Group Members
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- Krystle Gaco
- Patrick Fenningham
- Phuong DiepLam
Links
Problems To Overcome
Although the pulse oximeter is a great invention, it as well as all other devices has some drawbacks. The three most significant problems with the pulse oximeter is its occasional poor signal, the false sense of security given by a good saturation level, and finally some of the delays that are part of the device.
One of the largest problems with the pulse oximeter is that it occasionally can not operate properly due to a poor signal. This problem has been referred to as a “safe” limitation (Pulseox). The reason is because at some points while the pulse oximeter is working it is not able to receive a correct reading from your body. Instead of giving an incorrect reading, it simply gives no reading at all and this is where it runs into the second problem of delays. In some aspects, the delay is a good thing because the patient does not want an incorrect reading. In some other instances a delay will occur when a patient for one reason or another is taking off an oxygen mask (Moller). The patient is given less oxygenated blood in their body even though the finger probe is still attached (Lawrence). The final delay that could occur would be if the probe is attached to an appendage that is further away from the heart and lungs, an example would be the toe (Lawrence). The reason is because it takes longer to send the signal because your toe is further from your heart and lungs then say your ear or your finger (Pulseox).
Figure 1: A photo of a fingertip Pulse Oximeter
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Another extremely dangerous problem that may occur with the pulse oximeter is if the device reads a good signal and shows an excellent saturation figure. However, at times the pulse oximeters reading might be incorrect and thus gives the patient a false sense of security (Lawrence). One example of this is if a patient has colder then normal feet or hands, this will generate a weaker pulse. In this case, the pulse oximeter will produce an incorrect reading. If the patient is very cold this could even lead to a still weaker pulse thus generating a weaker signal allowing the pulse oximeter to not work at all.
There are two final problems that deal with poor signaling. The first situation is if the patient has an irregular heart. This will absolutely change the digital outcome of the pulse oximeter (Pulseox). This type of situation should be checked by the patient’s doctor before the doctor even prescribes a pulse oximeter to the patient. The last problem that deals with poor signaling is the poor position of the pulse oximeter probe, this may cause an inaccurate reading (Lawrence). This type of situation occurs with patients that have very large or very small fingers.
