Oxygen saturation (SpO2) by pulse oximetry was investigated in 30 healthy subjects and in 63 diabetics. By pulse oximeter, SpO2 was measured at the second toe of the foot.
Sixty-three diabetics (123 lower extremities) were clinically classfied into the following two groups; group I, 40 diabetics (80 lower extremities without clinical evidence of vascular insufficiency, group II, 23 diabetics (43 lower extremities)
with
peripheral neuropathy, and/or foot ulcer or gangrene.
@ES The results were as follows;
@EN 1. The SpO2 of the foot in group II, as well as group I, were significantly lower than those in control group(p<0.01), which represented the existence of subclinical hypoxia.
2. The SpO2 of the foot in group II was also significantly lower than that in group I (p<0.05).
These assessment of limb hypoxia by SpO2 measurement in the diabetic subject may provide noninvasive and simple screening method not only for early detection of the diabetics at risk with no clinical evidence of peripheral vascular insufficiency
but
also for grading the severity of the diseases and evaluating progression of the diseases in the diabetics.
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