Can I Buy a Pulse Oximeter for Home Use?

Traditional pulse oximeter use was in hospital in a number of important applications such as surgery and rehabilitation as well as life support. The idea being that the pulse oximeter was able to detect problems of low blood oxygenation in a non-invasive way before physical signs began to show and before the problem became more serious.
Oximeters are also widely used in the diagnosis of sleep apnoea, a disorder whereby the patient's breathing is interrupted either totally or partly during sleep. Because sleep studies are costly and so specialised that not every hospital is able to offer them, pulse oximeters are often used instead as they require only a nurse to monitor the data they produce. A sleep apnoea sufferer's level of blood oxygenation will fall many times through the night. Because a pulse oximeter can be used to diagnose sleep apnoea, it can also be used to measure the efficacy of any treatment and to monitor the condition on an ongoing basis.
This is especially important because people with sleep apnoea tend not to be aware that they are struggling for breath through the night, so by that token it is difficult for them to tell whether or not their treatment or any changes they have made to their lifestyle are improving their condition.
More often than not, at least in less severe cases, the doctor may recommend that a patient loses weight, gives up smoking and avoids alcohol and these simple changes may be enough to all but eliminate the apnoeas. A pulse oximeter can monitor this and will help the patient and the doctor to decide whether further treatment is necessary.
Over the past five years, many manufacturers have introduced a smaller pulse oximter range, with the idea that they are more portable and simpler to use, not to mention cheaper. These are the type of oximeters which are recommended for use in the home, since they are less bulky and cheap. They are even available in tiny, finger sized models which feature only the probe which is placed over the finger, and a small screen rather than being connected with wires to bulky monitors.
If you do want to invest in a pulse oximeter for home use, you can. Many manufacturers sell directly to the public via the internet and even in pharmacies. Identify with your doctor what you hope to track through use of the pulse oximeter and ask him or her for their advice on which to buy.