Design of Pulse Oximeters (Medical Science Series)

TLDR: This is an excellent book, comprehensive, up-to-date and to be recommended to anyone involved in detailed use of pulse oximetry data or developing pulse oxIMetry techniques themselves.

Abstract: Design of Pulse Oximeters is the latest in IOPPs Medical Science Series, the official book series of IFMBE and IOMP. The book is edited by Professor John Webster from the University of Wisconsin who has a substantial international reputation in bioengineering for producing lucid text books. With this sort of pedigree I looked forward to reviewing it. I was not disappointed. This is an excellent book, comprehensive, up-to-date and to be recommended to anyone involved in detailed use of pulse oximetry data or developing pulse oximetry techniques themselves. The first three chapters set the scene. The book starts with the physiology of oxygen transport itself and moves on to consider why the measurement is made and to set it in the context of blood oxygen measurement in general. This start gives the book firm roots which reduces the chance of the reader losing track of the physiological or diagnostic reasons for pursuing the detailed technical methods reported in the following chapters. After a chapter on the details of light absorption in blood and tissue that describes all the relevant physical limitations to the method, the book launches into detailed discussion of electronic design, signal processing, instrument control and probe design. The last few chapters are concerned with calibration, accuracy, user interface design and applications. The chapter on user interface design is particularly welcome. It is very easy for designers of equipment to lose sight of this aspect of design in instruments that will be used in environments where bad interface design can have a deleterious effect on human factors performance. Throughout the book instructional objectives are given for each chapter and the bibliographies of the majority of chapters are long enough to give students using the book starting points for further reading. From a teaching point of view the book could be used as an extended, in-depth case study of the implementation of a physiological measurement technology. It is a pity that the price of £60.00 in the UK will make it difficult to make the book compulsory in post-graduate physiological measurement courses.