We have to start by saying that pulse oximetry is a painless and noninvasive test that will measure your oxygen saturation levels. It has the ability to rapidly detect small changes in your bloodstream and hemoglobin, especially since oxygen is vital for organ health in general.
When it comes to a device, you should know that pulse oximeter is usually a small device that you have to attach to a body part such as earlobe or toe, but most commonly on the finger.
You can use it in medical areas such as hospitals, emergency rooms, while some doctors may use it in office areas as well. By clicking here, you will be able to determine normal oxygen levels you should have.
The availability of the device allowed the public to purchase it for individual reasons, which means that you can boost your exercise levels and performance by constantly measuring the oxygen saturation levels.
The main goal of pulse oximetry is to check whether your heart is pumping enough oxygen through your body, which is an indicator of your wellbeing.
You can also use it to monitor the health of individuals that feature respiratory conditions including pneumonia, lung cancer, asthma, COPD, anemia, heart failure, heart defects and many more.
You can also use it to check out other things including evaluating whether your ventilator works properly, whether your medication is working, to check out saturation levels before and after a surgical procedure, to see whether an individual can tolerate particular physical activities.
The Process of Measuring
During the reading, you should take the device and place it on a finger, toe or earlobe. It will create small beams of light through the blood in the finger, and that will measure levels of oxygen.
It does it by measuring changes of light absorption in deoxygenated and oxygenated blood, which is a painless process and lasts a few seconds. You will be able to get data that will tell you current saturation levels as well as heart rate.
It can be used both in outpatient and patient settings and in some situations, the doctor will recommend you purchase the one for your particular needs.
Is It Accurate?
You should have in mind that pulse oximetry is an accurate test in general because most medical facilities use the latest and high-end equipment. It has the ability to consistently provide you with results but you have to take into consideration two percent difference.
At the same time, it depends on the quality of the waveform as well as the assessment of the individual. You should consider also additional factors such as temperature, movement, nail polish and other things that may affect the accuracy.
Typically, more than 89% of your blood should carry oxygen around. Therefore, if you notice this particular result, it means that you are healthy. If you have saturation below this, that may lead to organ damage and further problems as well.
The normal levels are approximately 95% and higher, while 92% can lead to potential hypoxemia, which is a deficiency that will affect your tissue health. As soon as the test is over, you will get readings.
Before finding the device for your household, we recommend you to check out the reviews and sites like: http://www.medgadget.com/2015/10/masimo-mightysat-personal-pulse-oximeter-set-measure-motion-low-perfusion-fda-cleared.html.
This will help you determine whether you will need another treatment or not. If you are currently evaluating how your supplementation therapy functions, it will display what you should do in the further days.
We recommend you to ask your physician if something is inconclusive so that you can understand how to improve your results for the next time being. In case you are using it at home, you should write down all readings and after some period bring it to a physician for evaluation.