Do I Need A Pulse Oximeter?


by Anne Clarke - Date: 2007-02-26 - Word Count: 366 Share This!

The blood is, as many already know, red when oxygenated properly and blue when it contains no oxygen. Therefore, when a patient is not getting enough oxygen, the blood in his or her arteries will appear more purple than red - a dark, or bluish color.

When someone looks at his or her hands or feet, for example: he or she will see the reddish color of his or her arteries and the darker, more bluish color of the veins. The veins, which have dispersed oxygenated blood through the body, are now on the way back to the heart. The heart, which is oxygenated by the lungs then pumps fresh, oxygenated blood back into the bloodstream. Therefore, the blood pumping through the arteries should then - under healthy conditions - be a bright reddish color.

When your hemoglobin - which is an essential part of your circulatory system - does its job it delivers oxygen to all parts of the body. It transports the most essential oxygen to all of your cells, muscles and organs. There are four "sites" of hemoglobin that oxygen must adhere to in order to be fully and vitally functional.

The role of pulse oximeters is a non - invasive method of determining the amount of oxygen from the heart contained in the blood or circulatory system. Often, a pulse oximeter is placed gently over your fingertip or your earlobe. In the most basic terms, a pulse oximeter is a measuring device with a light and a detector - essentially of the color of someone's blood.

A pulse oximeter will show how well the light is absorbed by the hemoglobin in the patient's blood. When hemoglobin is fully saturated with oxygen it reflects light differently than hemoglobin levels that are not fully saturated, often due to some kind of pulmonary condition.

It is always a good reminder for yourself if you are a patient or a caregiver that the amount of oxygen prescribed should never be altered without the expressed permission of your doctor or other medical professional. However, the technology behind pulse oximeters is skyrocketing and high quality pulse oximeters are available right now on the market. Talk to your doctor, a pulse oximeter has no risks, and may be perfect for you!


Related Tags: oxygen tanks, oxygen equipment, oxygen, pulse oximeter, home oxygen tanks, pulmonary equipment, home o2

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and the environment. Her background includes home décor and gardening. For more of her articles on health care, please visit oxygenequipment.net for supplier of excellent Pulse Oximeters and Home Oxygen Equipment.

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: