Background: The hemoglobin-oxygen affinity is conveniently described as the oxygen tension at which the hemoglobin is 50% saturated (p50). We compared two methods of single-point analysis for p50 calculation, using clinical data.
Methods: From patients submitted to anesthesia for major surgery, 114 arterial or venous blood samples were analyzed by using the Sigaard-Andersen oxygen status algorithm (p50OSA) and Doyle's method (p50Doyle) based on Hill's equation.
Results: The oxygen saturation and tension varied respectively between 0.64-0.96 and 3.8 kPa-11.0 kPa. A Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference of 0.04 kPa (SD 0.12 kPa). The limits of agreement were -0.20 kPa and +0.28 kPa.
Conclusions: The Siggaard-Andersen oxygen status algorithm is presently the most clinically useful single-point method of p50 calculation.