Information On CMS Pulse Oximeters

By Leticia Jensen


Pulse oximetry is all about monitoring blood oxygenation. The oxygen level in the blood is required to be above 95 percent. Cms pulse oximeters are non-invasive medical equipment which are used by doctors to check the level of oxygen. They have to ensure that it does not fall below the safe standard levels. These devices are very useful in the case whereby oxygen saturation of the patient has to be monitored. They are used in operations, intensive care, treatment and in recovery hospital wards.

These devices are very effective and normally are able to detect even the most slightest unsafe change in blood oxygenation. Though these medical devices have historical precedence, they became wide spread in the 1890s. This is how these devices work. An oxygen monitor has a small probe which is clipped to the spot of the patient body where there is particularly good flow of blood. Normally an oxygen monitor is clipped to a finger or an earlobe.

After clipping the spot, the monitor is fixed to a separate computerized unit specialized to show the readings. The Inside of the probe has a light emitter which sends out two light streams. One of them is red and the other infrared. Then, the steams of light produced are received and measured using a photo detector that is right opposite the emitter.

Typically, the oxygenated hemoglobin takes in a larger amount of the infrared light . The red light is allowed to pass through. It is the vice versa when it comes to the deoxygenated blood. It actually absorbs more red lights and allows the infrared light to pass through. The level of oxygenation in the patient blood is calculated by the oxygen monitor. This is determined by measuring the amount of light which is absorbed by the blood hemoglobin at both wavelengths.

If an oxygen monitor detects any change in the level of oxygen of a patient under anesthesia, then it sounds an alarm. This is important because, a heart failure and drain damage can occur if the human body is starved of oxygen in as little time as three minutes. This is why early detection is quite important.

As mentioned early, a healthy body should never fall below 95 percent of O2 saturation. The good thing with these monitoring devices is that they are able to detect a change as small as one percent. Before oxygen monitors were discovered, healthcare practitioners would only manage to detect oxygen starvation when the patient is already at very critical conditions.

There are various types of oximeters. They include pediatric which can be a wrist, handheld or finger oxygen monitor. These monitors are specifically designed for children and they produce results that are so accurate. They are made of features that help in sensing the best finger for testing and its right position. Unlike when these devices were too large and quite expensive for patients to own them, nowadays they are portable, affordable and available in the market.

There are many versions of cms oxygen monitors available today but the most effective ones are the finger models. They are also very affordable. They are sold as from 30 dollars, including delivery. These devices are used for treating pneumonia as well as neonatal blindness by anesthesiologists .




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