5 basic thing you need to know about Pulse Oximeter before purchasing

Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation (SO2)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_oximetry). It is an easy, painless measure of how well oxygen is being sent to parts of your body furthest from your heart, such as the arms and legs.

A clip-like device called a probe is placed on a body part, such as a finger or ear lobe. The probe uses light to measure how much oxygen is in the blood. This information helps the healthcare provider decide if a person needs extra oxygen.

Every system and organ in the body needs oxygen to survive. Without oxygen, cells begin to malfunction and eventually die. Cell death can cause severe symptoms and ultimately lead to organ failure.

Pulse oximetry may be used to see if there is enough oxygen in the blood. This information is needed in many kinds of situations. It may be used:

During or after surgery or procedures that use sedation

• To see how well lung medicines are working
• To check a person’s ability to handle increased activity levels
• To see if a ventilator is needed to help with breathing, or to see how well it’s working
• To check a person has moments when breathing stops during sleep (sleep apnea)

Pulse oximetry is also used to check the health of a person with any condition that affects blood oxygen levels, such as:

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Anemia
• Lung cancer
• Asthma
• Pneumonia

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/pulse-oximetry

Pulse oximeters are clip-on devices that measure oxygen saturation. The device may be attached to a finger, a wrist, a foot, or any other area where the device can read blood flow.

Oxygen saturation can drop for many reasons, including:

• suffocation
• choking
• infections, such as pneumonia
• drowning
• diseases, such as emphysema, lung cancer, and lung infections
• inhaling poisonous chemicals
• heart failure or a history of heart attacks
• allergic reactions
• general anesthesia
• sleep apnea

Pulse oximeters work by shining a light through a relatively transparent area of the skin. The light shines through to a detector positioned on the other side of the skin.

For example, when a pulse oximeter is clipped onto a finger, one side of the clip shines the light, and the other detects it.

The amount of light absorbed by the blood indicates the oxygen saturation. A pulse oximeter does not directly measure oxygen saturation but instead uses a complex equation and other data to estimate the exact level.

A measurement of your blood oxygen is called your oxygen saturation level. In medical shorthand, you may hear it called a PaO2 when using a blood gas and an O2 sat (SpO2) when using a pulse ox. These guidelines will help you understand what your result might mean:

Normal: A normal ABG oxygen level for healthy lungs falls between 80 and 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). If a pulse ox measured your blood oxygen level (SpO2), a normal reading is typically between 95 and 100 percent.

However, in COPD or other lung diseases, these ranges may not apply. Your doctor will let you know what’s normal for your specific condition. For example, it isn’t uncommon for people with severe COPD to maintain their pulse ox levels (SpO2) between 88 to 92 percentTrusted Source.
https://www.healthline.com/health/normal-blood-oxygen-level#oxygen-levels

An oxygen level below 88% can be dangerous for any period of time. An oxygen level below 85% warrants a trip to the hospital. Keep in mind that an oxygen level 80% and lower puts your vital organs in danger, so it is important to keep a blood oxygen level chart handy so you know what levels require immediate treatment.