Monday, September 15, 2014

Buying Tips For Recording Pulse Oximeter

By Deanne Shepard


The importance of pulse oximetry has made it a requirement for some people to carry oximeters wherever the go. Recording pulse oximeter is among oximetry devices in use today. It measures heart rate and blood oxygen concentration as the two major aspects. It can also store data recorded over time in memory making it necessary to include the word recording in the name. Normally data is backed up on computers with supporting software.

With advancing technology sophistication of modern devices is very high making it necessary to have some knowledge about them before setting out to buy one. Novice buyers can find the information in this writing useful. Generally, battery type, size, comfort, display, wireless or Bluetooth capability, accuracy, compatibility with other gadgets, perfusion index, and warranty are some of the factors to consider when buying an oximeter.

Alkaline and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are the 2 types of batteries in these devices. Alkaline batteries cannot be serviced because they come already fixed in the oximeter. They can last many years, but they must be replaced when they eventually degrade. The affect the accuracy and performance of the device greatly once they start failing. The life of some models is also limited due to lack of replacement batteries.

Rechargeable batteries are on the contrary cost effective because they last longer. Power is depleted as they are used and must be recharged. Most devices can still be used as they get charged. Recent technology allow some gadgets to be able to use both kinds of batteries. The user is therefore presented with more flexibility in terms of choice of power source. It is better to settle for such brands of devices than ones that are specific in the kind of battery they can use.

Devices with alarm systems have added advantage because they are life-saving. The life-saving capability comes in because the gadget can be set by the user to notify them upon the occurrence of certain events. For instance, the user gets notified when their blood oxygen saturation level or heart rate falls or rises beyond a given level. This feature can be very vital for people under critical medical conditions.

The display is the interface through which the user communicates with the device. Choosing a product with clear and easily readable display is advised. Expensive models come with better displays than those found in cheap brands. Better displays also show information like pulse waveform and meter, menus, perfusion index, and battery level.

Devices that have Bluetooth and/or wireless capability automatically download recorded data on computers. Users can set the downloads to occur at preferred intervals. This allows for backing up of data to be used later. This capability benefits health workers and patients because patients do not have to be disturbed to take readings.

Price depends on quality and features the device has. When choosing, one should avoid trading quality with cost. That can be risky in critical use. Getting a device with a high level of accuracy costs a lot.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment