Using A Pulse Oximeter

A pulse oximeter is a device that determines the amount of oxygen present in a patient's blood

. The device has a probe that is attached to a translucent body part of the patient, which can be a fingertip, a toe, or even an earlobe, in order to perform and provide a reading. It is very important to determine the saturation of the oxygen in the blood, as it is required in order to determine medical conditions that the patient might possibly be suffering from. Pulse oximeters are used in medical facilities like hospitals and clinics, as well as for home use.

On using an oximeter, you must first remove any cosmetics that you may have on the part of the body being tested, such as nail polish. The oximeter may not work properly and efficiently if placed on a finger with nail polish.

Put the probe on a finger. There are various types of finger pulse oximeters. There are some that are wrapped around the finger, whereas there are others that are clipped. It is important that the finger comes in contact with the sensor in the clip, which receives red and infrared light waves from the other side of the probe. The index finger and the ring finger are the two commonly used fingertips for oximeter to be put on.

Stay still and wait for a reading from the device. Hand movements can alter the reading, which might create false results. Rest your arm over something in order to prevent it from doing unnecessary movements. Remain still until numerical values show up on the monitor.

Interpret the results on the screen. The amount of oxygen in the blood is shown in percentage values. If the reading is a hundred percent, it means that your blood is fully saturated with oxygen. Most healthy individuals have pulse oximeter readings of ninety percent or higher.

Use the pulse oximeter several days in a week in order to determine your base oxygen saturation. Some patients with cardio-respiratory ailments may have lower level of oxygen in their blood, thus having a lower oximeter reading. Therefore, it is very important to take a reading on a daily basis to get your average oxygenation level.

by: Jack Rogers

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