Health Topics – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts

Pulse oximeters, vital for measuring how much oxygen is in someone’s blood, don’t work well in people with darker skin, multiple studies have shown. Ashraf Fawzy, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, says even the degree to which …

Many aspects of pulse oximeter function may be dysfunctional in people with darker skin, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Just how inaccurate are the devices used to measure oxygen in the blood, called pulse oximeters, in people with darker skin? That’s the question that Ashraf Fawzy, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues addressed in a …

Measurement of skin tone confirms inaccuracy of pulse oximeters in some people, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Pulse oximeters are essential to measure someone’s level of oxygen in their blood, yet they haven’t been updated since the 1970s and they’re not well regulated by the FDA. That’s according to Ashraf Fawzy, a critical care medicine expert at …

Testing of pulse oximeters should take place clinically, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you’re a person with darker skin, a device to measure oxygen in your blood called a pulse oximeter may be inaccurate, sometimes extremely so, accumulating research shows. Ashraf Fawzy, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins and one …

Devices that measure oxygen in the bloodstream need federal regulation, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Pulse oximeters are devices used to measure how much oxygen is in someone’s blood, and they are critical in settings like ICUs. Yet research shows that in people of darker skin tones they can be wildly inaccurate. Ashraf Fawry, a …

It’s high time to update pulse oximeters, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

An injectable drug called omalizumab now may be used to manage severe food allergies, the FDA has decided. Robert Wood, an allergy expert at Johns Hopkins, says the drug will only work if people are taking it. Wood: This is …

Is lifelong treatment necessary with a drug to manage severe food allergies? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Omalizumab is an injectable drug just approved by the FDA to treat severe food allergies. Robert Wood, one author of a study used to inform the agency’s decision and an allergy expert at Johns Hopkins, says risks discerned in the …

Are there downsides to using omalizumab for treating food allergy? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Consequences of food allergies can be life-threatening, which is why FDA approval of omalizumab to treat them is welcome. Robert Wood, one author of a study used to inform the agency’s decision and an allergy expert at Johns Hopkins, says …

Are food allergies becoming more common? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Feeding very young children peanut products can assure that they don’t develop an allergy to peanut. Can this strategy be expanded to allergies to foods like milk, meat, or egg? Johns Hopkins allergy expert Robert Wood comments. Wood:  There’s an enormous …

Can early feeding of allergenic foods overcome them? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Can food allergies be outgrown? Elizabeth Tracey reports Most people know about peanut allergy, since it impacts a lot of people, especially children. Can these allergies be outgrown? Robert Wood, an allergy expert at Johns Hopkins, says for most, that’s …

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