Normative values of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) in apparently healthy children from Eastern India - A...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Clinical Measurement Science

Background:

• Establishing normative data for physiological parameters is essential for accurate clinical assessment.
• Pulse oximetry is a key non-invasive tool for monitoring oxygen saturation in children.
• Previous studies may have limited data for specific pediatric age groups or geographic regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine normative values for oxygen saturation (SpO2) using pulse oximetry in healthy children aged 1 month to 14 years.
• To investigate potential variations in SpO2 levels based on age and gender in this pediatric population.
• To establish a regional reference range for SpO2 in children from Eastern India.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, involving apparently healthy children.
• SpO2 was measured using a standardized pulse oximeter, with readings averaged after stabilization.
• The 2.5th centile of SpO2 values was used to define the lower limit of normal.

Main Results:

• The median SpO2 for the study population was 99.7% (IQR: 99-100).
• Key percentiles included 97.7% (2.5th), 98% (5th), 99% (25th), and 100% (75th).
• The 2.5th centile SpO2 for the infantile age group was 96.4%; no significant age or gender variations were observed.

Conclusions:

• This study provides normative reference ranges for SpO2 in healthy children from Eastern India.
• The established ranges are valuable for interpreting pulse oximetry readings in pediatric clinical practice.
• The findings contribute to the understanding of SpO2 variability in a specific pediatric demographic at moderate altitude.