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Giving yourself too much or too little oxygen can be dangerous. If you are using a pulse oximeter to monitor your oxygen levels and think they are low, see a doctor. You should not use an oxygen ...
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What are the benefits for home use? Healthy people do not usually need a pulse oximeter. Nor do all people who have COPD. However, if you are using supplemental oxygen therapy at home, an oximeter can be a useful tool. Knowing your oxygen saturation levels can clue you in to when you need to use your oxygen and/or if it is working effectively.
- Overview
- Purpose and uses
- How to take a reading
- Pulse oximetry readings
- What’s next?
- Takeaway
A pulse oximeter measures your blood oxygen levels and pulse. A low level of oxygen saturation may occur if you have certain health conditions. Your skin tone may also affect your reading.
Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive test that measures the oxygen saturation level of your blood.
It can rapidly detect even small changes in oxygen levels. These levels show how efficiently blood is carrying oxygen to the extremities furthest from your heart, including your arms and legs.
The pulse oximeter is a small, clip-like device. It attaches to a body part, most commonly to a finger.
The purpose of pulse oximetry is to see if your blood is well oxygenated.
Medical professionals may use pulse oximeters to monitor the health of people with conditions that affect blood oxygen levels, especially while they’re in the hospital.
These can include:
•chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
•asthma
•pneumonia
Pulse oximetry may be useful in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In some cases, your doctor may recommend that you have a pulse oximeter for home use.
To take a reading with a pulse oximeter, you will:
1.Remove any jewelry or fingernail polish on your finger if measuring from this location.
2.Make sure your hand is warm, relaxed, and below heart level if attaching the device here.
3.Place the device on your finger, earlobe, or toe.
4.Keep the device on for as long as needed to monitor your pulse and oxygen saturation.
Pulse oximetry tests are an estimation of blood oxygen levels, but they’re typically precise. This is especially true when using high quality equipment found in most medical offices or hospital settings. With this equipment, medical professionals can carry out the tests accurately.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that prescription oximeters must provide results within an accuracy range of 4 to 6 percent.
The American Thoracic Society says that typically, more than 89 percent of your blood should be carrying oxygen. This is the oxygen saturation level needed to keep your cells healthy.
Having an oxygen saturation temporarily below this level may not cause damage. But repeated or consistent instances of lowered oxygen saturation levels may be damaging.
An oxygen saturation level of 95 percent is considered typical for most healthy people. A level of 92 percent or lower can indicate potential hypoxemia, which is a seriously low level of oxygen in the blood.
Various factors can affect readings, including a person’s skin tone.
Once the test is over, your doctor will have the readings available immediately. This will help them determine if other testing or treatment is necessary.
If you’re evaluating how successful your oxygen supplementation therapy is, for example, a reading that’s still on the low side might indicate the need for more oxygen.
Pulse oximetry is a quick, noninvasive, and completely painless test. It comes with no risks, aside from potential skin irritation from the adhesive used in some types of probes.
However, it’s not as accurate as clinical blood gas measurements, especially for people with darker skin tones.
Oct 23, 2024 · A pulse oximeter (pulse ox) is a device normally clipped to your forefinger when you go to your doctor for a routine wellness check or when you're in hospital with a condition like COPD, lung ...
May 8, 2020 · There is debate among doctors about whether or not people need a pulse oximeter in their medical supply kits at home. “In normal times, unless a patient has true lung disease, there is no need for them to use pulse oximetry monitoring,” says Denyse Lutchmansingh, MD, a Yale Medicine pulmonologist. But these aren’t normal times.
- 065208055
- kathy.katella-cofrancesco@yale.edu
Sep 13, 2024 · Many people also found home pulse oximeters useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus can cause low oxygen levels before other symptoms became worse. If you experience frequent shortness of breath, fatigue, or other signs of low oxygen, having a pulse oximeter on hand can give you peace of mind by helping you check your levels without needing to visit a healthcare provider each time.
People also ask
Should I use a home pulse oximeter for supplemental oxygen therapy?
Do you need a pulse oximeter in your medical supply kits?
Why do you need a pulse oximeter?
Can a pulse oximeter or oxygen concentrator cause a problem?
Are pulse oximeters safe?
What if a pulse oximeter reads 90%?
Jan 13, 2023 · Anesthesiologists use them to help determine how much anesthesia to give patients and to monitor their respiratory status. Medical providers may use a pulse oximeter or may prescribe one for home use for patients with any of these conditions: Asthma ; Lung cancer ; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Influenza ; COVID-19 ; Sleep apnea
