pulse oximeter
noun
plural pulse oximeters
: a noninvasive medical device that utilizes spectrophotometry to measure the oxygen saturation of circulating arterial blood in an individual by determining the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin pulsating through a network of blood capillaries by way of a sensor attached typically to a finger, toe, or earlobe
Your pulse oximeter will give you a numerical reading—a percentage that indicates the level of oxygen saturation in your blood.—
Tara Parker-Pope
Tara Parker-PopeExamples of pulse oximeter in a Sentence
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Regulatory changes could help ensure that pulse oximeters provide accurate results for all patients.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2024
Keeping a pocket-sized pulse oximeter at home is easy, but checking yourself in for a night’s sleep study is hard.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 17 Sep. 2024
Apple did make the Series 10 thinner, which is welcome but not necessarily as important as oxygen sensing, which Apple Watches still lack due to the Masimo pulse oximeter lawsuit.
—Anshel Sag, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Some pulse oximeter manufacturers say their devices work accurately on all skin tones.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pulse oximeter 
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Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2024
Keeping a pocket-sized pulse oximeter at home is easy, but checking yourself in for a night’s sleep study is hard.
—Adrienne So, WIRED, 17 Sep. 2024
Apple did make the Series 10 thinner, which is welcome but not necessarily as important as oxygen sensing, which Apple Watches still lack due to the Masimo pulse oximeter lawsuit.
—Anshel Sag, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Some pulse oximeter manufacturers say their devices work accurately on all skin tones.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pulse oximeter
Dictionary Entries Near pulse oximeter
Cite this Entry
“Pulse oximeter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulse%20oximeter. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
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pulse oximeter
noun
: a noninvasive medical device that utilizes spectrophotometry to measure the oxygen saturation of circulating arterial blood in an individual by determining the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin pulsating through a network of blood capillaries by way of a sensor attached typically to a finger, toe, or earlobe
Note: The pulse oximeter typically sounds an alarm if the blood saturation becomes less than optimal.
Pulse oximeters measure hemoglobin oxygen saturation via an external probe. The light of two varying wavelengths passes through the skin, and the difference in absorbance by arterial blood of these two wavelengths by the photodetector within the pulse oximeter is used to calculate the level of oxygenation.—Pediatric Emergency Medicine Reports
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