Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals
The effect of skin pigmentation on photoplethysmography and, specifically, pulse oximetry has recently received a significant amount of attention amongst researchers, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. With most computational studies observing overestimation of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO&l...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Raghda Al-Halawani Meha Qassem Panicos A. Kyriacou |
| author_facet | Raghda Al-Halawani Meha Qassem Panicos A. Kyriacou |
| author_sort | Raghda Al-Halawani |
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| description | The effect of skin pigmentation on photoplethysmography and, specifically, pulse oximetry has recently received a significant amount of attention amongst researchers, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. With most computational studies observing overestimation of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO<sub>2</sub>) in individuals with darker skin, this study seeks to further investigate the root causes of these discrepancies. This study analysed intensity changes from Monte Carlo-simulated reflectance PPG signals across light, moderate, and dark skin types at oxygen saturations of 70% and 100% in MATLAB R2024a. With simulated intensity reflecting PPG amplitude, the results showed that systolic intensity decreased by 3–4% as pigmentation increased at 660 nm. It was also shown that the impact at 940 nm is minimal (<0.2%), indicating that the increased absorption of red light by melanin has a greater effect on the ratio of ratios calculations. These results suggest that in-built adjustments may be required for data collected from red-light sources in pulse oximeters that do not currently have the necessary post-processing algorithms to account for this difference between diverse skin populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-25f264d48f3e4b6ba667584f174deb4c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj-art-25f264d48f3e4b6ba667584f174deb4c2025-01-24T13:48:41ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-01-0125237210.3390/s25020372Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography SignalsRaghda Al-Halawani0Meha Qassem1Panicos A. Kyriacou2Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering, City St George’s, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UKResearch Centre for Biomedical Engineering, City St George’s, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UKResearch Centre for Biomedical Engineering, City St George’s, University of London, London EC1V 0HB, UKThe effect of skin pigmentation on photoplethysmography and, specifically, pulse oximetry has recently received a significant amount of attention amongst researchers, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. With most computational studies observing overestimation of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO<sub>2</sub>) in individuals with darker skin, this study seeks to further investigate the root causes of these discrepancies. This study analysed intensity changes from Monte Carlo-simulated reflectance PPG signals across light, moderate, and dark skin types at oxygen saturations of 70% and 100% in MATLAB R2024a. With simulated intensity reflecting PPG amplitude, the results showed that systolic intensity decreased by 3–4% as pigmentation increased at 660 nm. It was also shown that the impact at 940 nm is minimal (<0.2%), indicating that the increased absorption of red light by melanin has a greater effect on the ratio of ratios calculations. These results suggest that in-built adjustments may be required for data collected from red-light sources in pulse oximeters that do not currently have the necessary post-processing algorithms to account for this difference between diverse skin populations.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/2/372Monte Carlo simulationphotoplethysmographyskin pigmentationoxygen saturationpulse oximetry |
| spellingShingle | Raghda Al-Halawani Meha Qassem Panicos A. Kyriacou Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals Sensors Monte Carlo simulation photoplethysmography skin pigmentation oxygen saturation pulse oximetry |
| title | Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals |
| title_full | Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals |
| title_fullStr | Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals |
| title_short | Analysis of the Effect of Skin Pigmentation and Oxygen Saturation on Monte Carlo-Simulated Reflectance Photoplethysmography Signals |
| title_sort | analysis of the effect of skin pigmentation and oxygen saturation on monte carlo simulated reflectance photoplethysmography signals |
| topic | Monte Carlo simulation photoplethysmography skin pigmentation oxygen saturation pulse oximetry |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/2/372 |
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