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.
The physical principles of how a pulse oximeter works are beyond the scope of this article. It is based on the absorbance of light. By shining light of two different wavelengths into the skin, the instrument can calculate the light absorbance, and hence the concentration of O2 in blood that is circulating in the arteries.
While this technology can reveal the oxygen saturation of a person's hemoglobin, it is at best an indirect means of finding out how much actual oxygen is circulating in the bloodstream. To measure this directly, it is necessary to sample the blood passing through the arteries in real time. This involves placing a needle into an artery.
Jamming a needle into an artery, which are by design very thick, is very painful for the patient. Because of this, it is not routinely done unless it is really necessary. The feeling of having a needle pierce into an artery has been compared to having a sharp implement poking directly into a bone.
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 basic forms of sleep apnea; neurological (or central) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Of these, OSA is the more common and the easiest to treat. Some people need surgery to correct an anatomical abnormality, while others are easier to treat with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or wearing an oral device, prescribed by an oral surgeon, while thy sleep.
The other kind of sleep apnea, neurological or central sleep apnea, is rarer and more serious than OSA. Rather than being unable to breathe, your brain doesn't bother to try. This is usually associated with a serious underlying condition affecting the brain stem, which is the part of the brain that controls breathing. Central sleep apnea may manifest itself alone or alongside OSA.
Anybody can be diagnosed with either form of sleep apnea. The principal risk factors are age over 40, obesity and being male. This is a particularly heart-breaking condition in young babies, who can sometimes stop breathing for periods as long as 20s. This is frightening for new parents. Fortunately, alarms are available that can sound an alert when the baby has an apnea episode. CMS pulse oximeters may also be purchased for use at home for both adult and child use.
The physical principles of how a pulse oximeter works are beyond the scope of this article. It is based on the absorbance of light. By shining light of two different wavelengths into the skin, the instrument can calculate the light absorbance, and hence the concentration of O2 in blood that is circulating in the arteries.
While this technology can reveal the oxygen saturation of a person's hemoglobin, it is at best an indirect means of finding out how much actual oxygen is circulating in the bloodstream. To measure this directly, it is necessary to sample the blood passing through the arteries in real time. This involves placing a needle into an artery.
Jamming a needle into an artery, which are by design very thick, is very painful for the patient. Because of this, it is not routinely done unless it is really necessary. The feeling of having a needle pierce into an artery has been compared to having a sharp implement poking directly into a bone.
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 basic forms of sleep apnea; neurological (or central) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Of these, OSA is the more common and the easiest to treat. Some people need surgery to correct an anatomical abnormality, while others are easier to treat with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or wearing an oral device, prescribed by an oral surgeon, while thy sleep.
The other kind of sleep apnea, neurological or central sleep apnea, is rarer and more serious than OSA. Rather than being unable to breathe, your brain doesn't bother to try. This is usually associated with a serious underlying condition affecting the brain stem, which is the part of the brain that controls breathing. Central sleep apnea may manifest itself alone or alongside OSA.
Anybody can be diagnosed with either form of sleep apnea. The principal risk factors are age over 40, obesity and being male. This is a particularly heart-breaking condition in young babies, who can sometimes stop breathing for periods as long as 20s. This is frightening for new parents. Fortunately, alarms are available that can sound an alert when the baby has an apnea episode. CMS pulse oximeters may also be purchased for use at home for both adult and child use.
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