Measuring Oxygen Saturation

However oxygen saturation may be lower if you have a respiratory disease or congenital heart disease.

Measuring oxygen saturation. A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly monitors the oxygen saturation of a patient s blood as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through a blood sample and changes in blood volume in the skin producing a photoplethysmogram that may be further processed into other measurements. Normal arterial blood oxygen saturation levels in humans are 95 100 percent. A measurement of your blood oxygen is called your oxygen saturation level. The pulse oximeter may be incorporated into a multiparameter patient monitor.

In critically ill clients a more invasive and continuous monitoring system is used to measure arterial blood gases through an arterial line. Oxygen saturation can be measured using a pulse oximetry device which is a non invasive method to measure arterial oxygen saturation level. Oxygen saturation should always be above 95 percent. You can measure the blood s percentage of oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter a clip like sensor device that is placed on a thin part of your body such as an earlobe or nose.

In medical shorthand you may hear it called a pao 2 when using a blood gas and an o 2 sat spo2 when using a pulse ox. See figure 4 1 for a pulse oximeter. An estimate of your oxygen level can be easily measured with a pulse oximeter a non invasive device that attaches to the end of your finger a more accurate method of measuring oxygen levels is with an arterial blood gas abg study a blood test that is performed by taking a blood sample from an artery usually.