Pulse Oximeter Aid Adults With Asthma

Respiratory illnesses are on the rise in the United States. The reasons for this have been debated for many years by medical professionals, but one thing is for sure. It is becoming more and more serious on a yearly basis. As pollution levels rise and the number of people smoking increase, so have respiratory illnesses. Some experts blame this increase to number of people that are over 50 years old in the United States. These baby boomers are also known for being the generation that had the most number of smokers than any other generation thereafter. Of the various respiratory illnesses, asthma is the most diagnosed amongst both adults and children.

Up to recently, there have not been many medical devices that were meant to aid in monitoring of asthma conditions. One such medical device is a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter, also known as a pulse ox by some medical professionals, is a medical device used to measure the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate of an individual. A new finger pulse oximeter is designed to simply clip onto one's finger and provide readings within seconds. These new oximeters are small in size, which makes them portable. In comparison, they are smaller than your average cell phone.

Individuals with asthma now can easily use a pulse oximeter to determine how much oxygen is being utilized by their body via their lungs to their blood. An individual who have asthma do not have to wait for an attack anymore, but rather monitor their oxygen levels and avoid the asthma attack beforehand. Doctors are even writing more and more prescriptions nowadays too, which allows patients to get reimbursed for their purchased pulse oximeters. Individuals with asthma are now less and less likely to suffer a serious asthma attack.

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Article Submitted On: February 02, 2011

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Pulse Oximeter at Prison Health Wards

Prison is a dangerous place, and always has been. The danger to both prisoners and guards has always been high, and for that reason certain precautions are always taken to ensure that violence does not break out. Prisons have their own classification which depends on the criminals that are housed in them. They range from minimum security to maximum. In either level, one thing does not change is minimizing exposure of inmates to each other. This limitation is going to vary depending on the prison system. This separation is based on minimizing prison guards' risk with inmates to the speed at which certain activities can be handled. These activities include anything from meals, to exercising, to the amount of time it takes for medical evaluations.

Medical examinations at prisons are conducted periodically throughout the year for inmates for various reasons. The prison system in the United States has been designed to minimize the health risks for inmates, but that does not mean that there is absolutely no risk. In order to do so, all prisons have their own medical wards. These wards have their own doctors and nurses who tend to inmates.

One new medical device found at prisons is a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter, also known as a pulse ox by some medical professionals, is a device used to measure the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate of an individual. Prison medical wards had a pulse oximeter before, but it was in a different format. They were bulky table top types. Now a pulse oximeter is designed to clip onto one's fingertip and it smaller than most cell phones. A new pulse oximeter makes is easier for a medical professional to take the readings of a patient within seconds, and move onto the next patient.

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Article Submitted On: February 02, 2011