Pulse oximeters provide an easy way of partly assessing someone's breathing by measuring the oxygen saturation of arterial blood.Pulse oximeter determines the presence of the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen. The pulse oximeter measures blood oxygenation by sensing the infrared and red light absorption properties of deoxygenated and oxygenated hemoglobin. Pulse oximeter is comprised of a sensing probe attached to a patient's earlobe, toe, or finger, which is connected to a data acquisition system for calculation and display of oxygen level, heart rate, and blood flow.
The finger pulse oximeter sensor generally consists of a probe attached to a patient's finger that is linked to a computerized unit, which displays the percentage of hb saturated with oxygen together with an audible signal for each pulse beat. This finger pulse oximeter is helpful for the detection of hypoxia before the patient clinically cyanosed.
Oxygen saturation is a critical measure in those patients experiencing respiratory depression whether it is the physiological result of cardiopulmonary or respiratory distress or the response from receiving an anesthetic or a commonly used pain management medication such as patient controlled narcotic or intrathecal morphine.
pulse oximetry provides a fast, accurate and non-invasive method to measure a patients' arterial oxygen level and is among the first patient vital signs to indicate physiological distress. Pulse oximetry is monitored continuously in the operating room and post-operatively, in the intensive care and critical care wards, and in the intermediate care areas of the hospital. The testing is non-invasive and does not cause pain, nor is it considered a "risky" procedure. Pulse oximetry can be performed at rest, during activity or even during sleep.
This medical instrument can be used in a variety of situations but of particular value for monitoring oxygenation and pulse rates throughout anesthesia. Patients with long standing respiratory disease or with cyanotic congenital heart problems apply this instrument. This testing equipment is ideal for use in hospitals, home care, cardiac rehab or wellness centers to provide documentation of psychological changes during rehabilitation and ongoing improvement for the clients with respiratory or cardiac problems. Variety of pulse oximeters that include pediatrics pulse oximeter, respionics pulse oximeter and others are available in the market that comes even with digital display and handheld systems.
Pulse oximeter is a medical instrument that hospitals use to measure the level of oxygen in your bloodstream without actually having to draw blood and send it to the lab. Until recently, these instruments were too bulky and costly to consider for in-cockpit use. But a new and inexpensive micro-miniature model has changed all that.
