The effect of nail polish on pulse oximetry measurements – a pilot study in female volunteers

Abstract

Introduction It is recommended to remove all nail polish before hospital admission to prevent erroneous oximeter readings. Although studies on the effect of color and type of nail polish on pulse oximetry are scarce, some differences were observed depending on the color of nail varnish. In this study we sought to evaluate the impact of the type and color of nail polish on saturation (SpO 2 ) values in healthy female volunteers. Material and methods 169 females with nail polish applied to nails had their SpO 2 measured with a pulse oximeter. After five minutes of rest, SpO 2 was assessed from a finger and, as control, from an earlobe. The differences were subjected to statistical analysis. Results 169 paired measurements were obtained. Statistically significant differences were observed for enameled (p < 0.01) and hybrid (p < 0.01), but not for gel (p = 0.25) nails. As far as the colors are concerned, beige (p < 0.01), red (p < 0.01) and violet (p = 0.047) cover had a significant impact on the SpO 2 readings. The differences in the measurements were 1%. Conclusions Classic nail polish, hybrid polish, and the colours beige, red and violet may affect SpO 2 readings but this effect is low and of no clinical significance.

Keywords

• saturation
• polish nails
• puls oximetry