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 isn't obvious how a non-invasive instrument can measure with any degree of accuracy something down to the molecular level. Without getting too technical, oximetry works on the principle that different substances absorb light differently. Two different wavelengths of light are passed through the patient and the instrument is able to determine the absorbance, and therefore the concentration, of oxygen in pulsating arterial blood.
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.
One of the circumstances where pulse oximetry is employed is during sleep studies. These investigations require an overnight stay in the hospital and are done for the purpose of finding out if someone has a condition called sleep apnea. This is when a person periodically stops breathing during the night. At best, they wake up drowsy and fuzzy-headed. At worst, it is a risk factor for life-threatening conditions like heart attack and stroke.
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 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 isn't obvious how a non-invasive instrument can measure with any degree of accuracy something down to the molecular level. Without getting too technical, oximetry works on the principle that different substances absorb light differently. Two different wavelengths of light are passed through the patient and the instrument is able to determine the absorbance, and therefore the concentration, of oxygen in pulsating arterial blood.
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.
One of the circumstances where pulse oximetry is employed is during sleep studies. These investigations require an overnight stay in the hospital and are done for the purpose of finding out if someone has a condition called sleep apnea. This is when a person periodically stops breathing during the night. At best, they wake up drowsy and fuzzy-headed. At worst, it is a risk factor for life-threatening conditions like heart attack and stroke.
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 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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