EC Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine

The oxygen saturation (O₂ Sat) or trans-cutaneous oxygen arterial pressure (TcPO₂) indicates the percentage of haemoglobin binding capacity actually combined with oxygen. As perceived in some clinical practice that normal oxygen saturation is 93% or more; oxygen Sat of 90% indicates mild respiratory failure and that oxygen saturation of 84% or less indicates the presence of severe pulmonary disease. This experiment on outpatients seemed to prove otherwise with various physiologic pathology diseases according to the following results. Out of 36 (100%) patients examined during clinical and surgical attendance and treated on various different pathology, only one (01) 2.8% had oxygen saturation - TcPO₂ of 68% below normal value of 93%. Thirty five (35) 97.2% had oxygen saturation above 93%, with various different pathologies (Table 1). The conclusion proved that percentage index of oxygen saturation, otherwise known as trans-cutaneous arterial oxygen pressure - TcPaO₂, is not a specific indicator to only pulmonary pathologic physiology as understood. Normal as 93%, abnormal as 90%, respiratory failure as < 84% severe respiratory failure, because the same occurs in various other acquired and congenital pathologic physiology states or deceases (Table 2).

Keywords: Oxygen Saturation (O₂ Sat); Trans-Cutaneous Oxygen Arterial Pressure (TcPO₂); Pulmonary Disease

1. Fry J. “Clinical patterns and course of anaemia in general practice”. British Medical Journal 2 (1961): 1732.
2. Dacie JV. “Haemolytic reactions to drugs”. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 55 (1962): 28.
3. Beutler E. “The haemolytic effect of primaquine and related compounds/ a review”. Blood 14 (1959): 103.