Pulse Oximeters – A Helping Hand In Health Care

Monitoring oxygen saturation in patients blood is crucial from treatment point of view. A number of health-care establishments make use of pulse oximeter for measuring oxygen level of the patient's blood along with the pulse rate. As the device is non-invasive a provide a convenient method for monitoring the quality of oxygen being transported to different parts of the body; such as legs, arms, brain and more. Moreover, pulse oximeters alert the health-care assistants if there is fall in oxygen level or pulse rate; thereby allowing rapid intervention.

Benefit of Using Pulse Oximeters

Easy to use Compact in size Non-Invasive Can be used at home Detect hypoxaemia Comes handy in noisy environment Provide accurate readings Reasonable & affordable

Pulse oximeters is a clip-like device which is either placed on finger or ear lobe (leg in case of infants) for providing level of blood's oxygen in a pain-less manner. The device is capable of providing accurate readings in varied humid conditions along with many settings like during surgery, in an emergency, routine check-up, during treatment, recovery follow-up and in patient's intensive care. The health-care assistants rely on the reading of pulse oximeters for making the decision of providing extra oxygen to the patient. 

Principle Behind Working of Pulse Oximeter

 

The technology associated behind the working of pulse oximeters is complicated and involve two basic principles. The device generates light through the finger to measure the arterial oxygen saturation of haemoglobin. The sensors in the pulse oximeters can easily detect the absorption of light at two different wavelengths and degree of oxygenation of haemoglobin.

Secondly, the change in volume of arterial blood with effect of each pulse generates pulsatile component. The microprocessors present in pulse oximeters detect this pulsatile component as well as distinguish them from non-pulsatile component. The reading is then displayed as a number on the screen of oximeters that provide a percentage of oxygen molecules present in patient's blood.

Pulse Oximeters – The Scope of Usage 

 

Portable and simple, the pulse oximeter is all-in-one monitor which provide reading regarding oxygenation of blood, pulse rate and rhythm regularity. The pulse oximeters come handy while transporting patients from one hospital to another or home to hospital. Wherein, it is not easy to hear the auible tone to judge the patient's cardio-respiratory status.

There are three types of pulse oximeters – Fingertip Pulse Oximeter, Handheld Pulse Oximeters and Fetal Pulse Oximeters. Fingertip Pulse Oximeter are often use at home as they are easiest to operate. Hospitals and health care institute mainly use Handheld pulse oximeter for monitoring the oxygen saturation of blood. Fetal Pulse Oximeter is specially designed check the heart beats and oxygen saturation of baby during labor.