By A pediatric pulse oximeter is a piece of equipment that is designed to read the pulse rate and levels of oxygen in the blood of infants and children. Since their fingers and toes are smaller than adults, they require special equipment, adjusted to their size.
Pulse oximeters are used as a non-invasive method of measuring a patient’s pulse rate and arterial blood oxygen saturation. These devices are normally used by those suffering from asthma, chronic obstructive airway diseases, emphysema and other respiratory conditions.
In infants, the pulse oximeter is a valuable tool that can be used in the initial stages of diagnosing congenital heart disease. This is especially useful in cases where the infant is not showing any other symptoms related to the condition.
There are several different types of pulse oximeters available. These units normally consist of a small probe that can be connected to a computer. The probe is then attached to the finger, foot or toe of the infant or child. It is said that oxygenated hemoglobin and non-oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood differs in color. The probe on the unit emits a red light and an infrared light that measures the amount of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood and gives a reading of what the blood oxygen levels are.
Pediatric pulse oximeters are used to measure the blood oxygen levels and pulse rate of neonates (under 8 pounds in weight), infants weighting 5 to 45 pounds, and children with weights under 75 pounds. Hand held pulse oximeters are normally used in pediatrics. These are the preferred devices as different sensors can be used, depending on the size and weight of the child. It is possible to use a hand held oximeter to take readings from the ear and forehead, provided you have the appropriate sensor. It is possible to download and print the reading that you obtain.
Handheld oximeters are normally used in clinic environments. In hospital settings, you may also find stationary oximeters. These are generally quite large and unsuitable for home use or in consulting rooms. The larger units are ideal for use in critical care departments of hospitals.
What is called a fingertip pulse oximeter is ideal for home use or in a doctor’s consulting room. This type of device will be clamped onto the child’s fingertip or toe. The readings obtained are displayed on the unit. For ease of use in pediatric environments, various sensors are available to suit the smaller body parts of children.
Oximeters normally come with sensors that are suitable for adults, however, suitably sized pediatric sensors are available. These sensors are made to fit the baby or child’s finger or toe. Sensors that fit around a child’s foot or the palm of their hand are also available.
These specially designed sensors make for ease of use and ensure accurate readings. This is extremely important to enable medics to quickly and accurately detect potential medical problems in children. The answer to the question, what is a pediatric pulse oximeter is simply that it is a device similar to the adult oximeter, but with sensors that can fit the smaller body parts of a child. Please, visit TheReviewGurus for the best pulse oximeters.
A pulse oximeter is a noninvasive device used to measure oxygen diffusion in a patient’s blood and pulse rates. This medical measuring instrument is very convenient and useful for the reason that it can be used with no trouble anytime and anywhere. There are abundant benefits and usages of this pulse measuring device.
Pulse oximeters are clipped to a semi-transparent part of a patient’s body which can be usually a finger or earlobe. A photodiode is faced with a pair of small light-emitting diodes, which has two different wavelengths. One LED is an infrared and the other is red.
Absorption at the said wavelengths differs a lot between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood, thus, making it possible to calculate the ratio between the two. There are possibly four pulse oximeter types which includes fingertip, wrist, handheld and tabletop. Each of these types is made to cater to one’s medical needs.
Choices in Types of Pulse Oximeters
There are many types of pulse oximeters and every type is made to cater one’s medical needs. One of the most widely known and used type of pulse oximeters is the finger pulse oximeter. It is attached to the finger and from there it gives the blood oxygenation and pulse rate reading. These have become very handy as they are portable and efficient to use, thus, making these pulse oximeters the most common among all types.
Another type is one that is able to store several pieces of information regarding different patients. Because usually one oximeter is used for one patient at one time, as it is designed to monitor specific bodily functions of patients, there is now a pulse oximeter that is able to monitor several patients at the same time.
Tips to Ensure the Best Results from Your Pulse Oximeter
There are a number of things you can do to make sure that your pulse oximeter gives the most accurate results to you. You are supposed to ensure that your device is regularly maintained. You will have to refer to the usual manual for the device you own in order to know how to complete basic maintenance on it. You also make sure the correct application at all times. To get the best results you will have to make sure that it is correctly applied to your body or that of the patient. If it is applied inappropriately, the device may give false readings.
