Hyperspectral evaluation of skin blood oxygen saturation at baseline and during arterial occlusion

Skin capillary blood oxygen saturation is a clinically important diagnostic parameter, which provides valuable information for timely treatment of pathological conditions e.g. sepsis, hypoxemia or decompression illness. Hyperspectral imaging is non-invasive optical techniques with high clinical potential, however its use for skin blood oxygen saturation detection is still challenging, therefore in the present study, a method for in-vivo manipulation of skin oxygen saturation was developed, and reliability of the method evaluated by means of hyperspectral imaging in detection of oxygen saturation. In order to produce alterations of skin capillary blood parameters and oxygen saturation, the proximal phalanx of the right middle finger was occluded with a pneumatic cuff for 25 minutes. During the last minute of occlusion, the hyperspectral cubes (HIS) of both occluded and intact finger were captured, and capillary blood sample was collected for analysis with portable whole blood analyzer (REF). The group mean values for SaO2 in intact finger skin was HIS: 89.46%±8.79% versus REF: 95.13±1.46 % and in occluded finger HSI: 25.85% ±14.00%, versus REF: 22.73±9.09 % displaying a small difference between two independent techniques, which indicate the reliability of finger occlusion model.