What Is A Finger Pulse Oximeter, and can it Help Against COVID-19?

With the current trends of technology and devastating health dilemmas, Fingertip Pulse oximeter reading devices have become a necessary home health essential that helps you with your health goals. With this convenient pulse oximeter reading device, you can quickly check your blood oxygen levels with ease.

What is a pulse oximeter?

Pulse oximeter devices utilize a non-invasive technique. This approach is employed in a device used for monitoring the amount of oxygen being transported by hemoglobin through the blood vessels or, in other words, this handy device measures a person’s oxygen saturation level and pulse rate.

The readings are recorded by a pulse oximeter, and this is a device that should be readily available in the medical facility and in your homes as well. This pulse oximeter is a crucial addition to your home-kit, for an initial diagnosis, this pulse oximeter is a survival kit for patients with an acute severe respiratory infection (SARI).

Battle Against COVID-19

The accuracy of pulse oximeters varies, and the readings can differ slightly depending on what finger you use. If you are wearing dark nail varnish or polish then perhaps most importantly, it’s not a single reading that counts or matters but the trend — if there is one.

If you use a finger pulse oximeter, it can be convenient to opt for multiple readings per day to develop a baseline and take significant note of any sort of downward trend.

Finger pulse oximeter plays a substantial role in the battle against COVID-19, as this pandemic is marked by the blood oxygen levels of less than 90% (a healthy person with no underlying medical conditions should have a blood oxygen level ranging between 95-100%).

How do finger pulse oximeters work?

Pulse oximeter medical devices compare the absorption of red light and infrared light by the blood, using an infrared beam and a photodetector.

The pulse oximeter is usually placed on the most translucent parts of the body: usually a patient’s finger, toe, or earlobe.

This process makes it easier to read the amount of oxygen being delivered to the blood by the pumping of the lungs and sent around the body, effectively monitoring if they are functioning correctly. The device screen displays the medical analysis of the cardiac frequency and blood oxygen saturation.

Recommendations for using a pulse oximeter

A series of recommendations and guidelines should be kept in mind and should be followed during use to ensure the most accurate readings possible:

Firstly wipe off the dust and clean the skin surface of the area on which the pulse oximeter is to be placed.
Ensure to remove nail polish or false nails before calculating the multiple readings.
Make sure your finger is kept still and that the device is not clipped on too tightly.
If frequent readings are recorded, alternate the fingers on which the device is being placed.

However, a pulse oximeter could be substantially helpful for people who suspect they have fallen prey to the novel Coronavirus, or are uncertain whether they should go to the hospital for further treatment, or those who have tested positive for Covid-19 but felt their symptoms were otherwise mild.

Key Takeaways

So you have finally reached here, a pulse oximeter is a small tiny device that clips onto your finger and measures the oxygen level in your blood.

After placing the clip on your finger, you get a heart rate reading and blood oxygen level reading, giving you a percentage of the oxygen saturation in your blood.