Pulse oximetry is used to test your blood’s oxygen saturation levels. This is essential as a drop in the normal levels signals a problem in your lungs. Specifically, a pulse oximeter is important when monitoring sedated patients, in checking for the efficacy of lung medicines, in assessing your body’s reaction to increased physical activity, and in monitoring your lungs when asleep and check for sleep apnea (breathing stops temporarily during sleep). For Covid-19 patients, dropped oxygen levels are one of the major determinants of high viral load.
A pulse oximeter, aside from medical-related purposes, is also a good companion for athletes or fitness trainers. It helps them monitor their fitness level and adjust to areas where it needs improvement.
Now, as far as a home pulse oximeter is concerned, while there are many cheaper options out there, their more expensive counterparts rather have more features – function and technology-wise. Getting more comprehensive stats allows you to understand your symptoms better and make an early intervention. Also, if you are suspected to have conditions like sleep apnea, or just underwent surgery and need close monitoring at home, you might need more than just basic functionalities. A pulse oximeter also makes great companions for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, mountain climbers, and people flying on high altitudes.
A basic pulse oximeter is otherwise known as a fingertip pulse oximeter. It involves clipping the device on your finger to measure blood oxygen level, heart rate, and other basic stats. Meanwhile, there are also more sophisticated finger oxygen sensor models that are equipped with more powerful sensors and smart features. This makes them more sensitive and reads results more accurately and feeds data automatically and in real-time to your smartphone or other mobile devices.
There are also pulse oximeter models that instead of being put in your fingertip, are rather wearable or handheld. This oxygen measuring device can also serve other functions such as a spo2 monitor and an oxygen saturation monitor. These devices record readings within timed intervals to give you consistent monitoring data that you can send your doctor or fitness instructor for study or interpretation. So, even when you are at home, you are informed and can act accordingly.
Can’t decide which one you need? We researched for the best pulse oximeter models that have more sophisticated features. Note though that these products aren’t made to replace hospital facilities but are leaning to monitoring purposes only.
Best Multi-Purpose Pulse Oximeter for Stats Monitoring – (Comparison)
| Name | Key Features | |
| Masimo MightySat Fingertip Pulse Oximeter – (Editor’s Choice) | Reads comprehensive stats: oxygen saturation, pulse rate, perfusion index, respiration rate, Pleth variability index | Check Price |
| Wellue Wrist Wearable Sleep Monitor – Bluetooth Pulse Meter Health Tracker | A wearable device so it is convenient to use for monitoring and with built-in memory for 4 sessions of 10 hours each | Check Price |
| Viatom Handheld Pulse Oximeter for Adults and Baby | Handheld type – has its own compact monitor but large enough for viewing stats and navigating menus; Can store up to 16 user profiles and a total of 580 hours’ worth of data | Check Price |
Masimo MightySat Fingertip Pulse Oximeter – Editor’s Choice
This pulse oximeter provides accurate and comprehensive stats with its SET, or Signal Extraction Technology. This technology can wade its way through distractive variables continuous movement, low blood flow, cold hands, or direct sunlight and still read accurate stats.
As a blood oxygen monitor, it can precisely detect changes in your blood oxygen level in the event of sickness, physical activity, or change in altitude.
This makes this pulse oximeter a reliable companion for people who just went through surgery in the heart or lungs and are currently recuperating at home. It can help monitor improvements and reactions to medications. Caregivers, with the doctor’s instructions, can now assess their family members’ progress or be alerted by problems right away.
Reading the oxygen saturation level in your blood can also help determine the presence of the Covid-19 virus. A reading of 90 in your pulse oximeter below signals a low oxygen level, which you need to communicate to your physician immediately. Meanwhile, SpO2 level also needs to be monitored in people in higher altitudes such as mountain climbers and aviation personnel where the environment experiences a drop in pressure and oxygen becomes scarce.
Aside from oxygen saturation readings, you can also monitor the number of pulses your heart makes per minute (Pulse Rate), and the strength of blood flow to your finger (Perfusion Index). The former is important in determining irregular changes in your heart after exerting strenuous activities while the latter indicates insights about your blood circulation.
Meanwhile, what makes this pulse oximeter different from the affordable range is its extensive measuring capability. On top of those mentioned, it can also read Respiration Rate and Pleth Variability Index. The former indicates the number of breaths you take per minute, which provides insights into how well your body can recover after doing exercises. The latter says about changes in hydration, breathing effort, and other factors related to your breathing cycle.
All of these stats, aside from reading on the device itself, can also be sent to your smartphone. Through the Masimo Personal Health App, you can gather all the data your pulse oximeter reads and have it monitored in real-time. Also, you can integrate the app to your Apple Health and TrainingPeaks using compatible iOS and Android devices.
You can also set thresholds on each element your pulse oximeter measures and have yourself alerted if a reading goes below or over it. You can also visualize your data and get insights better with chart view. You can track trends or monitor progress, and share them with your physician or peers. This is helpful for people who are monitoring their recuperation rate and those doing fitness-related activities.
Pros
- Compact and easy to bring along anywhere
- Reads comprehensive stats: oxygen saturation, pulse rate, perfusion index, respiration rate, Pleth variability index
- Feeds data into the Masimo app (via Bluetooth) and can integrate into Apple Health and Training Peaks apps
- Audible notifications when stats go below or above your set measurement threshold
- Shareable data
Cons
- Needs to be consistently connected to your phone via Bluetooth if you want to track your stats
Conclusion
The Masimo MightySat Fingertip Pulse Oximeter is a good investment for multi-purpose stats monitoring. It is easy to use, compact, and this pulse oximeter’s integration into your mobile phone extends its functionality.
