Philips Wins FDA Clearance for Next-Generation Pulse Oximeter with Improved Accuracy Across Skin Tones
Key Insights
Philips received FDA 510(k) clearance for a new reusable SpO₂ clip sensor with optical refinements that improve signal quality and measurement consistency across diverse patient populations.
The device demonstrated an accuracy root mean square value of 1.6% in desaturation studies, nearly twice as accurate as the 3% ISO standard recognized by the FDA.
Accuracy varied by less than 0.5% between people with light and dark skin pigmentation, addressing longstanding concerns about pulse oximeter disparities in darker-skinned patients.
Philips has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new version of its pulse oximeter clip sensor, a device the company says delivers accurate blood oxygen saturation readings across a broad range of skin tones. The reusable SpO₂ clip sensor incorporates optical refinements designed to improve signal quality and measurement consistency, supporting reliable oxygen saturation measurements across diverse patient populations and clinical conditions, the company announced Tuesday.
The clearance marks a significant step in the medtech industry's ongoing effort to address well-documented racial disparities in pulse oximetry accuracy, an issue that has drawn increasing attention from researchers, clinicians, and regulators over the past several years.
Performance Data and Regulatory Context
Philips reported that the new device was tested under its pulse oximetry validation program, which evaluates device performance across diverse patient groups and a range of physiological and clinical conditions. In desaturation studies, the sensor demonstrated an accuracy root mean square (ARMS) value of 1.6%, a measurement used to calculate the difference between pulse oximeter readings and actual blood oxygen saturation.
The company emphasized that these results are nearly twice as accurate as the 3% threshold recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and recognized by the FDA. Notably, Philips stated that the device had consistent performance across a broad range of skin tones, with accuracy varying by less than 0.5% between people with light and dark skin pigmentation.
Philips plans to make the SpO₂ clip sensor available in certain markets around the world later this year.
Addressing a Persistent Clinical Concern
Disparities in pulse oximeter accuracy have been the focus of discussions by researchers and regulators for several years. In 2021, the FDA issued a warning about problems with pulse oximeter accuracy, following a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing Black patients were three times more likely than white patients to have hypoxemia (search) that went undetected by the devices. A subsequent study published in JAMA in 2022 found that disparities in pulse oximeter accuracy led to delayed COVID-19 (search) treatment eligibility in Black and Hispanic patients.
The FDA issued draft guidance in early 2025, during the final weeks of the Biden administration, calling for pulse oximeter studies to include a minimum of 150 participants with more specific guidelines on ensuring participants represent a range of skin tones. That guidance, however, has not yet been finalized and was listed on the FDA's "under construction" list for the current fiscal year.
Competitive Landscape
Philips' clearance follows a similar regulatory milestone for Medtronic, which received FDA clearance earlier for an updated version of its Nellcor pulse oximetry system featuring a new processor called Nell-EQ. That technology, which incorporates patient- and sensor-specific signal characteristics to more consistently translate optical signals into blood oxygen results, also received the FDA's Safer Technologies Program designation. Medtronic reported mid-teens growth in Nellcor sales in its most recent quarterly results, underscoring the commercial significance of the pulse oximetry market.