European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: Anemia is a prevalent disorder that impacts approximately one-third of the global population, with a majority of affected individuals residing in countries with limited resources. There are various new methods to find out the level of Hb in children which included both invasive and non invasive procedure. The present study was conducted among 5 to 10 year old school children for screening of anemia by Medela pulse oximeter with SpHb and to know its benefits over traditional methods. Material & Methods: A total of 500 subjects were enrolled from outpatient department of pediatrics, Mediciti institute of medical sciences. Children of the age group 5-10 years were considered in the study. Blood samples were collected from the subjects for Hb test-Complete blood Count (CBC) and simultaneously Hb is measured using Pulse oximeter with SpHb probe. Data was collected and result was analysed using SPSS software. Results: Out of total 500 children there were 48 % boys and 52% were girls. The maximum children were of age group 7 to 8 years (43%) and least were in the age group of 5 to 6 years (12%). Those Children examined with Medela pulse oximeter with SpHb probe shows 175 (35%) no anemia (Hb ≥11 mg/dL), 290 (58%) anemic (Hb<11 mg/dL) and 35 (7%) were severe anemia (<7 mg/dL). Children examined through CBC showed 157(31%) no anemia (Hb ≥11 mg/dL), 275(55%) anemic (Hb<11 mg/dL) and 68(14%) severe anemia (<7 mg/dL). Conclusion: All those children who found to have Hb less than 11 on SpHb correlated with CBC Hb by 95%. Those children whose SpHb is above 11 had CBC Hb correlation 90%. This shows that SpHb is effective tool for screening anemia in children and avoiding unnecessary blood pricks for knowing Anemia.