It is also used to determine which patients might be suffering from hypoxia (a condition meaning the blood oxygen level is too low) and should take additional tests. Pulse oximetry is a method doctors use for rapid assessment and monitoring of a patient’s respiratory function. It is a percentage that reflects the level of oxygen available in your blood. Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method that enables the measurement of a person’s blood oxygen saturation, which is often referred to as SpO2 or even “The Fifth Vital Sign” (the first 4 being your pulse, temperature, blood pressure and respiratory rate). Originally published in 2014, this article on blood oxygen has been expanded and now includes pictures of ScanWatch, an innovation featuring SP02 measurement that was announced at CES 2020. Wondering what your blood oxygen saturation level is-and how you can measure it? Let’s go through a series of basic Q&As about this vital sign.
