Posted , 4 users are following.
I have a little pulse oxoximeter that I sometimes use to check for afib and I've noticed that the bars on the side don't often go up and down in a regular motion even though my pulse rate is steady - does anyone know what this means and should I be concerned? Thanks
0 likes, 3 replies
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momist steve35uk
Posted
Hi Steve. I'm not a doctor, so this is not sound advice. I do, however have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and have consequently some knowledge of such things.
I assume that your oxymeter is one of those clip on the finger things? If it does not keep up with your pulse, as felt on your wrist, neck or otherwise, then I would suspect just a poor contact on the finger or at the skin, or maybe a faulty device. These things tend to work on the basis of shining a light (often green) at the skin and measuring the redness in the light returned. This should rise and fall regularly with the capillaries expanding under the influence of the rise in blood pressure, and the overall redness will indicate the oxygen content being carried by the blood.
When AF occurs, the pulse becomes erratic, because the heart has not been properly primed at the time that it beats, and therefore the pulse doesn't happen. If your pulse is normal, and not erratic, then I would not worry too much.
I would still suggest that you get your heart checked out by a doctor, preferably on an ECG, if this continues though, as there are lots and lots of other things that can be going wrong.
steve35uk momist
Posted
I had an ecg last week and everything was ok - it just seems strange that the bars are not going smoothly up and down. When I put the meter on my girlfriend's finger the bars rise and fall smoothly?
pat77564 steve35uk
Posted
I wouldn't rely on the pulse ox for that. I use the Alicecor Kardia to detect AFIB. For me noticing the AFIB isn't really a problem, but sometimes if I have a few skipped beats I might want to check to make sure something isn't starting... It is $100, but it is nice to have and is approved by the FDA to detect AFIB.