Pulse Oximetry and Children

When a child gets sick, it causes a great deal of concern from the parents. And whether or not the child is admitted to the hospital, it is still essential to continue monitoring of his status. There are certain cases that require the use of special medical equipment to aid in the process. Depending on the condition and its severity, a child may need constant monitoring of his oxygenation with the use a pulse oximeter.

Pulse Oximeters are widely used in hospitals or in any health care setting. When used properly, they are one of the key assessment tools to aid in diagnosis of certain conditions. In addition, they can also be used as an instrument for evaluation of a disease process. Hence, it is imperative that the one operating the device is knowledgeable about pulse oximetry and how to use it.

In young patients, there are a number of scenarios in which a pediatric pulse oximeter can be used.  Primarily, it can be used to detect conditions such as hypoxemia, a deficiency in the concentration of oxygen in the blood secondary to an inadequate ventilation or poor circulation.

A study has shown that the application of a pulse oximeter in newborns may detect congenital heart disease prior to hospital discharge which facilitates early diagnosis.* In some way, this is beneficial as the defects are identified ahead of time and lowers the risk of serious complications. Other conditions in children where a pulse oximeter would be beneficial are those like asthma, situations requiring intensive care such as mechanical ventilation, oxygen administration, and certain respiratory and cardiovascular disorders.

In terms of appearance, pediatric pulse oximeters are typically wireless or simply the fingertip type as children have the tendency to move about, and corded equipments would cause more jeopardy than safety. Motion artifact, low perfusion capacity and other interferences that affect the accuracy of the results may vary per brand. But in general, its main function of identifying the SpO₂ level and pulse rate is basically the same.

*http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/short/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192576v1