Venous O₂ saturation monitoring is increasingly used in critically ill patients, often as part of an early goal-directed therapy protocol or in sepsis screening, to aid in the assessment of cardiovascular and respiratory compromise. Mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO₂) and central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO₂) are used to assess the balance of oxygen delivery and consumption.

Catheter placement in the venous system is less invasive than arterial monitoring, allowing such monitoring in more patients. The ScvO₂ probe may be placed into an existing 16 cm or 20 cm central line, reducing or eliminating the need to exchange central venous catheters in order to provide continuous ScvO₂ monitoring.