for long-term monitoring, such as that under motion. In this study, a wearable and wireless finger base-type pulse oximeter was designed and implemented using the tissue optical simulation technique and the Monte Carlo method. The results revealed that a design involving placing the light source at 135 degrees-165 degrees and placing the detector at 75 degrees-90 degrees or 90 degrees-105 degrees yields the optimal conditions for measuring SpO(2). Finally, the wearable and wireless finger base-type pulse oximeter was implemented and compared with the commercial fingertip-type pulse oximeter. The experimental results showed that the proposed optimal finger base-type pulse oximeter design can facilitate precise SpO(2) measurement. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.