Apple Watch Series 6 oxygen sensor just as good as hospital equipment

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  • Reply 21 of 24

    LuvMacs said:


    Just as good as hospital equipment???!!!

    The above is a screenshot of my blood oxygen levels over the past week. I do not have lung or heart disease & am physically fit. Capillary (blood) oxygen levels range from 95 to 100% in healthy adults. As you can see from the screenshot most are the readings recorded by my AppleWatch indicate that I am hypoxic (low oxygen level in the blood). 

    I am a physician & have contacted Apple regarding these inaccurate readings. The response from their engineers was that it was because of my skin pigmentation. I am Asian & while not pale skinned, am not dark either.
    My Watch 5 (I am guessing that's what yours is too) has this problem as well. But on balance, it's decent. When I run up against this problem, I remeasure a couple of times, and it ends up close to the readings from a pulse oximeter that I have (which I use for my oxygen level readings anyway).

    The more annoying thing is, it takes three or four tries to actually get a reading in the first place from Watch 5.

    This article appears to be implying that Watch 6 seems to have addressed these issues.
  • Reply 22 of 24
    LuvMacs said:


    Just as good as hospital equipment???!!!

    The above is a screenshot of my blood oxygen levels over the past week. I do not have lung or heart disease & am physically fit. Capillary (blood) oxygen levels range from 95 to 100% in healthy adults. As you can see from the screenshot most are the readings recorded by my AppleWatch indicate that I am hypoxic (low oxygen level in the blood). 

    I am a physician & have contacted Apple regarding these inaccurate readings. The response from their engineers was that it was because of my skin pigmentation. I am Asian & while not pale skinned, am not dark either.
    Thanks for sharing 👍
    I myself is not yet a physician (med. school for another year), but currently working on a clinical study in a related field.
    You seem to be unimpressed with the accuracy of the  Watch, yes?
    First of all, evaluation of accuracy requires two or more datasets: “the new kid on the block challenging the incumbent”.
    —unless the dataset contains meaningless values, but—luckily—your dataset do not indicate you died during last week! 🤭😉

    Although I’m pretty sure I would have reacted the same way as you have (if I wasn’t stuck on a series 4  Watch), but on second thought and after examining your dataset, I find no obvious reason for concern: Granted—you have two measurements below 80%, which are very unlikely in absence of manifest disease, but the vast majority of values are within the physiological range. Unfortunately, all parameters are graphically presented in Apple Health in a way that emphasizes certain aspects (= absolute range) of the dataset at the expense of others (= dispersion of data, and especially the median).

    Remember: the textbook reference range (95-100%) stems from data sampled under fundamentally different conditions than your week long dataset, that is in-hospital measurements vs continuous background sampling. Physiologically, background sampling is the holy grail—given access to reliable data! And data obtained by wrist-measurements are physiologically superior to fingertip or ear lobe sensors, but the sensor equipment is way more difficult to design.

    Within a decade, I expect the reference range will be adjusted downwards following dissemination of wrist-based, background sampling technology, as these devices will provide insight into the actual physiological oxygen level of both healthy individuals and patients with impaired lung function. 
  • Reply 23 of 24
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    LuvMacs said:


    Just as good as hospital equipment???!!!

    The above is a screenshot of my blood oxygen levels over the past week. I do not have lung or heart disease & am physically fit. Capillary (blood) oxygen levels range from 95 to 100% in healthy adults. As you can see from the screenshot most are the readings recorded by my AppleWatch indicate that I am hypoxic (low oxygen level in the blood). 

    I am a physician & have contacted Apple regarding these inaccurate readings. The response from their engineers was that it was because of my skin pigmentation. I am Asian & while not pale skinned, am not dark either.
    And yet it works quite well for me:



    Given that you have one post, and there's a Huawei advertisement from someone with 2 posts right afterwards (which quotes yours), I'm skeptical of the motivation behind your post.
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 24 of 24
    auxio said:
    LuvMacs said:


    Just as good as hospital equipment???!!!

    The above is a screenshot of my blood oxygen levels over the past week. I do not have lung or heart disease & am physically fit. Capillary (blood) oxygen levels range from 95 to 100% in healthy adults. As you can see from the screenshot most are the readings recorded by my AppleWatch indicate that I am hypoxic (low oxygen level in the blood). 

    I am a physician & have contacted Apple regarding these inaccurate readings. The response from their engineers was that it was because of my skin pigmentation. I am Asian & while not pale skinned, am not dark either.
    And yet it works quite well for me:



    Given that you have one post, and there's a Huawei advertisement from someone with 2 posts right afterwards (which quotes yours), I'm skeptical of the motivation behind your post.
    —and courtesy of two thousand excellent contributions, you have anointed yourself as deputy of the internet?

    anyway, it was a nice gesture you did for the fellow—I’m sure he/she feels welcome in here 🖖🏼
    GeorgeBMac
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