oximetry

[ ok-sim-i-tree ]

noun

, Medicine/Medical.

1. the measuring of the percentage of oxygen-saturated hemoglobin in the blood by means of an oximeter. Readings below 90 percent may be indicative of impaired lung function or infection. In noninvasive pulse oximetry, a small device placed on a fingertip or earlobe uses light waves to measure the oxygen saturation in arterial blood.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oximetry¹

First recorded in 1940–45; ox- + -i- + -metry

Example Sentences

She was offered a "pulse oximetry" for Daisy at the Lister Hospital, in Stevenage, when she was born on 19 June.

From BBC

A pulse oximetry measures a baby's oxygen levels, but is not currently part of the routine screening programme in the UK.

From BBC

Apple spent the days before Christmas warning customers that it was going to have to suspend sales of its Apple Watch because it lost a patent case over the device’s pulse oximetry feature.

From New York Times

In 2020, Apple introduced its first watch with pulse oximetry.

From New York Times

The trade court’s initial ruling in January 2023 found that Apple violated Masimo’s patent for pulse oximetry technology, and the October decision confirmed the earlier one.

From Los Angeles Times