Transcutaneous Oxygen Monitoring: Assessment Techniques

Abstract

Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring, developed just over 10 years ago, measures oxygen transport in cutaneous capillary blood by means of a heated electrode applied to the skin surface. This measurement approach has been most popular in neonates in whom transcutaneous PO2 readings correlate most highly with arterial PO2 values. Increasingly, this technique has been successfully utilized in trauma, amputation, cardiac, and surgical adult patients as well.