what is sp02

SpO2 stands for oxygen saturation and is a measure of the amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in the blood relative to the amount of hemoglobin not carrying oxygen. It is measured as a percentage of the maximum amount of oxygen that the blood could carry. For a healthy individual, the normal SpO2 should be between 96% to 99%. A pulse oximeter is used to measure SpO2, which is a noninvasive device placed over a persons finger, toe, nostril, or earlobe. The device measures light wavelengths to determine the ratio of the current levels of oxygenated hemoglobin to deoxygenated hemoglobin. A normal SpO2 level is vital to maintaining the health of all tissue in the body, and it is important to maintain normal oxygen saturation levels to prevent hypoxia. Hypoxemia is low oxygen saturation in the blood, and it is directly related to hypoxia, which is low oxygen saturation in the body’s tissue.