21–30 of 128 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Technology Connections is such a good channel that mixes humor and in-depth looks at things people only kind know a little bit about.
It has a weird 80s-90s aesthetic that I can watch for hours. He got me back into electronics when he was talking about the NA electrical system, and bashing ring circuits
Does anybody have any suggestions for how to check whether a pulse oximeter actually works properly? I bought one online from a not particularly trustworthy shop. I have never seen it show any value other than 99%. How can I figure out whether it actually does anything and doesn't just show 99% no matter what?
I tried some simple stuff when it arrived. I believe I was able to get it to swing within the 94-99% range by holding my breath and by deliberate, deep breathing, over the span of just a minute or two. It definitely was not pegged at 99%. The changes were surprisingly fast. My wife was able to get the same response.
If it matters, I'm at about 500 feet above sea level (not high-altitude at all).
Speculated to be included in the Apple Watch S6 this fall. https://9to5mac.com/2020/03/08/apple-watch-blood-oxygen-satu... At the time they reported that there were mentions of it in an iOS 14 leak, but it wasn't clear if it would be a software update to existing watches (somehow able to detect it with existing heartrate hardware) or in a watch hardware revision. Since it wasn't mentioned in the watchOS news at WWDC,…
https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2020/01/fitbit-adds-bl...
Does anybody have any suggestions for how to check whether a pulse oximeter actually works properly? I bought one online from a not particularly trustworthy shop. I have never seen it show any value other than 99%. How can I figure out whether it actually does anything and doesn't just show 99% no matter what?
I purchased a relatively cheap one from Amazon a couple of months ago. Less than $50, I believe. I tried some simple stuff when it arrived. I believe I was able to get it to swing within the 94-99% range by holding my breath and by deliberate, deep breathing, over the span of just a minute or two. It definitely was not pegged at 99%. The changes were surprisingly fast. My wife was able to get the same response. If it…
Went to a party last weekend where the host used a pulse oximeter (and thermometer) on everyone. Blood O2 level is apparently a leading indicator of COVID-19. Pretty cool stuff. The inner workings of it are actually quite simple as well, pretty amazing that it works as well as it does.
Pulse oximeters are not all that simple. The general idea is easy enough to get across and it's possible to build a fairly simple one that will work some of the time. But the top end, highly reliable ones that work well at low sats are pretty complicated things.
Suppose I use a pulse oximeter and I get readings of 90%, 91%, 92%, and 99%, all taken ~one minute apart.
Is it most likely that I am fine and there were some issues either with the hardware or its administration? Or is it possible to get spurious high readings?
For what it's worth I had this same experience at the doctor's today for my physical.
Does anybody have any suggestions for how to check whether a pulse oximeter actually works properly? I bought one online from a not particularly trustworthy shop. I have never seen it show any value other than 99%. How can I figure out whether it actually does anything and doesn't just show 99% no matter what?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pulse oximeters are not all that simple. The general idea is easy enough to get across and it's possible to build a fairly simple one that will work some of the time. But the top end, highly reliable ones that work well at low sats are pretty complicated things.
Interesting. You're probably not the right person to ask about this sort of thing and I should probably stick with a doctor's opinion, but you may have a better intuition than I do about the reliability of these things' readings. Suppose I use a pulse oximeter and I get readings of 90%, 91%, 92%, and 99%, all taken ~one minute apart. Is it most likely that I am fine and there were some issues either with the hardware…
Yes, you should trust your doctor over strangers over the internet. They should have much more context as well. It's one thing to comment on equipment, but it is another to comment on what that result means for you.
Went to a party last weekend where the host used a pulse oximeter (and thermometer) on everyone. Blood O2 level is apparently a leading indicator of COVID-19. Pretty cool stuff. The inner workings of it are actually quite simple as well, pretty amazing that it works as well as it does.
I discovered i have a problem with one. Every one else who tried it had 98-100 all the time. I had < 94 no mater what
Speculated to be included in the Apple Watch S6 this fall. https://9to5mac.com/2020/03/08/apple-watch-blood-oxygen-satu... At the time they reported that there were mentions of it in an iOS 14 leak, but it wasn't clear if it would be a software update to existing watches (somehow able to detect it with existing heartrate hardware) or in a watch hardware revision. Since it wasn't mentioned in the watchOS news at WWDC,…
IIRC, Fitbit has products on the market that has them. Works both on iOS and Android. https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2020/01/fitbit-adds-bl...