Things To Know About Recording Pulse Oximeter

By Annabelle Holman


Pulse oximetery helps to record two important pieces of information about patients. These two pieces of data are the rate at which the heart beats and the percentage of blood oxygen saturation. This method is considered non-invasive because no kind of penetration is done to the body. Patients who are under CPAP therapy for apnea can use a recording pulse oximeter to determine how effective the efficiency is.

Apnea activities lead to a drop in blood oxygen percentage during the night when they are taking place. Such drops can be recorded by oximeters with recording capability and used to compare with previous recordings made. The efficiency of therapy can be determined basing on the variations found in the recordings. Te extra features incorporated in modern devices make it important to own one of them. For example, spot checks for heart rates and oxygen saturation are possible in modern brands.

Being able to check the 2 parameters on the spot helps in determining how normal brain functions are affected by changes in height and air pressure. People involved in strenuous activities like exercising normally want to know the rates of their heart and blood O2 saturation. Buyers should check for the features discussed below before buying an oximeter.

The display should be the first factor to consider when making a purchase. In ordinary devices with LED displays, heart rate and concentration of blood O2 are the only pieces of information displayed. However, additional information is presented on the screen in a better display in complex devices. Most common additional information includes perfusion index, battery level indicator, pulse waveform, various menus, and pulse meter. Different functions are opened by the menus depending on the brand of the gadget.

A good device should also have the alarm function. Alarm function is important in warning the patient when certain threshold values have been reached. Normally the user has the freedom of setting their own threshold. The user can therefore be warned when their heart beat or blood oxygen concentration rises or falls below a given pre-determined level. Another alarm function is for warning the user when the battery level falls below a certain level.

Users can choose from two major types of batteries. Standard alkaline and rechargeable lithium ion batteries are the two major types of batteries in use today. The rechargeable type is rechargeable upon being discharged hence can be reused. This makes them durable and cost effective unlike the alkaline types which become useless once they get discharged. Some oximeters can use both lithium ion and alkaline batteries. This gives users a wider range of flexibility to operate in.

One must never ignore comfort in the device. The user should be comfortable with how tightly the device fits on the area of attachment. Clip-based devices that are attached to the finger should be comfortable even after being used for hours especially at night. One can switch the fingers if discomfort is felt.

Extra functionalities can be checked after one ensures that all important functions are present. A device that can wirelessly have all real time values transmitted to the computer on which the software that accompanies the oximeter is installed is better off. Third parties like caregivers can gain from such capabilities.




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