2 2 9 Analyse Information From Secondary Sources To Identify

Technology
Pulse oximeter
How it Works
- Measures O2 levels
- Device like a peg sits on the finger and measures the transmission of light through tissues
- Measures the amount of oxygen in arterial blood
- There is a large difference between red light absorbed by haemoglobin compared to oxyhaemoglobin
The Conditions It Is Used
- Used in many conditions – this is because it is painless, easy to apply and quick to give results.
- Can be used as a general check-up procedure to analyse O2 levels
- Also used during surgeries, to monitor patients under anaesthesia
- Also used to monitor premature babies that are in neo-natal wards.

Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis
How it Works
- Measures O2 and CO2 levels.
- Uses electrochemical methods
- Measures partial pressure (or the concentration) of O2 and CO2 in the blood
- Measures saturation of oxygen (which is the amount of oxygen combined to haemoglobin compared to the maximum)
- Measures levels of bicarbonate and pH (to show CO2 levels)
- This analysis evaluates how effectively the lungs are delivering oxygen and removing carbon dioxide
The Conditions It Is Used
- Used when there are signs of dangerously low oxygen or high carbon dioxide levels
- Helps for diagnosing as well as monitoring patients
- Helpful for monitoring patients under anaesthesia, in intensive care, in accident or emergency facilities and for premature babies
- E.g., a patient in a coma can have their blood gases regularly monitored