Last year I purchased the Dr Morepen Pulse Oximeter for our Palliative Care program. It has been of great use since then. There have been instances where this simple gadget was used to detect the hypoxia in an elderly person suffering from interstitial lung disease. He was provided with an oxygen cylinder for managing his breathlessness and other symptoms related to his disease.
The increasing usefulness of this pulse oximeter prompted me to place an order for a second one to be used in our primary health centre (PHC).
This article is a review of the Dr Morepen pulse oximeter which I have been using for the past one year.
What is a Pulse Oximeter and How to use it?
A pulse oximeter is a simple digital device which measures the blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) in a non-invasive method. You just need to insert your finger into the probe (clip like) end of the device to measure the blood oxygen saturation.
Click here for a detailed WikiHow article on pulse oximeters.
Why you need a Pulse Oximeter?
Consider buying this device only if :
- You are a Covid postive person receiving care at home
- You are a Covid suspected person with shortness of breath
- You have been recently diagnosed with Interstitial lung disease (ILD) or you know someone who has been diagnosed with ILD.
- Someone you care about has been diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
- You know someone who needs an ambulatory oxygen delivery even while doing daily routine activities.
- You are a healthcare professional and is an active palliative care provider.
- You have someone in your house suffering from uncontroled asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- You have someone in your house who requires frequent hospitalisation and nebulisation to ease breathlessness. These symptoms could be as a result of severe anaemia, congenital heart diseases, cancers, or respiratory diseases.
Does Covid patients need a Pulse Oximeter?
This is one question that I have been getting a lot particularly since the rapid rise in the Covid cases in India! There are some points to consider here:
- Covid pneumonia is the advanced stage of the diesease where the patient usually requires ICU care and sometimes a ventilator support
- Most, but not all persons with Covid pneumonia have low oxygen saturation when checked with a pulse oximeter
- Most, but not all persons with shortness of breath have low oxygen saturation
- If you are a Covid suspected person with symptoms like fever, cough, and especially shortness of breath, it’ll be good idea to buy a pulse oximeter to monitor your oxygen saturation at home
- If you are a confirmed Covid positive patient, but asymptomatic and if you are receiving home care (not at a hospital), consider buying a pulse oximeter because a normal value will help reassure you!
Why Dr Morepen Pulse Oximeter?
Dr Morepen is a recognized brand providing quality healthcare products at affordable price for many years. I have already done reviews of Dr Morepen’s blood pressure monitors and blood glucometers. The decision to buy Dr Morepen pulse oximeter was a random one. It was the only one available at the surgical and medical supplies store from where I had bought it.
Features of Dr Morepen pulse oximeter
- Sleek and elegant design that can be easily carried in your pocket.
- Displays the pulse rate as beats per minute.
- Gives an accurate oxygen saturation in your blood (SpO2)
- Displays the sinus rhythm of heart beats. This feature is particularly useful for healthcare professional to quickly detect abnormal heart beats and arrhythmia.
- Automatic power off feature is useful to conserve the battery usage.
- The probe fits fingertips of all persons including children and adults.
- Easy to read even in dim-lit conditions because of the bright dual colour OLED display.
- Six display modes : Orientation of the display can be easily changed with the press of a button. That means, you don’t have to move if the reading is displayed inversely. You just need to press a button to make the reading upright.
- It can work for 30 hours non-stop!
- The device is made of ABS plastic and is shock proof.
- The Dr Morepen pulse oximeter comes with one year manufacturer’s warranty.
Cons
- Overpriced compared to the other brands like ChoiceMMed
- No carry box or pouch supplied with the device.
- No bluetooth or USB connectivity.
- No alarm when the values goes out of the normal range.
Alternatives
I have used this device personally and have been greatly satisfied with it’s perfomance. But, there are many other options available on Amazon.
The ChoiceMMed pulse oximeter does almost a similar job at a slightly lower price.
What about the Incorrect oxygen saturation readings?
When a perfectly healthy person checks his oxygen saturation using one pulse oximeter and gets a reading of 94%, it’s very easy to get anxious! But, this is also very common. I’ll tell you how this happens!
- Incorrect readings are very common if the device used is of low quality. But, this pulse oximetrer, Dr Morepen’s has a good brand value and I don’t thinik , the quality will be compromised
- If you have long nails, it’s common to get low values
- If you have artificial nails, the oxygen saturation might be recorded low
- If yo are wearing thick nail polish, the readings can be distored.
- If your hands and fingers are cold, oxygen saturation can be affected
- The ambient light in the room that you are recording the oxygen saturation can also interfere with the device’s light and alter the values.
- Lastly, there’s a small chance of an undiagnosed heart or lung conditon which is producing the low values. But, this is unlikely!
Verdict
When people started using blood glucometers and digital blood pressure monitors at home to monitor their diabetes and high blood pressure, many were against it. Now, the time has come when doctors prescribe pulse oximeters for some patients to monitor their blood oxygen saturation. Ever since the break of the Covid pandemic, the use of pulse oximeters have increased tremendously. You don’t need a full fledged hospital grade equipment at your home though. Sleek devices that can be carried in your pockets are now available in the market.
You can buy the Dr Morepen pulse oximeter for anywhere between INR 2300 to 2500 now from Amazon India.