For more than one year, GE Healthcare studied patient motion, focusing on the types, incidence, duration, and severity of motion as it occurs in the clinical setting. The following key observations were found:

• Clinical motion patterns are irregular in nature, not uniform or continuous

• Infant and adult populations exhibit various "types" of motion affecting oximetry readings differently

• The most frequently observed motions affecting oximetry are composed of clenching/pressing/rubbing and extending/flexing/kicking

• The most difficult motion for oximetry to track is not necessarily when physical movement is greatest

To date, over thirty laboratory studies have been conducted to test oximetry motion technology. These studies employed mechanical finger-tapping motions in the laboratory to simulate realistic patient motion. The GE Healthcare motion characterization study showed that because all motion is not created equal, the traditional finger-tapping method is not an accurate simulation for actual clinical patient motion.

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