Johns Hopkins Medicine

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 »

If you’re a woman going through menopause you may have chosen to go online for help. If so you may be the victim of a ‘femtech’ company. Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, explains. Shen: Basically they're there …

What is a ‘femtech’ company? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Women may be experiencing overmedicalization as they transition through menopause, a recent Lancet series seems to suggest. Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, says that’s not her experience, since she sees many women who avoid physicians until symptoms …

Where does the perception that menopause is overmedicalized come from? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

A recent Lancet series on menopause may result in many more women turning to the internet for help. That’s according to Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, who fears the series may have set back progress on bringing …

Women in menopause often go online for help, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

As women transition through menopause, they should be offered conservative approaches that don’t rely on medicines. That’s one interpretation of a recent Lancet series on menopause, and Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, says while such an approach …

Can menopause symptoms be managed easily for most? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Is menopause overmedicalized? That seems to be one conclusion of a recent series published in the Lancet on this life stage for women. Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, begs to disagree. Shen: It's unfortunate that they came …

A new series on menopause in a major journal does a disservice, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »