What is Pulse oximeter

Pulse Oximeter : What It Is?, Use, Advantages & Limitations   

The world is currently fighting against the coronavirus pandemic, which appears to be a problem for the health sector in every nation that has gone through this pandemic. At this critical moment, we do need to take care of ourselves and others, to defend ourselves from the virus. That's why you need to understand the meaning behind the security you're taking, such as social distancing, wearing a mask, or careful sanitizing. For these cases, you need to be alert so that you can remain safe and secure, but also alert to primary precautions, for example. Breathing is the key symptom that will take you in an emergency situation, but for pre-information, the Pulse Oximeter can allow you to discover additional factors.

Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive technique for measuring the oxygen saturation of a person and its unit is a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in arterial blood (SpO2 ) (as opposed to measuring SpO2 directly through a blood sample) and the pulse rate. In the different types of pulse oximeter, The finger pulse oximeter is a small, lightweight device that becomes one of the most important for many households’ first aid kits because, this is non-invasive, low-cost, easy to use, and effective at detecting SpO2 & pulse rate. A clip-like tool called a probe is mounted on a part of the body, such as a finger or an ear lobe. The test uses light to determine how much oxygen there is in the blood. Such knowledge lets the health care provider determine if a person needs extra oxygen.

Pulse Oximeter monitors reading shows Blood Oxygen Saturation & Pulse Rate  

Blood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2 = Peripheral oxygen saturation)

Blood oxygen saturation is an estimation of the oxygen saturation level in your body. The human required a specific amount of oxygen in the blood. The normal blood oxygen saturation level in your body is 95-100 %. And if your SpO2 level 92% or less suggests that your blood is poorly saturated & it may be caused by your health conditions including chest pain, shortness of breath, and increased heart rate. 

Pulse Rate 

The pulse rate is the number of heartbeats per minute (bpm). The natural pulse rate for adults varies from 60 to 100 beats per minute ( bpm). Generally, lower heart rate is better, but some people who have a 60 bpm pulse rate caused to abnormal heart function like bradycardiascan. Symptoms of a critically slow heartbeat include weakness, loss of energy, chest pain, and fainting.

Pulse oximetry was developed in 1972 by the bioengineers Takuo Aoyagi and Michio Kishi at Nihon Kohden. After with a lot of improvements today we have the smallest & a cost-effective pulse oximeter for easy use. There are different types in pulse oximeter but a finger pulse oximeter you can use easily at your home. The functionality of this oximeter is much easier than others. Also, there are other oximeters that are the same as finger pulse oximeter like wireless Pulse Oximeter & wrist Pulse Oximeter. 

A Finger Pulse Oximeter 

It measures what percentage of oxygen bound to hemoglobin in the blood with pulse rate reading. This oximeter availability increase because pulse oximeter can be included in at-home patient monitoring. This type of oximeter can really help those people who have breathing problems or related to the heart. These people can see the SpO2 & pulse rate readings under physician guidance & improve their oxygen saturation level. 

Why To Use? 

• Patients with serious cardiac conditions would often experience low SpO2 levels or people with COPD, asthma, or other lung diseases who want to stay active & improve the quality of their pulse oximeter then they have to use this pulse oximeter regularly while exercising, or any other social activity.  
• This is not limited only to the heart problem people but also the others such as athletes in high altitude training to see the reduction in oxygen level which can increase red blood cells in athletes and help to increase their strength & stamina.
• In this COVID-19 pandemic, it can help with the early detection of COVID-19 infection symptoms, which may detect low arterial oxygen saturation and hypoxia.

How To Use?

• Power on the unit & Insert your finger into the pulse oximeter  
• After a few seconds, you can see the two numbers, one as SpO2 & other as pulse rate 
• The SpO2  indicates the oxygen saturation of blood in your body (in %) (normal reading 95-100 %) 
• Pulse rate indicates how many times your heartbeat per minute (normal rate is 60-100 bpm)

Advantages Of Using Pulse Oximeter

• It is helpful in any framework where a patient's oxygenation is unstable, including intensive care, operating, recovery, emergency, and hospital ward environment
• For several patients, doctors also prescribe exercise to improve their physical strength and overall health. However, exercise can result in increasing shortness of breath, in this situation patients should monitor their oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter while exercising so they can adjust the pace as the oxygen saturation decreases.
• Due to their simplicity and speed, pulse oximeters are of vital importance in emergency medicine and are also very useful for patients with respiratory or cardiac problems, especially COPD, or for the diagnosis of sleep disorders such as apnea and hypopnea.
• Pilots, mountain climbers, and people at high altitudes also use pulse oximeters to help guard against hypoxia.
• It also helps athletes in high altitude training so that they know the reduction in oxygen level can increase red blood cells and helps to increase his/her endurance.

Limitations Of Using Pulse Oximeter

• Pulse oximetry tests only the percentage of bound hemoglobin, falsely high, or falsely low reading when hemoglobin binds to something other than oxygen. 
• Pulse oximetry is also not a total indicator of circulatory oxygen sufficiency. If there is insufficient blood flow or insufficient hemoglobin in the blood (anemia), tissues can suffer hypoxia despite high arterial oxygen saturation.
• Poor circulation, too much movement & external light at the reading site it may cause an inaccurate reading 

Note: When you will use the pulse oximeter makes sure it should under a physician guidance. Stay safe stay healthy.

The above information is from Wikipedia, and Turner Medical, Nonin & AmperorDirect article.  

If you want to know about the Air purifying plants in interior design, the link is below.

https://trishnadesign.blogspot.com/2020/07/10-air-purfying-plants-for-your-home.html 

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