Pulse CO-oximetry – Clinical impact in the emergency department

SummaryPulse CO-oximetry is now widely available in a variety of situations in critical and emergency medicine. This technology allows the continuous and non-invasive determination of haemoglobin, carboxyhaemoglobin, methaemoglobin, oxygen content and the Pleth Variability Index and is as an essential supplementary monitoring tool in emergency, critical and peri-operative settings. However, the operator must be aware of the inherent limitations of this technique.