CMS pulse oximeters are the little medical devices that they plug onto your fingertip whenever you go to the Emergency Room or before an operation. Sometimes they put them onto the earlobes. In tiny babies, they use a foot. The purpose of the device is to measure the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen. Generally, this number should always be at 95% or higher.
It really is fascinating that a simple instrument can take a measurement down to the molecular level without being stuck underneath the skin. This isn't the place to go into the smoke and mirrors physics, but it is something to do with absorbing light. Somehow, the machine to which the oximeter is attached can calculate the concentration of oxygen circulating in a patient's arterial blood.
While this is an excellent way of screening sick people from really sick people, a more accurate measurement is obtained by measuring oxygen directly from arterial blood. This is important in places like intensive care units or when a patient is under anesthesia having an operation.
This is a painful and invasive procedure and there needs to be a good reason for collecting this information. Patients who have their arterial blood sampled while they are awake describe the sensation as akin to having a needle stuck directly into their bone. Unfortunately, because one of the circumstances in which this information is important is while a patient is under an anesthetic, so the poor patient has to have the needle inserted while they are still awake.
Pulse oximeters are used a lot in research. Oxygen saturation is one of the parameters that is measured as part of sleeping studies that are investigating whether an individual suffers from sleep apnea, a condition where they stop breathing for brief periods during the night. This is a potentially fatal condition because it can lead to heart attack or stroke. At the very least, it makes people sleepy and unproductive the next morning.
There are two main types of sleep apnea, obstructive and neurological. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the more common of the two and is also the easiest to treat. Therapies include surgery, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or prescribing a device that the patient puts in their mouth when they go to bed that helps them to keep their airway open.
The other form of sleep apnea, central, is less common and potentially more serious than OSA. This is because the center of the brain that regulates physiological processes like heart rate and breathing, malfunctions to the point where the body won't try to breathe. Either type of apnea may occur on its own or in conjunction with the other form.
Although anyone can have any type of sleep apnea, the major risk factors are male gender over the age of 40 and being overweight. Sleep apnea is particularly dangerous in infants, who can stop breathing for as long as twenty seconds. This is a very daunting prospect for new parents. Fortunately, there are apnea alarms available that will alert the parents when a baby stops breathing for a set number of seconds. It is also possible to obtain CMS pulse oximeters for home use.
It really is fascinating that a simple instrument can take a measurement down to the molecular level without being stuck underneath the skin. This isn't the place to go into the smoke and mirrors physics, but it is something to do with absorbing light. Somehow, the machine to which the oximeter is attached can calculate the concentration of oxygen circulating in a patient's arterial blood.
While this is an excellent way of screening sick people from really sick people, a more accurate measurement is obtained by measuring oxygen directly from arterial blood. This is important in places like intensive care units or when a patient is under anesthesia having an operation.
This is a painful and invasive procedure and there needs to be a good reason for collecting this information. Patients who have their arterial blood sampled while they are awake describe the sensation as akin to having a needle stuck directly into their bone. Unfortunately, because one of the circumstances in which this information is important is while a patient is under an anesthetic, so the poor patient has to have the needle inserted while they are still awake.
Pulse oximeters are used a lot in research. Oxygen saturation is one of the parameters that is measured as part of sleeping studies that are investigating whether an individual suffers from sleep apnea, a condition where they stop breathing for brief periods during the night. This is a potentially fatal condition because it can lead to heart attack or stroke. At the very least, it makes people sleepy and unproductive the next morning.
There are two main types of sleep apnea, obstructive and neurological. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the more common of the two and is also the easiest to treat. Therapies include surgery, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or prescribing a device that the patient puts in their mouth when they go to bed that helps them to keep their airway open.
The other form of sleep apnea, central, is less common and potentially more serious than OSA. This is because the center of the brain that regulates physiological processes like heart rate and breathing, malfunctions to the point where the body won't try to breathe. Either type of apnea may occur on its own or in conjunction with the other form.
Although anyone can have any type of sleep apnea, the major risk factors are male gender over the age of 40 and being overweight. Sleep apnea is particularly dangerous in infants, who can stop breathing for as long as twenty seconds. This is a very daunting prospect for new parents. Fortunately, there are apnea alarms available that will alert the parents when a baby stops breathing for a set number of seconds. It is also possible to obtain CMS pulse oximeters for home use.
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