The Apple Watch spO<sub>2</sub> sensor and outliers in healthy users.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37031281.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-023-00814-x and PMC identifier 10082785.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
It is unclear how frequently the Apple Watch produces spO<sub>2</sub> measurements outside of the normal range in healthy individuals at rest. We conducted a head-to-head comparison in 38 healthy individuals between two watches and two medical-grade pulse oximeters. Fourteen percent of watch measurements yielded spO<sub>2</sub> values below 95%, with no values below 92%. Results suggest that outliers measured by the watch should not be a cause for concern in otherwise healthy individuals.