A pulse oximeter measures oxygen saturation in the blood by sending light through a finger or earlobe. A reading between 96-100% is normal, while below 96% indicates hypoxia. However, the device may not be accurate in certain situations, and physical signs of hypoxia should also be evaluated.
Normal oxygen saturation can be determined using a device called a pulse oximeter, which was developed to measure the oxygen level in a patient’s blood. The little machine is attached to the end of a finger or earlobe where it sends different colors of light and then measures how much light is returned. A pulse oximeter might be clipped to a toe when taking a measurement for a pediatric patient. It then determines your blood oxygen saturation level and displays the reading on a small screen. If the reading displayed is between 96 and 100%, the patient is said to be normal.
A reading below 96% oxygen indicates a condition known as hypoxia, or an insufficiency in the supply of oxygenated blood reaching the body’s tissues. Readings below 86% indicate significant hypoxia and readings below 85% indicate severe hypoxia. Some oximeters use different wavelengths of light, which allow them to measure the level of carbon monoxide in the blood in addition to the oxygen level.
Determining normal oxygen saturation might be part of evaluating the effectiveness of a medical intervention, but healthcare professionals cannot always rely on the readings of a pulse oximeter for an accurate measurement of a patient’s oxygen saturation. Situations where the device cannot be trusted include patients experiencing hypoperfusion, more commonly known as shock, and victims of hypothermia, or a drop in body temperature due to exposure to cold because not enough blood will flow through the capillaries for a true reading to be obtained. Carbon monoxide poisoning will also produce readings higher than the actual oxygen saturation.
People who smoke have carbon monoxide poisoning, so normal oxygen saturation may not be determined with a pulse oximeter during evaluation or treatment. Excessive movement and the presence of nail polish on a nail can also prevent accurate readings. The most accurate method of measuring a patient’s oxygen saturation, many healthcare professionals say, is to evaluate for the physical signs of hypoxia: cyanosis — a bluish color of the lips, nail bed, and fingertips — and cool, clammy skin. . When you see these signs, your oxygen levels are probably low.
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