What One Should Know About Recording Pulse Oximeter

By Annabelle Holman


Pulse oximetery is useful for recording two essential pieces of data from patients. The rate of the heart beat and the level of saturation of oxygen in blood are the two pieces of date captured. Since there is no penetration of the body of the patient, the method is referred to as non-invasive. A recording pulse oximeter makes it easier to determine the level of effectiveness of therapy in patients under CPAP therapy for apnea.

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.

Ability to check the 2 aspects on the spot is useful in determining things like effect of height and changes in air pressure on normal brain functions. When exercising or involved in strenuous activities, one may want to know their heart rates and oxygen concentration in blood. These devices have certain features that a buyer should check out for before settling for any specific product.

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.

All good devices include the alarm function. Alarms are vital because they warn users when threshold values are exceeded or have fallen below. Normally the threshold values can be determined by the user themselves. Users therefore get warned when blood oxygen saturation or heart rate falls or exceeds a certain level. The alarm also warns users when the battery is empty or below a certain percentage.

These products come with two main types of batteries to choose from. The first type is the rechargeable lithium ion battery and the second one is the standard alkaline battery. The rechargeable type as suggested in the name can be recharged and reused when they run low. This way, they can last for several years unlike the alkaline types which when they wear out cannot be recharged. Some models of products can use both types of batteries. So it is upon the user to try that possibility out.

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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