subject: What You Can Get From Using A Pulse Oximeter [print this page] An alternative to a pulse oximeter is the use of the more traditional way of knowing the oxygen saturation of a patient, a process called arterial blood gases. In arterial blood gases or ABG, a doctor or physician draws blood from the patient in order to know how many oxygen molecules are in the blood system. From the artery, blood is taken and delivered to a lab for analysis. After several minutes, the report is given to the doctor to notify the patient of his or her oxygen saturation level.
Though the process of ABG is still used today because it can produce accurate readings, there are a lot of drawbacks to it. The procedure is very invasive as medical supervision from a doctor or nurse is needed. It is also considered a more dangerous process than using a pulse oximeter because blood is taken directly from the artery. Laceration of the artery or the possibilities of hematoma are among the things that can happen during the procedure.
That is why the invention of the pulse oximeter eliminates all these complications. It produces safer and faster results plus it can easily be used by anyone without any medical background. The results are relatively accurate and reliable.
The main advantage of the pulse oximeter is the quickness of results produced. Instead of minutes, the oxygen saturation is known in seconds. There is no more need to bring samples to a lab as patients just have to wait for the reading to appear on the monitor of the machine. This is extremely useful during emergencies when time is of the essence.
Aside from speed, a pulse oximeter can be used by any person regardless if he or she has medical training. The basic procedure of using one merely involves the press of a button. You just need to press it, place the sensor in area of the body, and wait for a few seconds for it to produce the readings. Because of its accessibility, there are now portable models that people can use on their own anywhere. You only have to make sure that external factors like the placement of the sensor, pulse, and lights do not affect the accuracy of the readings.
These are the things you get from an oximeter. If you think that the benefits are personally useful for you, buy one today. In many ways, it is better than the traditional way of knowing the oxygen saturation of a person.
