Pulse Oximeter Utility A pulse oximeter is a non-invasive device to measure oxygenation of blood and pulse rates. Using a pulse oximeter can detect under-oxygenation in a patient before it reaches a dangerous level. While use of an oximeter is often carried out on conscious patients, its common use is while a patient is under the effects of anesthesia during surgery. Pulse oximeters are also used for sleep studies, prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), exercise sports training, and often when a patient is receiving adjunct oxygen therapy.
Sleep studies use pulse oximeters to monitor a patient's tendency to stop breathing during sleep. When an individual stops breathing during sleep, this is termed "sleep apnea." Regular periods of sleep apnea creates low oxygen levels in the blood and interferes with the regular sleep cycle. These patients often complain of a lack of feeling well rested. Some pulse oximeters have software that allows recording of the trend of oxygen saturation during a sleep cycle. Oximeters are often used for people whom have sleep apnea, and the system alarms when the saturation reaches a pre-set threshold.
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