Q:  48 year old female admitted to ICU with pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed via CTA in ER. While reviewing ER record, you noticed that patient pulse oximetry was 93% on arrival on room air. What does it signifies?


Answer:   One interesting study of 207 patients from North Carolina was published in 2003 in American Journal of Medicine which found that in patients with PE, pulse oximetry level less than 95% at the time of diagnosis is associated with higher risk of in-hospital complications like respiratory failure, obstructive shock or death.


Reference: 

Kline JA, Hernandez-Nino J, Newgard CD, et al. Use of pulse oximetry to predict in-hospital complications in normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism. Am J Med 2003; 115:203.