OXYGEN SATURATION

Course overview

OXYGEN SATURATION IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF PATIENT CARE. OXYGEN IS TIGHTLY REGULATED WITHIN THE BODY BECAUSE HYPOXEMIA CAN LEAD TO MANY ACUTE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUAL ORGAN SYSTEMS. THESE INCLUDE THE BRAIN, HEART, AND KIDNEYS. OXYGEN SATURATION IS A MEASURE OF HOW MUCH HEMOGLOBIN IS CURRENTLY BOUND TO OXYGEN COMPARED TO HOW MUCH HEMOGLOBIN REMAINS UNBOUND. AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL, HEMOGLOBIN CONSISTS OF FOUR GLOBULAR PROTEIN SUBUNITS. EACH SUBUNIT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A HEME GROUP. EACH MOLECULE OF HEMOGLOBIN SUBSEQUENTLY HAS FOUR HEME-BINDING SITES READILY AVAILABLE TO BIND OXYGEN. THEREFORE, DURING THE TRANSPORT OF OXYGEN IN THE BLOOD, HEMOGLOBIN IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING UP TO FOUR OXYGEN MOLECULES. DUE TO THE CRITICAL NATURE OF TISSUE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION IN THE BODY, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO BE ABLE TO MONITOR CURRENT OXYGEN SATURATION. A PULSE OXIMETER CAN MEASURE OXYGEN SATURATION. IT IS A NONINVASIVE DEVICE PLACED OVER A PERSON'S FINGER. IT MEASURES LIGHT WAVELENGTHS TO DETERMINE THE RATIO OF THE CURRENT LEVELS OF OXYGENATED HEMOGLOBIN TO DEOXYGENATED HEMOGLOBIN. THE USE OF PULSE OXIMETRY HAS BECOME A STANDARD OF CARE IN MEDICINE. IT IS OFTEN REGARDED AS A FIFTH VITAL SIGN. AS SUCH, MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FUNCTIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF PULSE OXIMETRY. THEY SHOULD ALSO HAVE A BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF OXYGEN SATURATION.