What We’re Reading: Solving Racial Disparities in Pulse Oximeters; Tracheostomy Tube Shortage; Adult Deaths From Excessive Drinking

Experts Work to Improve Blood Oxygen Measuring for Darker Skin

With growing evidence that current pulse oximeters produce less accurate blood oxygen level estimates in patients of color, medical device makers and scientists are working to develop new technologies to combat this issue, Reuters reported. Discrepancies in how these devises produced different results for patients with darker skin used to be deemed insignificant. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed notable and long-term dangers of these flaws, as the devices gave falsely high oxygen readings in patients with darker skin and led to overall inadequate health care for these patients. FDA advisers met Tuesday to discuss alternatives to the infrared light used in pulse oximeters, which can be absorbed by melanin. One option in development is a sensor using spectrophotometers and laser instruments on chips to emit a broad light spectrum, which can also measure other biomarkers of blood oxygen such as blood pressure and hydration.

FDA Offers Recommendations Amid Tracheostomy Tube Shortage

The FDA warned of a national shortage of tracheostomy tubes, which are used in surgical procedures to create an airway in a patient’s trachea, Becker’s Hospital Review reported. According to the FDA, the shortage will mostly affect pediatric patients due to the limited number of FDA-approved alternatives. The agency said it is working with manufacturers and other stakeholders to resolve supply chain issues, and in the meantime recommends sanitizing and reusing the tubes up to 5 times for pediatric sizes and up to 10 times for adult sizes.

High Rates of Alcohol-attributable Deaths

A study published in JAMA Network Open found 1 in 5 deaths among adults aged between 20 and 49 years is due to excessive drinking, CNN Health reported. When the age range was increased up to age 64, excessive drinking was related to 1 in 8 deaths. The percentage of alcohol-related deaths varied state by state but is a leading cause of preventable death across the United States, according to the study authors. These findings are based on data collected between 2015 and 2019. Alcohol-attributable deaths included vehicle accidents, alcohol poisoning, and other health conditions impacted by alcohol, such as liver disease.