Pulse Oximetry is simply the process of calculating a patient's oxygen saturation in their blood using a pulse oximeter. The importance of oxygen saturation in the bloodstream is to determine whether a patient has certain medical conditions. Typically, the higher the saturation of oxygen in the body's tissue or oxygenation, the healthier the person should be. Conditions such as lung disease and hypoxic drive will display low levels of oxygenation.
Pulse Oximetry works through the use of two emitting light sources. A normal beam of light in conjunction with an infrared beam of light are are shined through a patient's finger or earlobe. The light that shines through the patient's finger or earlobe is able to detect the coloration of the blood in the patient's body. Depending on the absorption of the blood the pulse oximetry detects through wavelengths, it is able to determine a patient's oxygen saturation. Usually, light shades of blood correlates into a higher oxygen saturation within the tissue. Jaken Medical carries Pulse Oximeters from GE Healthcare, ADC, Micro Direct, and Nonin. We carry various portable oximeters and table top oximeters for patient monitoring. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!