subject: Health & Wellness Oximeter [print this page] There are plenty of illnesses out there that are on the minds of individuals from time to time, but some health conditions out there that linger in the dark and only come into the light when it is too late. Surprisingly, a lot of conditions related to the respiratory are never in the spotlight. Did you know that asthma and sleep apnea are actual conditions?
Respiratory illnesses are a growing problem in the United States. They can be blamed on pollution, smoking, or just changes in the human immune system. What is known for sure is that the United States is now becoming more aware of the importance of monitory their oxygen level. A pulse oximeter is a medical device that has been around many years, but only recently it has become available at costs which make it accessible for home use.
What are oximeters? Well, most people will know them as the devices that patients have on their fingertips at the hospital, but most people do not really understand what they do. What oximeters do is measure the blood oxygen saturation levels in your blood. The percentage of oxygen in your blood is a key indicator for many different illnesses. The range you want your oxygen saturation to be in is 95%-100%. An oximeter also gives the patient their pulse rate within seconds, which is a great added feature.
Oximeters are good device to give you an indication if you are or are not taking in enough oxygen. A lot of parents are using oximeters to determine if their kids are breathing right, since it came be a difficult condition to visually monitor unless they are breathing exceptionally heavy. Older patients who are on oxygen use oximeters to determine their SPO2 statuses at any give time of their treatment.
