Masimo has announced that its MightySat fingertip pulse oximeter can now be purchased from Apple.com and select Apple retail locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The pulse oximeter provides noninvasive measurements of oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and perfusion index, allegedly with greater accuracy than over a dozen other hospital-grade pulse oximeters.
In a study of 70 healthy volunteers during conditions of movement and low blood flow, Masimo SET was the most accurate pulse oximeter when compared to 19 other hospital-grade pulse oximeters. SpO2 accuracy was defined as being within 7% of the reference value and pulse rate accuracy as being within 10%.
The measurements and trends are sent to iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth LE and stored in the Masimo Personal Health app available in the App Store, while the data can also be shared with Apple's official Health app if permission is granted.
MightySat is $299, while a premium version that also measures respiration rate and pleth variability index is available for $399.
Top Rated Comments
And, if you think 7% error is bad for an Oximeter, you should see the error rates for blood glucose strips...
Yep... if you're at 75, you could be at 65 mg/dl or 90 mg/dl, but honestly, for me, they're pretty tight, not at the extremes. It's just the panic of the OMG! These can be off and KILL YOU!
It would be nice to have things automatically logged to your phone/tablet/desktop with graphs created on the fly to spot trends, rather than taking manual readings. Especially if taking readings is a regular occurrence.
The Masimo is certainly pricey, but for those that need it could be worth it.
So, I wouldn't jump on the FDA. Nor is the FDA approval process all that horrible.
Source: I worked on SpO2 devices when they were first coming out, participated in FDA data collection and clinicals. There's a reason why the fingertip sensors are still dominant - they work.