The problem with pulse oximeters your doctor probably doesn’t know.

The doctors and nurses didn’t believe Tomisa Starr was having trouble breathing. Two years ago, Starr, 61, of Sacramento, California, was in the hospital for a spike in her blood pressure. She has multiple chronic health problems, including heart failure, and uses an oxygen tank at home. But her request for supplemental oxygen while hospitalized was denied, Starr said, because readings from a pulse oximeter on her finger falsely indicated that she was getting plenty of air on her own. Starr, who is Black, said she told the care team about research showing that the devices, which measure oxygen levels in the blood, may not work as well on people with darker skin and potentially make those patients seem healthier than they really are. Their response, Starr said, was shocking. “The provider demanded to know, ‘Who told you that?’” she said. “Here I am in the hospital, and I have to defend myself, like I’m in court.” Tomisa Starr says doctors have dismissed her concerns about faulty pulse oximeter readings for years.NBC News The skepticism Starr said she faced from doctors about potentially false pulse oximeter readings in Black Americans is not unique.  “I give talks on this all the...