Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical limitations in conventional pulse oximetry, especially in diverse populations. This study evaluates the performance of noninvasive devices for assessing tissue oxygenation in a cohort of 20 healthy individuals, with a focus on device sensitivity, p...

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Main Authors: Mohamed El Masry, Runjia Li, Goundappa K. Balasubramani, Sashwati Roy, Chandan K. Sen, Surya C. Gnyawali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15767-2
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author Mohamed El Masry
Runjia Li
Goundappa K. Balasubramani
Sashwati Roy
Chandan K. Sen
Surya C. Gnyawali
author_facet Mohamed El Masry
Runjia Li
Goundappa K. Balasubramani
Sashwati Roy
Chandan K. Sen
Surya C. Gnyawali
author_sort Mohamed El Masry
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical limitations in conventional pulse oximetry, especially in diverse populations. This study evaluates the performance of noninvasive devices for assessing tissue oxygenation in a cohort of 20 healthy individuals, with a focus on device sensitivity, physiological and demographic variables. Tissue oxygenation was measured using devices: spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), transcutaneous oxygen measurement (TCOM), wearable photoplethysmography (WD), and pulse oximetry (PO) during baseline, ischemia, and reperfusion phases. Comparative analyses were performed across devices, sex and Fitzpatrick skin types. Among the four devices, SFDI uniquely detected significant differences in tissue oxygen saturation (StO2), highlighting its sensitivity to tissue heterogeneity. PO and WD data showed moderate correlation (r = 0.44–0.59); SFDI and TCOM demonstrated fair correlation (r = 0.23–0.36). Although sex-based differences were minimal, the SFDI revealed significantly different recovery metrics. Notably, SFDI provided deeper insights into hemoglobin dynamics (HbO2, dHb, HbP1, HbP2), which was not captured by point-measurement devices. Results demonstrated that SFDI offers superior spatial/spectral resolution for mapping tissue oxygenation, particularly in detecting skin-type variations. However, device-specific limitations such as motion artifacts and melanin interference necessitate further optimization. This work supports the development of more inclusive and accurate non-invasive monitoring tools for clinical use. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05784103.
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spelling doaj-art-e475702cdb404f84bbaaaf83fb48c6782025-08-24T11:24:10ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-15767-2Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmographyMohamed El Masry0Runjia Li1Goundappa K. Balasubramani2Sashwati Roy3Chandan K. Sen4Surya C. Gnyawali5McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of MedicineDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of PittsburghDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of PittsburghMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of MedicineMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of MedicineMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of MedicineAbstract The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical limitations in conventional pulse oximetry, especially in diverse populations. This study evaluates the performance of noninvasive devices for assessing tissue oxygenation in a cohort of 20 healthy individuals, with a focus on device sensitivity, physiological and demographic variables. Tissue oxygenation was measured using devices: spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), transcutaneous oxygen measurement (TCOM), wearable photoplethysmography (WD), and pulse oximetry (PO) during baseline, ischemia, and reperfusion phases. Comparative analyses were performed across devices, sex and Fitzpatrick skin types. Among the four devices, SFDI uniquely detected significant differences in tissue oxygen saturation (StO2), highlighting its sensitivity to tissue heterogeneity. PO and WD data showed moderate correlation (r = 0.44–0.59); SFDI and TCOM demonstrated fair correlation (r = 0.23–0.36). Although sex-based differences were minimal, the SFDI revealed significantly different recovery metrics. Notably, SFDI provided deeper insights into hemoglobin dynamics (HbO2, dHb, HbP1, HbP2), which was not captured by point-measurement devices. Results demonstrated that SFDI offers superior spatial/spectral resolution for mapping tissue oxygenation, particularly in detecting skin-type variations. However, device-specific limitations such as motion artifacts and melanin interference necessitate further optimization. This work supports the development of more inclusive and accurate non-invasive monitoring tools for clinical use. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05784103.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15767-2Fitzpatrick skin typesTissue oxygenationHemoglobin perfusionPulse oximeterWearable deviceSpatial frequency domain imaging
spellingShingle Mohamed El Masry
Runjia Li
Goundappa K. Balasubramani
Sashwati Roy
Chandan K. Sen
Surya C. Gnyawali
Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography
Scientific Reports
Fitzpatrick skin types
Tissue oxygenation
Hemoglobin perfusion
Pulse oximeter
Wearable device
Spatial frequency domain imaging
title Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography
title_full Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography
title_fullStr Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography
title_full_unstemmed Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography
title_short Comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near-infrared imaging, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and plethysmography
title_sort comparative assessment of healthy tissue oxygenation using near infrared imaging transcutaneous oxygen measurement and plethysmography
topic Fitzpatrick skin types
Tissue oxygenation
Hemoglobin perfusion
Pulse oximeter
Wearable device
Spatial frequency domain imaging
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15767-2
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