What are the methods for measuring blood oxygen saturation?
Methods for measuring blood oxygen saturation include:
pulse oximeter
blood gas test
pulse oximeter
What is a pulse oximeter?
Oxygen is carried in the body's red blood cells by a molecule called hemoglobin. A pulse oximeter measures the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin in the blood. This is called oxygen saturation and is a percentage (out of 100). It's a simple, painless test, usually measured using a blood oxygen sensor placed on the fingertip or earlobe. For example, finger clip blood oxygen probe, soft finger cot blood oxygen probe, ear clip blood oxygen probe, disposable blood oxygen probe, etc. provided by Youmai Medical.
What is the use of pulse oximeter?
People with lung disease may have lower-than-normal blood oxygen levels, so a pulse oximeter can help diagnose if there is a problem.
The more damaged the lungs, the more likely problems with oxygen uptake will occur. A pulse oximeter can also be used to measure how badly a person's lungs are affected.
It can also be used to measure your oxygen levels over time, such as during exercise such as walking or while you are asleep.
How do I prepare for a pulse oximeter test?
Nail polish or false nails will block the light and affect the reading results. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the nail when measuring in order to obtain accurate results.
Pulse oximetry results may be affected by medical conditions including anemia and Raynaud's syndrome.
The working principle of the pulse oximeter
A pulse oximeter measures how much light your blood absorbs. This tells us how much oxygen is in the human blood.
The pulse oximeter sends 2 beams of light through the fingertip or earlobe: a red beam and an infrared beam.
Blood with a lot of oxygen absorbs more infrared light and lets more red light through.
Blood without enough oxygen absorbs more red light and lets more infrared light through.
If blood cells don't get enough oxygen, they will appear bluer.
Can a pulse oximeter test be performed at home?
Portable finger clip oximeters can be used for self-testing at home. In the post-coronavirus period, the domestic nail oximeter market is in full swing and has become a must-have product for families.
What do you think of the measurement results?
The oximeter display shows the percentage of oxygen in the blood. For a healthy person, normal blood oxygen saturation levels are around 95-100%.
If the oxygen level falls below this value, it indicates a lung problem. People with low oxygen levels may need additional oxygen or other treatments. Your healthcare professional will discuss this with you.
Current guidelines recommend that people with a resting stable oxygen saturation of 92% or less should be referred for blood gas evaluation to determine if oxygen therapy is appropriate.
Changes in oxygen levels can mean your lungs are getting worse.
In people with pneumonia and children with lung problems, oxygen saturation helps determine whether hospitalization is needed.
What happens if the test shows low oxygen levels?
If the monitoring results show that the blood oxygen saturation is low, the patient needs to start oxygen therapy. After oxygen inhalation therapy, check whether the blood oxygen saturation is normal again.