Pulse + O2 Saturation

We also provide you with Pulse + O2 Saturation service. This measures how much oxygen your blood is carrying and your pulse. This is called the oxygen saturation and is a percentage (scored out of 100). It’s a simple, painless test using a sensor on your skin.

What’s it used for?

If you’re living with a lung condition, your blood oxygen level may be lower than normal. This is important to know because when your oxygen level is low, the cells in your body can have a hard time working properly. Having a very low blood oxygen level can also put a strain on your heart and brain.

What happens during the test?

You will have a small device clipped to your finger or ear lobe, called an oximeter. This gadget shines light through your fingertip or earlobe and measures how red your blood is (blood cells with haemoglobin carrying oxygen are red – if they’re not, they are bluer).

If you wear nail varnish, this can block the light and affect the reading, so you’ll be asked to take it off – on one finger only.