A new method to measure the haemoglobin oxygen saturation by the oxygen electrode

We describe a new polarographic method to measure the haemoglobin oxygen saturation in whole blood, employing up to 10 microliters of sample in a standard case. The measurement is done in an anaerobic stainless-steel cuvette (1 ml) recording three oxygen tension values: (1) that of an air-equilibrated buffer before the addition of the sample; (ii) that after the addition of the sample; and (iii) that after the addition of an oxidant. The haemoglobin oxygen saturation is then calculated from the three oxygen tension values, the volume of the reagents, and the solubility coefficient of oxygen. This method is simple, inexpensive and accurate, and correlates well with other standard methods.