What is the best way of disposing of a pulse oximeter when it is no longer needed

Jan 10
09:02

2011

Jacob  Walters

Jacob Walters

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The way to dispose of a pulse oximeter.

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Our entire nation has started to become more environmentally conscious with the advent of the Obama administration. The reason for this is that the impact that we have on the environment is at catastrophic levels. One of the major issues that contributes to this is actually the disposal of a pulse oximeter when you are no longer needed to use it. A pulse oximeter is a health and medical device that is used by millions of individuals to monitor their health. The device in particular is key to monitoring the pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation of individuals with varying health conditions. The issue that always came up was what would happen when the device is no longer needed and you want to get rid of it. Or on the other hand the device is no longer functioning properly and you want to throw it away. Well the problem with that is the fact that the device has certain components that are particularly bad for the environment including the batteries that have mercury. The best way of dealing with this issue of disposing of the pulse oximeter is to check with the manufacturer if they have some sort of recycling program when it comes to the device. Essentially the way that this works is that these manufacturers have certain programs that incorporate special disposal methods in order to have as little impact on the environment as possible. They run these programs in conjunction with government agencies and as such they are very well equipped to deal with the situation. Many times if you just simply call them and tell them that you no longer desire to have the device they will be able to give you direction as far as what you do to get the product back to them for disposal. 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.