How does monitoring SpO2 by a physician with a pulse oximeter help with Asthma

If you have ever heard of the term SpO2 and wondered what it is then search no more. SpO2 is also known as blood oxygen saturation and in essence represents the percentage of oxygen in the hemoglobin. This number is quite important for those that live with asthma because measuring the exact amount of oxygen in the body is essential to determining whether the person is at risk of experiencing an asthma attack. An asthma attack can come about in any situation especially when a person least expects it. The reason for this is because this health condition in essence prevents the free flow of oxygen to get into the body and as a result what happens is that the individual will experience a shortness of breath. Many times the attack can be so severe that even inhalers will not be able to help. As a result, physicians tend to recommend the use of a pulse oximeter to monitor the blood oxygen saturation levels. The way that the pulse oximeter works to measure the oxygen saturation is quite unique in the whole spectrum of medical devices. Essentially when you place your finger inside the pulse oximeter what happens is that an infrared light passes through the finger. This light in essence is completely not harmful and the reason why it is used is because hemoglobin in the blood has varying light absorptive characteristics and as such this is the way that the computer of the device measures the levels. The main reason why physicians tend to recommend this device is because of its portable nature. When you have respiratory health conditions you need the ability to be able to measure your oxygen levels wherever and whenever that you need to. As a result a pulse oximeter is a very useful tool that satisfied both these criteria.