How To Use Pulse Oximeter To Check COVD-19 Infection? Reading Results, Function, and Other Details

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The pulse oximeter is currently one of the most essential medical devices. This health instrument can actually help you during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

How To Use Pulse Oximeter To Check COVD-19 Infection? Reading Results, Function, and Other Details
In this photo illustration, a young woman uses an oximeter to measure her pulse and her peripheral oxygen saturation level during the coronavirus crisis on April 28, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. The device is useful in checking for low or declining oxygen saturation, which might indicate onsetting pneumonia, a common condition among Covid-19 patients who wind up in intensive care. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

As of the moment, the global health crisis is getting worst as daily infected cases continue to rise because of Omicron. The United States is one of the affected countries right now.

Because of this, various health firms are making their own efforts to help reduce the rising COVID-19 cases. Pfizer and BioNTech are among them since they are about to start the clinical trials for the new Omicron-specific Pfizer vaccine.

But, since other new variants are also appearing, such as COVID-19 Deltacron, people also need to check their health for possible infection. Using a pulse oximeter is one of the things you can do right now.

What is Pulse Oximeter?

According to The New York Times' latest report, the pulse oximeter is a medical device that can measure your blood oxygen level, as well as your heart rate.

How To Use Pulse Oximeter To Check COVD-19 Infection? Reading Results, Function, and Other Details
A person in her car suspected of COVID-19 infection undergoes level of oxygen measuring with a pulse oxymeter as she lines up waiting to access the entrance to the infectious diseases emergency unit at the Cotugno hospital in Naples on November 12, 2020 amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in Naples overwhelming hospitals. - The Italian government imposed tighter restrictions on another five regions on November 10. Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Healthline reported that medical experts usually rely on pulse oximeters to check their patients' health status. This device may be tiny, but it can help doctors and nurses know the illnesses affecting your blood oxygen levels.

It is usually used to detect lung cancer, heart attack, asthma, etc. Aside from these, some experts claimed that it can also detect possible COVID-19 infection.

They added that some COVID-19 patients experience low oxygen saturation levels even without breathing complications. This is why using a pulse oximeter is essential.

How To Use Pulse Oximeter

FDA's official website provided a simple guide on how to use a pulse oximeter:

  1. The first thing you need to do is make sure that you are not wearing your jewelry (earrings, rings, bracelets, etc.).
  2. After that, you need to clean your fingers, earlobes, or toes. Once they are clean and warm, you can place one of them on the pulse oximeter.
  3. Before you do this, make sure that your device is below heart level before starting the test.

Now that you know how to use the pulse oximeter, it is time to understand the readings:

  1. Oxygen saturation level below 89% is not normal.
  2. 95% oxygen saturation level is normal.
  3. An oxygen saturation level of 92% and below can indicate hypoxemia.
  4. If you are still unsure regarding your health status, the best thing you can do is bring the results to your doctor so that they can conduct further tests.

For more news updates about pulse oximeters and other medical devices that can help you during the pandemic, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

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Tags:COVID-19
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