A Pulse Oximeter is a medical device that measures the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood as well as pulse rate. More advanced portable pulse oximeters like the Landon Medical PC-60B2 also measure the changed in blood volume in the skin by way of a photoplethysmograph. A blood-oxygen monitor displays the percentage of arterial hemoglobin in the oxyhemoglobin configuration. Typically, acceptable normal ranges are from 95 to 100 percent. What makes portable a pulse oximeter, like the Landon Medical PC-60B2, especially effective is that it is a non-invasive measurement instrument that can be carried with the patient wherever they go.
Oximeters work in a rather simple manner. After oxygen is breathed into the lungs it passes into the blood where the oxygen attaches to hemoglobin as a means of transportation in the bloodstream. This oxygenated blood then circulates to various tissues throughout the body. Oxygenated blood absorbs light at different levels than deoxygenated blood. A Pulse Oximeter utilize the light absorptive characteristics of hemoglobin and the varying pulsating nature of blood flow to measure oxygenation saturation levels. Pulse Oximeters consists of two light emitting diodes and two light collecting sensors, which measure the amount of red and infra-red light emerging from tissues traversed by the light rays. Oxygen-rich hemoglobin absorbs more of the infrared light and the hemoglobin without oxygen absorbs more of the red light. The Pulse Oximeter then calculates these variations and supplies a digital read out of the SPO2 levels as well as pulse rate. This digital read out is then supplied to a physician to assess the amount of oxygen being carried in the blood and to determine whether supplemental oxygen is needed.
The medical uses for a pulse oximeter is quite diverse and varied; including but not limited to respiratory and cardiac problems. A patient's need for oxygen is the most essential element to for sustaining life; no human life thrives in the absence of oxygen. Pulse oximeters provide the most accurate and cost-effective method of measuring blood oxygen saturation and heart rate, both of which are critical for monitoring many medical ailments.