Introduction: Different clinico-biological parameters are used to estimate the amount of oxygen available for the organism. Oxygen saturation measured with pulse oxymetry (SpO2), oxygen saturation of arterial blood (SaO2) and oxygen partial pressure of the arterial blood (PaO2) are the most commonly used.
Case report: We report the case of a patient admitted for investigation of respiratory failure in the context of chronic dyspnea of effort. SpO2 and SaO2 were decreased, though the PaO2 was normal. This mismatch between oxygen saturation and PaO2 led to the diagnosis of hemoglobinopathy (Bassett hemoglobin).
Conclusion: The diagnosis of hemoglobinopathy should be considered in cases of oxygen desaturation with normal respiratory and cardiac investigations. There are no reasons to prescribe long-term oxygen to these patients.
Keywords: Gazométrie transcutanée; Hemoglobinopathy; Hémoglobinopathie; Oxygen; Oxygen therapy; Oxygène; Oxygénothérapie; Oxymetry; Oxymétrie; Transcutaneous blood gas analysis.
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