Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The monitoring of patients in healthcare is of prime importance to ensure their efficient treatment. The monitoring of blood oxygen saturation in tissues affected by diseases or conditions that may negatively affect the function is a field that has grown in importance in recent times. This study involved the development and testing of a highly sensitive noninvasive blood oxygen saturation device. The device can be used to continuously monitor the condition of tissue affected by diseases which affect the blood flow through the tissue, and the oxygen usage in tissue. The device’s system was designed to specifically monitor occluded tissue which has low oxygen saturations and low perfusion. With the use of the device, it is possible to monitor the status of tissue affected by diseases such as meningococcemia and diabetes mellitus or conditions such as the recovery after plastic surgery. The study delved into all aspects involved in the development of a non-invasive artificial pulse oximeter, including but not limited to that of a detailed device design, signals analysis, animal in-vivo and laboratory in-vitro system design for the calibration of the system as well as human clinical validation and testing procedures. All these aspects were compared to determine the relative accuracies of the different models. Through testing it was shown that it is possible to non-invasively measure the mixed oxygen saturation in occluded tissue. However, without accurate validation techniques and methods of obtaining both arterial and venous blood samples in occluded tissue the system could not be fully validated for determining both the arterial and venous oxygen saturations in the human invivo study. Although the system was unable to accurately measure specifically the venous oxygenation it was able to measure the mixed oxygen saturation. With further research it would be possible to validate the system for measuring both the arterial and venous oxygen saturations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die monitering van pasiënte in gesondheidsorg is van uiterste belang om doeltreffende behandeling te verseker. Die monitering van bloedsuurstofversadiging in weefsels wat geaffekteer word deur siektes of toestande wat ’n negatiewe impak kan hê op die funksie daarvan is ’n gebied wat aansienlike groei getoon het in die onlangse verlede. Die studie het die ontwikkeling en toetsing van ’n hoogs sensitiewe nieindringende bloedsuurstofversadigingsensor ingesluit. Hierdie sensor kan gebruik word om deurentyd die toestand van weefsel te monitor wat geaffekteer word deur siektes wat bloedvloei deur weefsel affekteer sowel as die suurstofgebruik in die weefsel. Die stelsel is ontwerp om spesifiek die ingeslote weefsel wat lae suurstofversadiging en lae perfusie het, te monitor. Deur gebruik te maak van die toestel is dit moontlik om die toestand van die weefsel wat geaffekteer word deur siektes soos meningococcemia en diabetes mellitus of toestande soos die herstel na plastiese sjirurgie te monitor. Die studie het gekyk na alle aspekte wat betrokke is in die ontwikkeling van ’n nie-indringende kunsmatige pols-oksimeter, insluitend maar nie beperk tot gedetailleerde ontwerp nie, sein analise, dier in-vivo en laboratorium in-vitro stelselontwerp vir die kalibrasie van die stelsel sowel as menslike kliniese bekragtiging en toetsprosedures. Al hierdie aspekte is vergelyk om die relatiewe akkuraatheid van die verskillende modelle te bepaal. Die toetse het gewys dat dit moontlik is om nie-indringend die gemengde suurstofversadiging in weefsel te bepaal. Sonder akkurate bekragtigingstegnieke en metodes om beide arteriële en vene bloedmonsters te versamel in ingeslote weefsel kan die stesel nie ten volle bekragtig word om beide arteriële- en veneversadigings in menslike in-vivo studie te bepaal nie. Hoewel die stelsel nie ’n akkurate meting van die aarsuurstof kon kry nie, is daar wel ’n akkurate meting geneem van die gemengde suurstofversadiging. Toekomstige navorsing kan lei tot die bekragtiging van die stelsel om beide arteriële en slagaar suurstofversadigings te meet.