subject: Pulse Oximeter used in the home by children [print this page] Pulse Oximeter used in the home by children
Children are our most precious resource and their health is of the utmost importance in order to monitor and ensure that they are functioning at optimal health. One of the most common child health issues is asthma. The statistics are staggering when you look at children who are inflicted with asthma in our country. The statistics are actually worse in some countries including England where asthma rates are as high as 15% of the population. The problem with asthma and children is the fact that children like to be active and enjoy their childhood by engaging in activities that utilize a lot of physical exercise. Well because of the high level of physical activity the child may be at risk of experiencing an asthma attack and there is no way of knowing ahead of time. Parents are very much frustrating with this specific situation because they would like to know when the child not getting enough oxygen in order to prevent an asthma attack. Nowadays parents are resorting to a new home monitoring health device known as a pulse oximeter.
A pulse oximeter is a medical and health device that is extremely useful in the case of asthma. An oximeter device measures the pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation of individuals. The great part of the device is that it is smaller than the size of a cell phone and thus it can be taken anywhere you want to go. That is what makes the oximeter such a powerful health device because in essence you have portable monitoring wherever you desire to go. So lets say for example your child has asthma. Well you decide to take your child to the playground for a typical outing. As your child is playing on the playground you have no idea whether he is receiving enough oxygen to determine if he is at the risk of an asthma attack. Well by taking a portable pulse oximeter with you allows you to simply take your child's hand and place his finger inside the oximeter device. By doing this the device will instantly measure your child's blood oxygen levels and give you an indication as to whether you child is getting enough oxygen. Should it be a situation where not enough oxygen is being receiving then you can have your child to temporarily take a break and even in more extreme cases if you have supplemental oxygen you can may need to give your child supplemental oxygen. What is very important is the fact that by using the oximeter device you have been able to monitor your child's oxygen levels in order to determine whether he is at risk of an asthma attack. There are many different types of devices out there to choose from for your child, however it is most important to choose a device that is FDA approved and that is specifically known as a pediatric pulse oximeter. The pediatric models are specifically made for the small anatomy of children and as such will provide more accurate readings.
