What is Pulse Oximetry?
Pulse oximetry is a painless and non-invasive method for measuring oxygen saturation in the blood. A small probe is clipped on the finger tip or ear lobe. Sometimes it is just to receive a singular reading or sometimes during a hospital stay it is used for continuous monitoring.
What is Oxygen Saturation?
We breathe in air through our respiratory system where the lungs filter out nitrogen and other gasses and send the useful oxygen molecules throughout the body via hemoglobin traveling through our blood vessels. Oxygen saturation is the measurement of how much oxygen is being transported through our blood stream at any given time.
Who can Benefit from the use of a Pulse Oximeter?
How does Pulse Oximetry Work?
The pulse oximeter makes use of light saturation to measure oxygen saturation and also heart rate. The top of the probe emits a light source that is received by a sensor in the bottom of the probe as light passes through your finger. Hemoglobin absorbs light so the less light the sensor sees, the more your oxygen saturation. This saturation is measured in percentages, as in the percentage of blood passing through your vessels contains oxygen molecules traveling via hemoglobin.
What is a Normal Reading?
Why use a Pulse Oximeter?
For those battling COPD or certain heart conditions the use of pulse oximetry provides vital information that you require to take control of your treatment. It is a simple and inexpensive device that measures the oxygen level in your blood as well as your heart rate. Taking frequent readings throughout the day and at specific times such as while exercising, when first waking, etc, it can tell your doctor more about your respiratory or heart condition so that they can more effectively treat your disease including assessing if you need medical oxygen or customize pulmonary rehab accordingly. Your pulmonologist or primary physician can find out:
Advances in Pulse Oximetry
While pulse oximeters have been on the market for decades, recent technological
Benefits of Smart Pulse Oximeters
One of the biggest benefits to smart pulse oximeters is that the devices can be easily read on whatever device you prefer. The corresponding app will display via phone or tablet:
Choose whichever device you prefer, plug in and the smart pulse oximeter does all of the work for you.
Another feature that separates smart pulse oximeters from conventional oximeters is that there are no batteries required to power these devices. Because the pulse oximeter is plugged into the user’s smartphone there is no need for batteries, creating a more reliable device. You never have to worry about whether or not the device has power and ultimately save money without the need to replace batteries.
Smart pulse oximeters also allow users to store and track readings over time. The device can be used to track monitoring so that you can determine how well any changes made have been beneficial to your overall health. Both short and long term monitoring are available on smart pulse oximeters, too. Whether you’re in need of a quick read or a long term recording, the smart oximeter has you covered.
Common Pitfalls with Pulse Oximeters
Pulse oximeters are extremely easy to use but if your reading is way off from what you normally get, some of these factors may be to blame:
Pulse oximetry is a great tool for you and your doctor to use in battling your condition. Instruments are easy to use, inexpensive to buy, and readily available so speak to your doctor today to find out how this technology can help with disease management.