Can anyone please advise of a reliable pulse oximeter? I bought this one last week pulse-oximeters-uk.co.uk/co... but when i use it, it doesn't stop changing the numbers, from 94% to 99% for example. I'm sure that they should settle on readings after a few seconds. My doctors have used them countless times on me over the years and this just doesn't seem okay to me.
Any advice is gratefully appreciated as I want to be prepared for any eventuality with Covid.
Thank you
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Dham
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That's what I got, in the link i shared. Can you tell me how you use it? How long before it stops fluctuating and gives the reading? Mine just keeps on fluctuating which made me think it wasn't working properly
I will do. I'm going to order one from Amazon and then send this one back. Thanks for your help
Just return the item as faulty for refund or replacement. You could check a new battery in it to make sure the one that is currently in it is not low on charge.
I also got mine from amazon it works fine. With amazon, especially if with Prime there is no worries about returning faulty items.
I have changed the batteries. I'm going to order from Amazon as they are good with returns. Which model did you get? I saw a You Tube video for iProven that was done by a doctor. They have good reviews on Amazon.
I hope you got sorted out with your oximeter, I can see that you have received lots of advice already, it's always good on here. Don't worry too much about the bits of kit. The best bit of advice I got from this site was ... make sure you breath out! Stay safe Dham
Mine fluctuates if I keep moving- best to rest when taking a reading and there can also be slight variations even at rest for me only a percentage or two.
I've had an oximeter for a few years now. When I first got it, I thought it was faulty as it was behaving like yours did. I contacted the firm I got it from and they refunded half my money - they wouldn't replace it. Anyway, I put it away in the drawer in disgust then got it out to try again sometime later and it worked! I used it thereafter and it seemed reasonably reliable. Then it started playing up and I changed the batteries. Once again, the readings started bouncing about all over the place, but after while it settled down.
While it was messing me about, I decided to invest in a new one. I now have the two and tend to use them both together if I'm in doubt.
The one consistently shows a reading of 1 below the other but otherwise they give me much the same results. I have been surprised to find my sats down to 89 or 90 one minute and then rise to 95, 96 or even 97 on one momentous occasion.
I don't understand why there are these great fluctuations but as they are happening on both of the oximeters at the same time, I can only conclude that the problem is me, not the equipment.
Might be preaching to the converted, Moy, but whilst seeming relatively straightforward, there are lots of things that have to be ‘right’ for accurate results. The first is that hands are dry and preferably warm, and that you’re still. The second is that the signal trace is strong: there’s usually a solid bar that pulses up and down that indicates signal strength. For an accurate reading, it should move up and down rhythmically and smoothly, filling the entire space allocated to it. If it’s jerking about, and/or not filling the space, or not behaving smoothly and regularly in any way, the numbers will be questionable. When you first put the probe on, it can actually take quite a while for the trace to settle and pick up correctly, particularly if digits are cooler, but poor trace is the most common reason for sats to look abysmal to start with and then suddenly pick up towards ‘normal’ relative to the patient. It’s also why some people buy one and suddenly think their sats are really bad, when in actual fact it’s just not using or understanding the probe correctly. Which is also why a number of medics I’ve encountered are not a fan of patients owning them unless they’re on oxygen.
Thanks for that. I will check on the signal. I always make sure my hands are warm and dry but didn't know about the signal so it will be interesting to see what it's like. Xx Moy
No nail polish on me either these days. I remember going into hospital for a minor op and was told I must keep at least one nail free of polish so they could monitor my sats. Xx Moy
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