Reliable And Accurate Digital Oximeters For Home Use
If you are caring for someone sick in your house, dealing with a chronic illness, or you are intensly training for an athletic event, a digital oximeter for home use may be helpful. Many chronic respiratory and cardiac illnesses that use to require hospital stays now are being treated, under the care of a health provider, at home. Conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and chronic heart failure (CHF) often can be treated medically with, the proper monitoring, at home, while maintaining quality of life for the individual coping with the disease. One medical device that helps determine treatment is a digital oximeter.
Digital oximeters monitor blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate. Originally they were large stationary devices that did not tolerate movement well, making it difficult for an individual to be mobile; however, as technology became more advanced, digital oximeters became more accurate and their overall size was able to be reduced. As the technology became more seasoned and more manufacturers began producing oximeters, the price of oximeters were greatly reduced. Today, the entire digital oximeter can fit on one finger, accurately read SpO2 and pulse rate while moving, and has an average cost around $100.
Digital oximeters are generally simple in design. Sliding the oximeter on a finger and turning it on is the only thing you need to do for the monitor to begin displaying results. Normal SpO2 readings are over 95%. Depending on your condition, if readings are under, 95% you may require oxygen. The best thing to do is record the readings from the digital oximeter and talk to your health care provider to help you understand their meaning.
When using a digital oximeter for home use, there are a few things that may give you false readings. Since the device needs a decent pulse to work, cold fingers or poor circulation may cause the oximeter to give false low readings. Another aspect that can cause false readings is pigmentation. People with dark skin or wearing dark nail polish can show false readings. If you know the devices limitations, often you can ensure an accurate reading.
Manufacturers to today are producing a variety of styles of oximeters for home use. Most are FDA approved or come in both FDA (prescription only) and Non-FDA (no prescription required models. Some are available with advanced features that can record readings and even transmit results to your health care provider. Overall management of chronic conditions, thru monitoring your health and working with health care providers can greatly improve enjoyment and quality of life.
Digital Oximeter, Oximeters for home use
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