Pulse Oximetry Glossary

These terms are frequently used in the field of pulse oximetry.

Hemoglobin / Haemoglobin(Hb) The iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of the blood in vertebrates, consisting of about 6 percent heme and 94 percent globin.
Oximeter A device for measuring the oxygen saturation of arterial blood.
Oxyhemoglobin / Oxyhaemoglobin Oxyhemoglobin is formed during respiration when oxygen binds to the heme component of the protein hemoglobin in red blood cells.
PaCO2 Arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide
PaO2 Arterial partial pressure of oxygen
Pulse Oximeter A medical device that non-invasively measures the oxygen saturation in a patient's blood and changes in blood volume in the skin by employing a pair of small light-emitting diodes facing a photodiode through a translucent part of the patient's body, usually fingertip or earlobe. See Working principles for fingertip pulse oximeter for details.
SpO2 Blood oxygen saturation

