Thermal intervention improves pulse oximetry accuracy in critically ill patients with low perfusion: a quasi-experimental study

A brief, localised thermal intervention markedly improves peripheral perfusion and restores pulse-oximetry accuracy to within the clinically acceptable ± 2% range in critically ill patients with low PFI. However, ceiling effects at SpO₂ values near 100% and the pre-post design limit the strength of causal inference. This simple, non-invasive technique can be readily integrated into ICU practice to enhance the reliability of oxygen monitoring and reduce the risk of undetected hypoxaemia or hyperoxaemia.