Abstract
This paper introduces the design of a small and cost-effective optical pulse oximeter, including a finger clip, sensor readout electronics, and associated firmware. The device is based on widely-available commercial optical sensors that are designed for the wearables market and measure the reflection of different wavelengths of light. This design was produced in response to a request from the Royal United Hospital in Bath UK, in light of the severe shortage of clinical pulse oximeters during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Products based on this design have not been submitted for medical device approval; the design documents here should be considered purely for research, educational and development purposes.
Highlights
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic produced an unprecedented strain on the resources of many healthcare systems
This paper introduces the design of an open source and low cost pulse oximeter that can be assembled with minimal tooling
It uses widely available components to provide indicative measurements of SpO2 and Heart Rate that have been used for triage purposes during the COVID-19 crisis
Summary
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic produced an unprecedented strain on the resources of many healthcare systems. Within England that strain was felt most acutely within the Accident and Emergency (A&E) wards that continue to deal with rapid triage and admissions of many patients. A key component of triage has been the monitoring of a patient’s Saturated Percentage of Oxygen (SpO2), with reference to respiratory conditions. The SpO2 metric has been heavily used in both the triage and the prognostication of patients with suspected COVID-19. As the numbers of cases increased dramatically around the world the pressure on healthcare providers at both the national and international level became almost unmanageable. The need for point of care monitoring of SpO2 for large numbers of patients led directly to both a supply shortage and a cost increase of commercial sensors
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