Effect of nail polish colour on pulse oximetry reading.

Pulse oximetry is a rapid, non invasive and simple method of determining blood oxygen saturation of patients in Emergency Department before any critical intervention. Over the years the accuracy of pulse oximeter reading in patients with nail polish applied on their fingers have been questioned through many studies. Objective: Our study was done to determine whether different coloured nail polishes significantly affect measurement of oxygen saturation. Material and methods: 100 healthy females with ages between 20 & 35 years and with no known disease were included into the study. All the participants were applied nail polishes of nine different colours (orange, red, purple, yellow, white, blue, green, beige, black) to nine different fingers just before the study and one finger was left empty as control. Arterial blood gas analysis was also done on each individual to see the accuracy of pulse oximeter. The nail polishes of same brand were used for the study and all the readings were taken in day light and constant room temperature. Oxygen saturation measurements were done using two different pulse oximetry devices (device I, II) from the control and different colour nail polished fingers. Results: No significant difference between measurement for both with and without nail polish of all colours was noted except red for which the said error difference is even very small; less than 0.5 at 5% level of significance. Conclusion: The results suggest that nail polishes do not significantly affect pulse oximetry reading from patient management point of view.