Wellue Wrist Wearable Sleep Monitor – Bluetooth Pulse Meter Health Tracker
Wearable devices are becoming more innovative as we can see them flourishing steadily just like smart devices. From smartwatches and wireless headsets, we also now see the technology improving healthcare equipment. From bulky monitors down to compact versions, we did not see them reaching the time that they will become wearable, right?
Nonetheless, this pulse oximeter is a wearable type. Quite similar to the fingertip version, this blood oxygen meter cannot just read your stats but also monitor it for hours and track changes. Overall, the data provide insight into your progress or reaction to medications.
The Wellue Wrist Wearable Sleep Monitor – Bluetooth Pulse Meter Health Tracker will be worn on your wrist just like a watch with a cord connected to a silicon ring wrapped around your finger. In fact, its design is patented and provides comfort to the user and without the risk of numbing the finger if worn for hours or during sleep. This pulse oximeter also has its own OLED monitor display to view readings
This oxygen reader can track oxygen saturation levels and pulse rate. The readings are displayed in a numerical format in the pulse oximeter itself. But, if you want a more comprehensive and graphic view of the readings within a certain period, you should wirelessly connect it to your smartphone. Download the ViHealth app and install it to your Android or iOS phone to view real-time readings, get average readings, and be alerted for critical readings. The app can also integrate with Apple Health.
Using the ViHealth app allows you to gain more from the data your device gathers. This pulse oximeter has a built-in memory that can store up to four sessions of 10 hours of monitoring. Just remember to sync or download the sessions on your phone before the 5th session as it will automatically overwrite the oldest session.
You can also view, access, and download the data using your computer or laptop (Mac or Windows compatible). No need for subscriptions to the cloud or other applications. Data can be written in CSV or PDF versions.
This pulse oximeter is rechargeable and can last up to 72 hours before needing a charge. This makes it convenient for people wanting to monitor breathing patterns during sleep or those who are going out on a trip and wanted to monitor their fitness level. The elderly, pregnant women, or anyone who wanted to gain insights into their heart and lung health can benefit from this wearable oxygen monitor.
Pros
- A wearable device so it is convenient to use for monitoring
- With built-in memory for 4 sessions of 10 hours each
- Data can be accessed or downloaded through your smartphone and computer
- Long-lasting charge up to 72 hours
- Can view readings on the device itself and through your smartphone (connected via Bluetooth) real-time
- With data insight analysis and interpretation; data averaging; data gathering at 2 seconds’ interval
- With vibrations and audible alarm when readings fall or go above the threshold
Cons
- The silicone ring is thin that it may not last long
Conclusion
The Wellue Wrist Wearable Sleep Monitor – Bluetooth Pulse Meter Health Tracker is true enough, works best as a sleep monitor with its innovative data gathering and insight interpretation technology. But of course, at the heart is the elements it reads – oxygen saturation and pulse rate, therefore, you can still use it for other purposes. This pulse oximeter is wearable so it is convenient to use.
Viatom Handheld Pulse Oximeter for Adults and Baby
If you prefer a pulse oximeter that will not require your smartphone to view or access your data, then the handheld type is the best for you. It has its own compact colored monitor screen that allows you to view real-time readings and current settings. The device itself also has buttons so you can navigate on menus, access features, adjust volume, and turn the device on and off.
This oxygen level monitor can read oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and perfusion index. You can also choose either the Adult or Neonate (baby) mode for more specific analysis and measurements.
This pulse oximeter can store up to 580 hours’ worth of data. If you need a more comprehensive report, you can connect it to your computer or laptop, install the free software included, and download the data.
This oxygen pulse meter allows you to organize data from up to 16 different users. On your Viatom Handheld Pulse Oximeter for Adults and Baby, you have to choose the user name before each recording, which will also be displayed on the screen.
This FDA approved pulse oximeter alerts you of readings falling below or going over the threshold via audible and visual signals.
Pros
- Handheld type – has its own compact monitor but large enough for viewing stats and navigating menus
- Can store up to 16 user profiles and a total of 580 hours’ worth of data
- Rechargeable
- Adult and Neonate modes
- More comprehensive data can be downloaded on the computer with the free PC software included
- Can read oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and perfusion index
- With audible and visual alerts when readings fall below or go above the set threshold
Cons
- No integration with mobile devices
Conclusion
The Viatom Handheld Pulse Oximeter for Adults and Baby is a reliable pulse oximeter for home use. This pulse oximeter does not need a separate device for you to view readings and details and can work as a standalone device. The multi-user feature is also a plus, allowing you to monitor more family members and organize their readings separately even when they use the same device.
Final Verdict
Now that we already presented you with the more popular types of pulse oximeter available in the market today, your choice might be primarily out of preference. But in general, choosing the best pulse oximeter should be based on your specific needs and should cater to as much purpose as possible.
We were taken by its versatility, therefore, the best pulse oximeter on this list is the Masimo MightySat Fingertip Pulse Oximeter.
The comprehensive stats that Masimo MightySat Fingertip Pulse Oximeter can read, the compactness, and its integration capacity to your smartphone makes this pulse oximeter flexible to use for different needs, whether medically or fitness-related.