Pulse oximetry curves in healthy children living at moderate altitude: a cross-sectional study from the Ecuadorian Andes
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Pulse oximetry curves in healthy children living at moderate altitude: a crosssectional study from the Ecuadorian Andes Vinicio Andrade1*, Felipe Andrade1, Pablo Riofrio1, Fúlvio B. Nedel2,3, Miguel Martin1,2,4 and Natalia Romero-Sandoval1,2
Abstract Background: In populations above 3,000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) normal values of oxygen saturation (SpO2) above 90% have been reported. Few studies have been conducted in cities of moderate altitude (between 2,500 and 3,000 m a.s.l). We set out to describe the range of SpO2 values measured with a pulse oximeter in healthy children between 1 month and 12 years of age living in an Ecuadorian Andean city. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Quito, Ecuador, located at 2,810 m a.s.l. SpO2 measurement in healthy children of ages ranging from 1 month to 12 years of age residents in the city were recorded by pulse oximetry. Age and gender were recorded, and median and 2.5th and 5th percentile were drawn. Non parametric tests were used to compare differences in SpO2 values by age and gender. Results: 1,378 healthy children were included for the study, 719 (52.2%) males. The median SpO2 for the entire population was 94.5%. No differences were observed between SpO2 median values by age and gender. The 2.5th percentile for global SpO2 measurements was 90%, in children under 5 years of age was 91% and it was 90% in children older than 7. Conclusions: Our results provide SpO2 values for healthy children from 1 to 12 years old residents in Quito, a city of moderate altitude. The SpO2 percentile curve could contribute as a healthy range for the clinical evaluation of children residing at this altitude. Keywords: pulse oximetry: reference value, children, altitude
Background Oxygen saturation (SpO2) is an indirect index of oxygen supply-to-demand balance [1, 2]. Pulse oximetry provides information about patient’s oxygenation status and is a reliable, simple, safe, accurate, and relative low cost method to monitor the patient as compared to expensive and labor-intensive methods [3, 4]. Patient’s oxygenation status can show a reduced partial pressure of oxygen * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 School of Medicine, Universidad Internacional del Ecuador, Av. Simón Bolívar and Av. Jorge Fernández. Quito, Quito, Ecuador Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
and/or decreased oxygen saturation in arterial blood and in this case, it should be called hypoxemia [4]. Hypoxemia in children has been associated with increased mortality and is a frequent complication in cases of pneumonia, bronchiolitis, asthma and other severe diseases such as sepsis [5]. The recognition of hypoxemia among children with pneumonia contributes to diagnosis, is crucial in patient management, and helps in determining prognosis [5–7]. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an oxygen saturation threshold value of 90% measured by pulse oximetry, as the cut-off point for oxygen
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