Oximetry is a procedure that measures the amount of oxygen in the blood to evaluate various medical conditions that affect the function of the heart and lungs.
The blood with more oxygen has a brighter red color than the deoxygenated blood, which has a more blue-purple color.
The procedure is done using a specific device called oximeter, but today most commonly used is a pulse oximeter which response on pulsation. Oximetry can be done in hospitals and health care facilities.
During pulse oximetry, a sensor connected with an oximeter is placed usually on a fingertip (in the case of the infant across a foot) and the oximeter detects the pulse.
A beam of red and infrared light is then passed through a pulsating capillary bed and the ratio of red to infrared blood light transmitted gives a measure of the oxygen saturation of the blood and displayed it on the screen on the oximeter in percentage.
