Blood Oxygen Level Test

Oximetry is a test used to measure the level of oxygen (oxygen saturation) in the blood. It’s an easy and painless measure of how well oxygen is delivered to the parts of your body furthest from your heart, like your arms and legs.

It is a quick, inexpensive, needle-free test that measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. It shows whether your heart and lungs are supplying enough oxygen to meet your body’s needs.

Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the organs. But lung or heart disease can reduce the amount of oxygen in these cells.

When it gets too low, your body doesn’t work as well as it should. Your heart, brain, and other organs need oxygen to do their jobs.

Your doctor can use this test to find out if you need to breathe extra oxygen through a tube or if you need treatment for a heart or lung problem.

Measure Oxygen Level

Tests to check the level of oxygen in the blood can be helpful in diagnosing or monitoring lung disease.

How to prepare for a pulse oximetry test?
What happens during a pulse oximetry test?

A pulse oximeter measures the amount of light absorbed by the blood. This tells us how much oxygen your blood contains.

The pulse oximeter shines 2 lights through your fingertip or earlobe: red light and infrared light.

Blood that contains a lot of oxygen absorbs more infrared light and lets more red light through.

Blood without enough oxygen absorbs more red light and lets more infrared light through. If your blood cells don’t have enough oxygen, they will look bluer.

oxygen normal level

Your blood oxygen level is measured as a percentage: 95 to 100 percent is considered normal.

If oxygen levels are below 88 percent, that’s cause for concern.

If you see readings at or below this level, you should contact your healthcare provider right away or go to the nearest urgent care center or emergency room.

Oxygen Level Tester

What is a normal blood oxygen level and how can I measure my own?
Why should I measure blood oxygen levels?
How can blood oxygen levels be measured?

There are two main ways to measure blood oxygen levels: take a blood sample from your body with a needle (usually at your wrist or earlobe) or use a pulse oximeter.