Technology

What is Oxygen saturation?

Oxygen saturation is a relative measure of the amount of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium. It can be measured with a oxygen probe, usually in the blood.

In medicine, oxygen saturation (SaO2) measures the percentage of hemoglobin binding sites in the bloodstream occupied by oxygen. At low partial pressures of oxygen, most hemoglobin is deoxygenated. At around 90% (the value varies according to the clinical context) oxygen saturation increases according to an Oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve and approaches 100% at partial oxygen pressures of >10 kPa. A pulse oximeter relies on the light absorption characteristics of saturated hemoglobin to give an indication of oxygen saturation.

An SaO2 (arterial oxygen saturation) value below 90% is termed hypoxemia. This may be due to various medical conditions.

The Fingertip Pulse Oximeter is light weighted, easy to use, consumes low amounts of energy and isn't susceptible to movement. All the patient has to do is place one finger (of his choice) into the FOX Oximeter. inside the FOX Oximeter there is a photoelectric sensor, which diagnoses both heart rate and Hemoglobin saturation levels. Both indexes are displayed on the LCD screen immediately. The FOX Oximeter passed rigorous clinical experiments, and was found to be highly accurate.

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What exactly does the pulse oximeter measure?

Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method which allows health care providers to monitor the oxygenation of a patient's blood.

A sensor is placed on a relatively thin part of the patient's anatomy, usually a fingertip, and red and infrared light is passed from one side to the other. Changing absorbance of each of the two wavelengths is measured, allowing determination of the absorbances due to the pulsing arterial blood alone, factoring out venous blood, skin, bone, muscle, fat, and even (in most cases) fingernail polish. Based upon the ratio of changing absorbances of the red and infrared light caused by the difference in color between oxygen-bound (bright red) and unbound (dark red or in severe cases blue) hemoglobin in the blood, a measure of oxygenation (the percent of hemoglobin molecules bound with oxygen molecules) can be made.

(Learn more about Pulse Oximetry)