Decreased oxygen saturation as a result of haemoglobin Titusville

Abstract Introduction: Our patient was admitted to the hospital due to shortness of breath. Although partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood was normal, oxygen saturation measured with pulse oximetry (SpO 2 ) was markedly decreased. SpO 2 and oxygen saturation of arterial blood (SaO 2 ) stayed low during monitoring even with an increased fraction of oxygen in inspired air. Methods: Report of a case. Results: After extensive investigations, a rare haemoglobin variant, haemoglobin Titusville, with decreased oxygen binding capacity was discovered. This is the first haemoglobin Titusville case reported in Scandinavian countries. Please cite this paper as: Avellan‐Hietanen H, Aittomaki J, Ekroos H, Aittomäki K, Turpeinen U, Kalkkinen N and Sovijärvi A. Decreased oxygen saturation as a result of haemoglobin Titusville. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2008; 2: 242–244.