Oximeters: What, How, and When?

 

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing worldwide panic and unprecedented damage to health and finances of people across the globe, a small medical device called the pulse oximeter is becoming an essential part of the household medical kits. Before you set out to buy one, however, it is best to learn a bit more about the device itself.

A pulse oximeter is an oxygen saturation machine that monitors and measures the percentage of oxygen present in the blood haemoglobin. This means it can also record the pulse or the rate of heart beat.

Oxygen that is taken in through respiration is needed by every cell, every organ of the human body and it reaches these cells bound by the haemoglobin in blood. When cells are oxygen deprived, they start to die very quickly. This state is called hypoxia. This makes it very important for those with heart or respiratory ailments to monitor their blood oxygen percentage at regular intervals. The pulse oximeter is a small, battery operated device that can easily record this oxygen percentage in the blood. Typically, blood oxygen saturation levels between 95% and 100% are considered normal. When this dips below 95% the patient requires close monitoring and when blood oxygen levels dip below 90%, it is an indication of severe respiratory distress.

The advantage of storing a pulse oximeter in your home becomes quite poignant when a patient affected by COVID-19 or other respiratory ailments, or even heart diseases seems to be in respiratory distress. Pulse oximetry may alert you to the need for emergency medical assistance. When it comes to caring for the elderly or those dealing with comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, heart diseases, or cancer, having a medical equipment such as the pulse oximeter handy becomes imperative. The device is part of the standard care kit for those suffering from –

·        COVID-19

·        Pneumonia

·        COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder)

·        Asthma

·        Lung Cancer

A pulse oximeter is also used to check if treatment for all these conditions is working or if any medication needs adjustment. It is easily available for purchase with reputed medical stockists such as Smart Medical Buyer.

One of the greatest advantages of using a pulse oximeter is that it is completely non-invasive unlike an arterial blood gas (ABG) test. It is a clip-on device that can be attached to a finger or either hand and within a few seconds the display shows the blood oxygen saturation levels and the pulse rate. It does, however, have its limitations. A clip-on pulse oximeter reading may show a variance of 2-3% from the oxygen levels in the blood. In a healthy individual (with SpO2 levels over 95%) this may not matter but when it comes to critical care this could be the deciding factor when it comes to getting the right medical treatment.

In the current COVID-19 pandemic scenario, the presence of a pulse oximeter at home and with primary care physicians and family doctors has become very essential. This is particularly true when it comes to prevention of silent hypoxia – a situation where the patient’s blood oxygen levels dip too low too suddenly, without any warning signs. Using a pulse oximeter can easily prevent this.

 

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