Claims made by producers of pulse oximeters make it hard to select the right gadget. This is usually the case especially if one is ignorant about the important features a good gadget should have. The information in this article should be able to help potential buyers in picking the right CMS pulse oximeters. All important features are highlighted although further research can be done to have more knowledge.
A pulse oximetry gadget becomes useful in a wide range of circumstances and reasons. The immediacy of checking heart rate and blood oxygen concentration is one of the major reasons. Checking these two parameters is vital especially when one is exercising or when flying because the normal functioning of brain is affected in some people by changes in air pressure and altitude. Efficiency of CPAP therapy in patients with sleep apnea can also be determined by wearing the device at night when going to bed.
The first feature to check for should be the recording function. This function allows the device to maintain a record of values for the heart rate and oxygen saturation for a given period of time. This is useful when doing comparisons to determine changes in the two parameters. Such records can reveal the time of the night when apnea activities are happening. This is because the heart rate increases while oxygen saturation in blood drops when the activities are taking place.
Another factor to check is the accuracy of the device. Normally most devices allow a certain level of error in their readings. The error margin is normally highest in the low-end devices hence one should make the choice carefully. The margin should not exceed two percent. To determine the level of accuracy, one may have the heart rate and blood O2 saturation measured through other means and then the values compared to those of an oximeter.
The display and the kind of information displayed should also be checked. In low-end models, the primary display is the normal LED display. Low-end display does not show any other information besides the two major parameters the device measures. Better displays are used in better brands and parameters like battery level indicator, menus, perfusion index value, pulse meter, and pulse waveform are also displayed besides the two parameters.
One should buy a product in which it is possible to set the threshold values for heart rate and O2 saturation percentage. Such capabilities also call for incorporation of an alarm system. Whenever the values fall below or rise above the threshold values, the user in alerted by the alarm. This way, the patient can be prevented from going into serious conditions like commas through taking of preventive measures. The alarms also indicate low battery levels.
Like all electronics, oximeters should also have reasonable warranty periods. The normal warranty period is two years. If the warranty is less than two years, it is advisable to seek other options especially if the product costs high. This helps to avoid loses due to the mistakes of the manufacturer.
When buying a product that utilizes rechargeable lithium ion battery, one must check to ensure that it has not been on the shelf for more than one year. This is because damages are caused to lithium ion batteries when the discharge process takes a long period. The best products to settle for are the ones that use both standard alkaline and rechargeable batteries.
A pulse oximetry gadget becomes useful in a wide range of circumstances and reasons. The immediacy of checking heart rate and blood oxygen concentration is one of the major reasons. Checking these two parameters is vital especially when one is exercising or when flying because the normal functioning of brain is affected in some people by changes in air pressure and altitude. Efficiency of CPAP therapy in patients with sleep apnea can also be determined by wearing the device at night when going to bed.
The first feature to check for should be the recording function. This function allows the device to maintain a record of values for the heart rate and oxygen saturation for a given period of time. This is useful when doing comparisons to determine changes in the two parameters. Such records can reveal the time of the night when apnea activities are happening. This is because the heart rate increases while oxygen saturation in blood drops when the activities are taking place.
Another factor to check is the accuracy of the device. Normally most devices allow a certain level of error in their readings. The error margin is normally highest in the low-end devices hence one should make the choice carefully. The margin should not exceed two percent. To determine the level of accuracy, one may have the heart rate and blood O2 saturation measured through other means and then the values compared to those of an oximeter.
The display and the kind of information displayed should also be checked. In low-end models, the primary display is the normal LED display. Low-end display does not show any other information besides the two major parameters the device measures. Better displays are used in better brands and parameters like battery level indicator, menus, perfusion index value, pulse meter, and pulse waveform are also displayed besides the two parameters.
One should buy a product in which it is possible to set the threshold values for heart rate and O2 saturation percentage. Such capabilities also call for incorporation of an alarm system. Whenever the values fall below or rise above the threshold values, the user in alerted by the alarm. This way, the patient can be prevented from going into serious conditions like commas through taking of preventive measures. The alarms also indicate low battery levels.
Like all electronics, oximeters should also have reasonable warranty periods. The normal warranty period is two years. If the warranty is less than two years, it is advisable to seek other options especially if the product costs high. This helps to avoid loses due to the mistakes of the manufacturer.
When buying a product that utilizes rechargeable lithium ion battery, one must check to ensure that it has not been on the shelf for more than one year. This is because damages are caused to lithium ion batteries when the discharge process takes a long period. The best products to settle for are the ones that use both standard alkaline and rechargeable batteries.
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