As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the world, oximeters begin to grow in popularity. The thing is that oximeters are designed specifically to measure oxygen saturation and it is low oxygen levels that are considered to be one of the early warning signs of coronavirus.

Dr. Naftali Kaminski, who is Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, says that oximeters can be very helpful for people recovering from COVID-19. According to him, the device can be used at home to see whether the disease state is improving or deteriorating. Note that this tool is not intended for disease diagnosis and can only be applied to help reveal symptoms.

Oxygen Saturation Monitoring

In fact, the new coronavirus infection is just one of numerous health conditions that affect blood oxygen saturation levels. If you do not have any lung disease, your blood oxygen levels should be no less than 94%. Low readings can be a sign of asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer, heart failure, anemia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

You can use an oximeter to see whether you have enough oxygen in your blood in a variety of situations. In particular, it would be beneficial to check your levels after surgery, medicine intake, or increased physical activity. An oximeter will help you see whether your ventilator is working well and can be used to detect sleep apnea. Even more, there is a product created specifically for sleep apnea sufferers — the Viatom Wrist Pulse Oximeter.

Types of Oximeters: Co-Oximeter, Pulse Oximeter, Oxygen Saturation Monitor

Both a pulse oximeter and a co-oximeter will monitor your oxygen saturation. However, they use different measurement methods and blood parameters. A co-oximeter is an invasive method that requires a blood sample to measure the arterial oxygen saturation — SaO2. This value reflects the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin.

A pulse oximeter is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that monitors hemoglobin oxygen saturation in the blood — SpO2. Technically, pulse oximeters are less demanding, but they have limited capabilities. Unlike co-oximeters, pulse oximeters do not take into account hemoglobin that fails to carry oxygen. However, the difference is not crucial for those who just need to identify symptoms or monitor general health. Besides, the advantage of a pulse oximeter is that it offers a painless and convenient way of measuring your oxygen saturation. You can monitor your levels continuously without feeling any discomfort.

Typically, a pulse oximeter is equipped with either a sensor or a probe, or both. It also includes LED lights and photodetectors. Pulse oximeters, in their turn, can be divided into finger, handheld, and desktop devices. The first option, such as the Pulse Oximeter Fingertip (Oximetro), is the most affordable, portable, and convenient for measuring blood oxygen levels both at home and on the go.

How to Use a Pulse Oximeter

In addition to blood oxygen saturation, a pulse oximeter measures your pulse rate or how many times your heart beats per minute. Depending on the model, the device is placed on the fingertip, wrist, or earlobe. Once turned on, the oximeter passes 2 wavelengths of light through the corresponding part of the body right to a built-in photodetector.

While being a pretty sophisticated piece of technology, a pulse oximeter is surprisingly easy to use. At first, you clip it on your finger and press the button. Generally, it takes less than a minute for the device to collect the needed information and display readings on the screen. The oximeter turns off automatically after the finger is removed.

The Pulse Oximeter Fingertip (Oximetro) is clipped on your finger and calculates your SpO2, PR, heart rate as well as the strength and waveform of your pulse. The data is displayed on a large OLED screen, with the value flashing when there is any variation from the norm. The oximeter includes a free app compatible with both Android and iOS. The app allows for recording and storing up to ten hours continuously, and gives you access to real-time data, reports, and trends.

Another product, the Viatom Wrist Pulse Oximeter, is designed to be worn on your wrist. Ideal for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, it is convenient to wear while sleeping. The device shows your SpO2 overnight trend, how many times this value drops over 4%, as well as the motion of your sleep and a heart rate. Equipped with a durable 16-hour battery, the device features a smart vibration alarm that will prompt you to change sleep position if your SpO2 is too low. The ring sensor is made with soft silicone that is perfect for any finger size.

Once you put the oximeter on your wrist, press the button. The device will begin recording and is able to store up to four sessions. After that, you can connect it to your smartphone or tablet in order to sync the data. You can use the oximeter when it is connected to your device to monitor your heart rate and SpO2 in real-time. The product comes with a downloadable app, which will allow you not only to see a detailed report but also leave comments and share the data with doctors.

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