By Jenn K.
The Fingertip Pulse Oximeter was provided by Brooks-Range Mountaineering for this review.
Have you ever gone to the hospital and have that clamp on your finger that measures your oxygen saturation and pulse? Have you ever wondered what the heck it was? It is a fingertip pulse oximeter. I have one from Brooks-Range Mountaineering and I am happy to tell you all about it.
A pulse oximeter measures hemoglobin saturation and heart rate through the skin. Why would such a measurement be important? This can help detect respiratory diseases, illness, and help monitor physical exertion.
This Fingertip Pulse Oximeter uses light and a photodetector to determine the oxygen saturation. That is a simplest way to describe it. A more complicated way may be to say that the arteriolar bed pulses (systole and diastole) and absorbs light with each pulse and this is the oxygen saturation measurement (SpO2). This measurement is displayed on the LED screen of the fingertip pulse oximeter. The SpO2 and the pulse are displayed with numbers and the pulse is also displayed as a bar graph, representing the beats. The display can be rotated by pressing down the power button while the reading is appearing. This is handy to orient the display if the user alone is reading it or another person. There is no alarm on this device for data obtained that may not be within the normal range. There is a low battery indicator.
What is nice about this unit is how portable it is. It is small measuring 2 ¼ in X 1 ¼ in X 1 3/8 in. It runs on two AAA batteries. Energy is conserved by the unit powering down after 8 seconds of non-use.
The fingertip pulse oximeter came with a hang lace, two AAA batteries, and the instructions. An added bonus was a carrying case that came with a hang lace.
The oximeter is easy to use. I pushed down to open the oximeter and slid my index finger in the rubber lined opening. I pushed the power button and waited a few seconds for my reading. Looks like I am in the normal range for my SpO2. My pulse is a little higher than normal. But it was not my resting pulse as I just walked up two flights of stairs.
I was taught that a reading of SpO2 ranging from 95%-99% percent was ideal. Although some people may normally have readings down to 90%.
Update 8/16/10
I have been using the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter for the past month to check my health. It reports that I am doing just fine. I have used it at the trailhead (before and after rides), on the trail, and at work. I work in a rehabilitation clinic and sometimes it is nice to be able to use a small portable pulse oximeter; especially when we go on an outing in the community.
At work I compared the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter with the large units we have in our clinic that is not portable at all. I was very impressed to see that the readings on both types of units were identical most of the time. Sometimes the pulse was off by one beat per minute and the oxygen saturation was off by a percent. Not bad at all. Our machines at work are calibrated frequently and I always considered them to be accurate. Now I can trust that the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter is accurate as well.
This oximeter is very easy to use. I just open the clamp, stick my finger in there, and turn it on. I noticed that if my finger is damp it has a difficult time producing a reading. I also noticed that it was difficult to get a reading on my friend as she was moving her hand around and wearing dark nail polish. However, most of the time I get a reading with no trouble at all.
The screen view can be flipped around by pressing the power button. This makes it easy for me to view the screen without reading the numbers upside down or by twisting my hand around. The default view when I turn on the oximeter is set up for another person to easily read the screen. So each time I turn it on (and I am doing my own reading) I have to flip the screen view. I wish there was a way to set a default on the view.
The oximeter turns off after a few seconds once my finger is removed. It is good that I do not have to worry about excess battery use. It turns on quickly and I usually get a reading from this device within 10 seconds. I get a more accurate pulse reading after about 20 seconds.
There is no alarm on this unit so the user would need to know the ideal ranges for oxygen saturation and heat beat during exercise and rest. I am familiar with my ranges from wearing heart monitors in the past and from understanding my target heart zones. Oxygen saturation is pretty easy to understand as there is a standard baseline. I have learned that 95%-99% percent was ideal and anything above 90% is good.
I have checked my heart rate and oxygen saturation with this oximeter before/after and during my bike rides and hikes. I found it very interesting to see these readings and watch how long it takes my body to recover. While monitoring my pulse I had readings at times that indicated I was over doing it. This helped me realize that I need to recover or take it easy for a few minutes.
I keep the oximeter in the supplied carrying case for storage and transport. The case has a hook and loop closure, a ring for a lanyard cord, and loop to hold it on a belt. The oximeter is small that it does not take up much room in my pack. It also can be carried in my hand. I have not been using the lanyard other than to hold the cord in my hand. I have yet to wear it around my neck. That just seems really awkward for me to do out in the field. Maybe I will try it on my next outing with my patients.
Final Update 9/21/10
The Fingertip Pulse Oximeter has been with me on the trail while biking and hiking for the past two months. I am happy to say that during this time my oxygen saturation and heart rate has been within the normal range. I only know that I am within the normal range because of what I am learned in my anatomy classes and my current job. It would be nice to have the ability to program the oximeter with my age to have a target heart range that I know is within a desired limit. It would also be nice if this unit had an alarm if my heart rate or my oxygen saturation is not within an ideal range.
I had the opportunity to use this pulse oximeter in high elevations just above 7,000 ft while mountain biking at Big Bear, California. It was interesting to see the effect the high elevation had on my oxygen saturation and my heart rate. My oxygen saturation was slightly decreased and my heart rate was slightly elevated during rest. I noticed that my respirations were increased and I felt like I was not able to take deep breaths. I also felt light headed at the higher elevation and this feeling became more intense the more vigorously I exercised. I noticed that when I returned home to sea level my oxygen saturation and heart rate returned to my normal levels.
The Fingertip Pulse Oximeter has been holding up well. It has been dropped a few times and is still functioning properly. It always powers up the first time I press the power button and automatically turns off. The battery has not needed to be replaced.
I noticed that if I failed to clean the sensor area after multiple uses that the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter would take a longer period of time to establish a reading. I used a rubbing alcohol wipe to clean the sensor area and after it was dry the oximeter would get a faster reading.
I used the lanyard to wear the pulse oximeter around my neck while walking on the beach path. I still do not care much for the lanyard to secure the pulse oximeter around my neck as it bangs into my chest while I am walking and it is not practical when using it outdoors.
I have again compared the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter with the large units we have in the hospital clinic I work at. This small portable pulse oximeter is as accurate or just a percentage different than the large calibrated non-portable units at my workplace.
I plan on using the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter while I am enjoying my outdoor activities, especially in high elevations. I like that the Fingertip Pulse Oximeter is easy to use, no need for a chest strap, and along with heart rate it measures oxygen saturation (my other heart rate monitor does not).
For more information on the Brooks-Range Mountaineering Fingertip Pulse Oximeter please visit www.brooks-range.com. The Fingertip Pulse Oximeter retails for $90.00.
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