What is the real oximeter gap?

The recent evaluation of pulse oximeter implementation in Malawi by Albert et al is the latest article in Anaesthesia exploring the global effort to ensure universal peri-operative pulse oximeter use [1-3]. Peri-operative pulse oximetry use is a standard embedded within both the 2009 WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and the International Standards for Safe Practice of Anaesthesia 2010, and has been used as a surrogate marker for safe surgery by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery [4-6].