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Hewlett Packard was the first company to make an ear oximeter, which was largely used inside of clinical sleep labs due to its hulking size.īut it was Japanese bioengineer Takuo Aoyagi, in the early 1970s, who first developed a noninvasive way of using the light transmitted through the ear and went on to develop a pulse oximeter.įrom then up until today, the size of the tech has become smaller and – crucially – cheaper to build, so more people were able to get their hands on it. It wasn't until the 1960s and 70s when we began to see the pulse oximeter devices shape into the ones that are now used in hospitals, and which can be purchased to carry out those measurements from your home.
Pulse oximeter apple health skin#
The first oxygen saturation meter is said to be from as far back as the 1930s, when the exploration of light transmission through skin and the information it could provide really began. It can also be a valuable piece of health data for people suffering from a range of conditions including asthma, pneumonia, heart failure and lung cancer. It's estimated that 22 million Americans suffer with sleep apnea, but the majority aren't even aware they have the disorder. And that's where many health watches and wearables can come in useful. It's a disorder which if left untreated or undetected could lead to an increase in the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and can even cause a heart attack. However, it's sleep apnea that really makes SpO2 a worthwhile sensor.
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It can be used to check whether someone needs assistance with their breathing via a ventilator, measure a person's ability to handle intensive physical activities, and it can also check whether you're experiencing breathing issues when sleeping.ĬOVID-19 has put the focus on blood oxygen on the map, but actually, there are many less extreme reasons to keep an eye on blood oxygen levels.Īthletes or people spending time at altitude will want to monitor blood oxygen levels. John Hopkins Medicine explains how measuring oxygen levels through pulse oximetry can offer insights into a range of health related issues. If you see a score of 92% or less, then it could be time to further investigate, and find out whether it's related to an as yet undetected health issue. The Fitbit Estimated Oxygen Variation scoreĪn oxygen saturation percentage greater than 95% is considered to be a normal reading. It measures the volume of oxygen based on the way the light passes through your finger and delivers the data to the device's screen, which will tell you the percentage of oxygen in your blood. Optical SpO2 sensors use red and infrared light sensors to detect your oxygen levels, sensing changes in those levels by looking at the color of your blood.
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That tech used to take form of a clip-on device that you place on your finger, a toe or even on your ear lobe. When we talk about pulse oximeters or pulse oximetry, we are delving into the realm of medical tech and talking about a device that's able to measure oxygen levels or oxygen saturation in the blood. We explore what it is, how it works and what it's going to bring to the wearable party. So why is putting a pulse oximeter inside of a wearable a big deal?
Pulse oximeter apple health series#
Pulse ox is starting to appear on the spec sheets of the biggest smartwatches and fitness devices.įitbit Charge 4, Versa 2 and the Fitbit Sense all put a big emphasis on blood oxygen, and Garmin's many Fenix and Forerunner watches have been leveraging the data too.īut even more people will be talking about SpO2 after it was added to the Apple Watch Series 6.Īnd we've seen cheaper brands jump in too, with Huawei busy adding an SpO2 sensor to most of its smartwatches. It might sound complicated and a little pointless, but pulse ox can reveal conditions like sleep apnea – and help athletes recover. There's a new wearable tech metric in town – and it's all about blood oxygen.