Which of the following statements regarding pulse oximetry is correct? A. Most otherwise healthy patients can maintain adequate oxygenation and good skin color with oxygen saturation readings as low as 70% to 80%.
B. Pulse oximetry measures the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen, but does not measure the actual hemoglobin content of the blood.
C. The pulse oximeter is a valuable assessment tool that measures the percentage of red blood cells that contain hemoglobin molecules.
D. Caution must be exercised when using the pulse oximeter on a patient with carbon monoxide poisoning because falsely low readings are common.