Dentists turn to using a pulse oximeter to monitor patients during procedures

Jan 15
12:28

2011

Jacob  Walters

Jacob Walters

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Pulse oximeter used by dentists to monitor their patients.

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Dentists have long ignored the importance of monitoring the vital signs of patients while they are actually in the dental operating room. The reason for this is that they have always thought that the monitoring of the pulse rate and oxygen levels is something that should be reserved for the physicians who actually would use that data in order to determine if there is something wrong with the health of a particular patient. However,Dentists turn to using a pulse oximeter to monitor patients during procedures Articles there are individuals of all sorts of ages and health conditions that actually go in the dentist’s room for anything ranging from routine dental work to more complex procedures. There have been many occasions where these individuals have suffered either a cardiac attack or some sort of respiratory condition while in the dentist chair and the dentists really had no way of actually knowing that this was going to happen. Well, today dentists turn to the use of a pulse oximeter to help. A pulse oximeter is a health device that is used to measure pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation with accuracy and ease. The way the device works is that you simply place your finger inside the pulse oximeter device and within seconds you get a reading of the pulse rate and oxygen levels. The dentist can simply have the patient sit in the chair and begin his usual procedure. At the same time he can have the patient place her finger inside the pulse oximeter and during the entire course of the process if anything becomes unusual with the pulse rate or oxygen levels of the individual then an alarm will begin to sound which in turn alerts the dentist that something is not normal and special attention needs to be given. The device is very small and really does not get in the way of the person using it and is very portable and cost effective as well. A pulse oximeter works quite effectively to measure the pulse rate as well as the blood oxygen saturation of an individual The device is only a fraction of the size of a typical cell phone and thus it is extremely portable. It also is very accurate and instantly gives a reading of the oxygen saturation as well as pulse rate within seconds. By inserting your finger inside the portable device an infrared light passes through you finger. Hemoglobin absorbs light at different frequencies and as such the infrared light that goes through the finger bounces back to the oximeter device computer with a number that represents the oxygen levels of the body. This number means the world to people who live with conditions that require accurate monitoring of the oxygen levels in the body. Oximeter devices continue to break ground not only in the hospital setting but also the home setting as well. No longer do individuals need to be at their physician’s office or a hospital in order to take advantage of such a device to monitor their health. The newest generations of devices are not only extremely small and portable but they also are extremely affordable. So individuals living with various health conditions that are necessary to measure their oxygen levels can now use the device in the comfort of their home without ever having to worry about not monitoring their health on a continuous basis. The portability also allows them to take the device wherever they desire to go.