Measure Your Oxygen Saturation

Oxygen saturation is the measurement of the amount of oxygen that is carried or dissolved in a given medium. As the heart contracts, the blood goes in the lungs where the oxygen molecules can bind to the red blood cells. Blood oxygen saturation or arterial oxygen saturation is the term used to refer the percentage of the red blood cell that is saturated by oxygen. Blood saturation is considered healthy if it ranges from 95 to 100 percent.

Saturation level may vary slightly depending on activity and age. The blood oxygen level that is less than 90 percent will be considered abnormal. All the body organs in the body need an adequate supply of oxygen to function effectively. If oxygen saturation is low, various health problems can occur

Hypoxemia is the term that is used to describe too low oxygen level. Symptoms may include fatigue, confusion, headache, and shortness of breathe. Because oxygen is needed in the brain and heart continuously, brain damage or even death can occur if blood oxygen level becomes too low.

Oxygen saturation can be measured to show signs of breathing problem or maybe a part of physical exam. There are 2 major ways to obtain saturation levels. One way is using pulse oximeter and the other way is using Arterial blood gas test.

Pulse oximeter is a device that is commonly utilized to determine the saturation. It is a small device that is usually clips in the patient's ear lobe or finger tips and shines one red light and one infrared. These light beams will allow the pulse oximeter to read changes in the patient's blood.

An arterial blood gas or ABG test may also be administered to provide more precise reading. This test involves blood extraction from the radial artery in the wrist. This test is known to be more painful than other kind of blood test in which blood extraction is usually done in the vein. Luckily, arterial blood gas is done quickly and can be well tolerated with small risk to the patients. The ABG results are available in a few minutes.

If you have too low saturation, treatment may be prescribed by your doctor. One of the treatments that are commonly used for low oxygen saturation is the oxygen therapy. Oxygen can be given in nasal or mask forms. The amount of oxygen that is usually given is based on the level of oxygen saturation is in the blood.

Pulse Oximeter Used by Scuba Divers to Monitor Their Oxygen

Scuba diving is a sport that many individuals truly love and enjoy. The ability to see underwater worlds and the solitude that can be experienced is truly an enjoyment to those individuals that enjoy the sport. However, one of the most important things to do in scuba diving is to monitor the oxygen of individuals engaged in the sport. The reason oxygen is particularly important to measure in these situations is because of a potential issue that can occur which is hypoxia. Hypoxia represents a lack of oxygen in specific tissues in the human body. Due to the lack of oxygen in a specific area of the human body the tissue may be fatally destroyed or other health conditions and issues may arise. For example, say the individual wants to go scuba diving and takes part in an 8 hour scuba diving session whereby they are exposed to several moments of lack of oxygen. When the individual gets back to their home they may realize that they may feel as if they are light headed or have specific parts of their body that are in pain. It is extremely important for these individuals to monitor their oxygen levels to ensure that they are not in risk of hypoxia.

A great tool used by adventurers like scuba divers is the use of a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter is a health device that is utilized to measure blood oxygen saturation as well as pulse rate with amazing accuracy and speed. The device also is extremely small and portable that can be taken anywhere the individual desires to take it. This is one of the most important aspects of a pulse oximeter is the fact that it is extremely portable and can be taken anywhere you desire to go. The size of an oximeter is the fraction of the size of a the smallest cell phone on the market.

However, although it has a very small size on the on other hand it has such amazing capability in regards to vital sign monitoring especially pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation. The oximeter uses the latest in infrared technology to monitor the SpO2 levels. The way that it works is simple in some regards however extremely technically complex in other regards. The device emits a safe infrared light that travels through the individuals skin on their finger. The infrared light can measure the differences in cells in the blood to determine a number which represents the SpO2 levels. With this type of technology the individual who engages in sports or adventurous activities can monitor their vital signs wherever they go without the need of a large or immobile vital sign monitoring machine or device. They can simply put it in their pocket and measure their vital signs on the go.

Although it is important to enjoy one's life with the activities that you truly love, however it is also important to measure and monitor your body's response to such activities and to ensure that you are operating at optimal healthy levels. The pulse oximeter can be a true lifetime health companion for you as it will provide you with fast and accurate information that may save your life.