How Oxygenation In Your Blood Is Measured?

Yesterday we talked about Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes and hemoglobin thus we now know that hemoglobin plays a big role in oxygenation of all cells in our body. In relation to that, we will talk about oximeter today. What is an oximeter? Oximeter is an instrument use to measure oxygen percentage in hemoglobin or simply the oxygenation of the blood.

How oxygen percentage in hemoglobin is measured? Oximeters are usually attached on fingertip or at the earlobe of patient. Then, absorption and saturation of hemoglobin in patient’s blood are recorded using oxymeter’s probe at 650nm-805nm range of wavelength of light.  Please take note that oximeter just measure oxygenation and not oxygen metabolism.

Like any other instruments, there are factors that could cause problem in readings of pulse oximeter, slow blood flow due to venous congestion or vasoconstriction is a great example for it. There are lots of hemoglobin types, 2 of the said types are oxyhemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin (methemoglobin). Carboxyhemoglobin (methemoglobin) can be confused as oxyhemoglobin by pulse oximeter because these two types of hemoglobin are difficult to distinguish. Bright overhead lights and nail varnish could also cause false reading thus, it should be avoided.

Pulse oximeter is not solely for hospital use with a purpose of detecting oxygen related problems and in analyzing if it is necessary for the patient to undergo an oxygen therapy. Mountain climbers,  and people who undergo vigorous exercise like professional athletes uses portable pulse oximeter to measure their pulse rate and oxygenation of the blood too. People who are dependent on supplemental oxygen like pilot flying in non-pressurized airplanes use this instrument to measure the amount of supplemental oxygen needed.

We all know that oxygen is also a form of medication, this kind of medication could not be given without first determining the oxygen level in our blood. That is how important oximeter is to our community.

Beating Breast Cancer in Digital Way

Breast cancer should not be taken lightly especially those at a higher risk for breast cancer. It is recommended by experts that women above 40 of age to undergo screening procedures for breast cancer every one to two years. And, monthly breast self-exams to the younger ones.

Mammogram procedure’s positioning and compression of your breast are the same for both traditional film and digital mammography. But, with digital mammography, instead of x-ray film, solid-state detectors that x-rays into electric signals are used. It is like you have been taken pictures using digital camera that could be zoom, etc by the radiologist as he study the pictures on the computer compared to those that are taken using films. Thus, it gives great advantage to women because it reduces mammogram callbacks and stress on patients while undergoing the procedure.

Not only that, digital mammography uses 22 percent less radiation compared to traditional film mammography thus reducing your exposure to x-rays. Digital mammography could also better detect cancer cells in women with dense breasts and those who are under 50 years of age who were at pre- or peri-menopausal stage.

Women should have mammography exam while their breast tissues are least tender, that typically falls one week after monthly period. It has been reported that taking vitamin E and cutting off caffeinated drinks several weeks prior to mammography viewer exam results to less discomfort during the procedure.

Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and those with breast implants should inform the technician who will do the procedure prior to examination.

The Most Effective Method In Relieving Pain For Newborn Children

What is the most effective method in relieving pain for newborn children undergoing phlebotomy or any other medical procedure? That is what we will be talking today. As Medical Technologist, pain management during blood sampling is our major goal during phlebotomy (taking blood sample for laboratory examination/s) especially on newborn children. Some of the physiological effects of pain are changes in blood pressure and temperature, abnormal respiration, tachycardia, hypoxemia, prolonged catabolism and release of hormones such as cortisol, cathecolamines and endorphins.

I appreciate the prospective study reported in Pediatrics on their November issue. Researchers tried to find the most effective way of pain management during blood sampling for newborn screening procedure. And what did they found out? Feeding the child either breast feeding or bottle feeding is the most effective method of relieving pain during phlebotomy. Such idea of relieving pain is not new and is very much practical, right?

It may not possible to totally eradicate pain during blood collection procedure but the goal of reducing the pain to its lower level helps a lot not just to the newborn child but to the phlebotomist and the mother or caretaker of the child too. For some medical procedures that may cause much more pain to the newborn child, some doctors gives pharmacological agents commonly used in the ICN (Intensive Care Nursery) to reduce or prevent pain.

Droplet Precautions for Control of Infection

Droplet precautions or airborne infection control is one of the health practices that we really need nowadays. A sneeze or cough from an infected person could spray germ-loaded droplets into the air because viruses and bacteria that infects the lungs, trachea, throat, sinuses and nasal passages are present in mucus and saliva.

Why airborne infections are so common? In almost every public places people cough and sneeze, loading the air with with droplets of saliva for other people to inhale. Number of respiratory infections can be impressively lessened  if all of us realizes the danger of droplet infection.

Droplets caused by sneezing or coughing are usually large (more than 5 microns) and mostly covers only a short distance (about 3-6 feet). Direct inhalation of infected droplets causes the highest risk of transmission that occurs when you are too close to infected person after sneezing or coughing. Settled droplets on surrounding surfaces could also cause infection.

Droplet precautions or airborne infection control should be practiced. Nose and mouth should be covered during a sneeze or cough with a tissue paper then dispose the infected tissue paper properly after. You may be an infected individual or not, hand washing is really important too to for prevention and control of diseases.

Get Rid of Arthropod- borne Diseases

Arthropod- borne diseases are carried by mosquitos, ticks, mites, lice, house fly, cockroach, fleas, kissing bugs, reduviid bugs, tsetse flies, phlebotomine sandflies, black flies and deer flies. Some examples of arthropod-borne diseases are dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, west nile fever, typhoid, dysentery, epidemin typhus, trench fever, filariasis, spotted fever, bubonic plague, murine typhus, and African sleeping sickness.

These arthropods carry diseases in three different ways. First, the pathogenic organism experience a full of twist and turns life cycle that involves an insect in certain stages and some stages in human host. Best example of arthropod- borne diseases for this method of transmission is malaria.

In second method insect is an alternate host. Organisms that causes infectious diseases are carried as internal parasites in insects. Infected arthropods could infect humans as they have their bloody-meal. Examples of arthropod- borne diseases for this method of transmission are yellow fever, bubonic plague and typhus.

In third method of transmission arthropods acts as mechanical carriers of various infectious agents. House fly and cockroach are examples of mechanical carriers. In this method insects take a trip from source of infection like garbage to foods or go directly to a person or on things that a person usually touch. Microorganisms are carried on their sticky feet or on the bodies of mechanical carriers. Examples of arthropod- borne diseases for this method of transmission are typhoid and dysentery.

Here are some examples of arthropods and arthropod-borne diseases that could infect humans:

Mosquito- Dengue, Filariasis, West Nile fever, Yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, Ross River fever and St Louis encephalitis

Tick- Lyme, Relapsing fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tick-borne encephalitis

Body louse- Epidemic typhus, Plague, Trench fever

Flea- Endemic typhus, Murine typhus, Bubonic plague

Sandfly- Leishmaniasis, Bartonellosis/Oroya fever, Sandfly fever

Black fly- Onchocerciasis (River blindness)

Tsetse fly- Trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness)

House fly and cockroaches- typhoid, dysentery, etc

Be healthy by getting rid of the carriers of arthropod- borne diseases.