An unusual explanation for low oxygen saturation.

@article{Holbrook2008AnUE,
  title={An unusual explanation for low oxygen saturation.},
  author={Simon P. Holbrook and Audrey Quinn},
  journal={British journal of anaesthesia},
  year={2008},
  volume={101 3},
  pages={
          350-3
        }
}
Pulse oximeters are now commonplace in modern medical practice, but we still need to be aware of their limitations. We present here a case of a 62-yr-old gentleman who underwent general anaesthesia for a recurrent parietal meningioma. He had received multiple general anaesthetics in the past. Persistent low pulse oximetry readings in the perioperative period, without any suggestion of respiratory compromise, led us to investigate him further and to discover a new, but benign, haemoglobinopathy. 
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Citation Type

Spurious oxygen saturation value: A dilemma for anaesthesiologist
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Various factors such as low perfusion state, motion artifacts, skin pigmentation, nail paint, haemoglobinopathies and faulty probes have been reported as causes for low SpO2 on the pulse oximeter, which requires immediate attention for cause and correction.
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Kansas haemoglobin is reported as the first, benign Haemoglobinopathy from Turkish population and to be investigated further in the postoperative period.
Clinical Cyanosis in a Patient Presenting for Outpatient Colonoscopy: A Case Report of Hemoglobin Kansas.
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The management of a patient who presented to a freestanding surgical center with the rare variant hemoglobin Kansas, clinical cyanosis, and an initial pulse oximetry reading of 68% on room air is discussed.
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In each issue, the paramedic education team at Edge Hill University focuses on the clinical skills carried out by paramedics on the frontlines, highlighting the importance of these skills and how to…
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The first literature report describing drowning eye sign in an advanced case of massive hydrocephalus is described, which seems as if the eyeballs have drowned below the orbital cavity into inferior margin of orbit and maxilla, and hence termed as the ‘drowning eye sign’.
Unexpectedly low pulse oximetry measurements associated with variant hemoglobins: A systematic review
TLDR
The differential diagnosis of possible variant hemoglobin ought to be considered in asymptomatic patients found to have unexpectedly low SpO2, to spare patients from unnecessary investigations and anxiety.
Erratum to: Unexpectedly low pulse oximetry measurements associated with variant hemoglobins: A systematic review
TLDR
The differential diagnosis of possible variant hemoglobin ought to be considered in asymptomatic patients found to have unexpectedly low SpO2, to spare patients from unnecessary investigations and anxiety.
Anesthesia and hemoglobinopathies.
  • P. Firth
  • Medicine
    Anesthesiology clinics
  • 2009
Anesthesia a nd Hemoglobinopathies
TLDR
In the neonate, the predominant hemoglobin is hemoglobin F, with the proportion of hemoglobin A2 about 2%–3% and in the adult red cells about 95%–98%.
A Healthy Infant Incidentally Presenting With Low SpO2: The Pitfalls of Pulse Oximetry
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