Pulse Oximetry 2021
Overview
Ever heard of Pulse oximetry? It is a medical instrument used in hospitals to gauge a patient’s oxygen saturation levels, or in simple terms, measures the oxygen levels in your blood. The procedure is usually a pain-free and noninvasive test.
It accomplishes this by rapid detection of even small changes in how efficiently oxygen in the blood is being delivered to the extremities, or furthest tissues from the heart, including the arms and the legs.
The pulse oximeter is a portable electronic device, with clips that permit it to attach to a body part, for example, a finger. Doctors and nurses frequently use it in critical care setting like emergency rooms in hospitals. Doctors specialised in pulmonary medicine(pulmonologists), may utilize it in the office.
The objective of pulse oximetry is to survey how adequately your heart is pumping oxygen through all parts of your body.
Its Purpose and Uses
It may be adopted to monitor the health of people with any kind of ailment that can influence blood oxygen levels, especially while they are in the hospital. Some of these conditions can include:
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Tuberculosis
- pneumonia
- Carcinoma of the lung
- Anaemia
- Cardiac failure
- Asthma
- congenital heart defects
- Sickle cell anaemia
Other uses of a pulse oximetry device include:
- evaluating how well a new medication is working on the function of the lung.
- Evaluate whether a patient needs to be intubated because of problems breathing.
- Assess how helpful a ventilator is on a patient.
- Monitor oxygen levels during surgical procedures or after postoperative procedures that require sedation.
- Assess an individual’s ability to withstand heightened physical activity.
Procedure for using a Pulse Oximetry.
Pulse oximetry may be used both in the hospital or at home. Your doctor may advise you to get on or come for testing in the hospital. They are usually available and you can order one from the Internet or shop near you that sell them. You can also use the links below to purchase one. Please note that these are affiliate links and we earn some commission from products purchased.
Now that you have one, or you are planning on owning one in the future, how do you use it? The pulse oximetry can be used in the following way;
- Place the clip on your toe, finger or earlobe. You may sense a minor amount of pressure, but there should be no pain.
- You need to keep the clip-on for as long as needed to monitor your pulse and oxygen saturation.
- Turn the pulse oximetry on by clicking the “on” button.
- It will start producing a beeping sound indicating that it has started the reading.
- The screen will then display the SPO2 readings plus the heart rate.
- Once the test is over and the readings have been recorded, you can now remove the clip.
Interpretation of Pulse Oximetry readings
Pulse oximetry readings are usually fairly accurate, particularly when using very high-quality equipment that can be found in most hospital localities. The results are often within a 2% difference of the accurate readings. If your reading was 80%, for example, the true oxygen saturation level may be anywhere between 80 to 84%. We must also consider component such as, temperature, or the presence of nail polish that can impact accuracy.
Generally, a percentage of more than or equal to 95 of your blood is needed for carrying oxygen around to your body tissues. This oxygen saturation level is ideal to keep your cells well-nourished and your body healthy. Levels below this may be a sign of danger because they indicate that cells of your body are not receiving enough oxygen, or, there is inadequate oxygen perfusion to the tissues. An oxygen saturation level of 95% is deemed normal for most healthy people. A level below that indicates potential for developing hypoxaemia, which can lead to tissue death and destruction.