According to the pulse oximeter my oxygen saturation levels drop below 80% during physical exertion. I found this out yesterday at a pulmonologist as they had me walk really fast around in the halls while measuring my oxygen levels with a finger pulse oximeter. They said it could be real or it could be false. I was wondering if anyone knows how accurate a pulse oximeter is especially during movement. My fingers are small and I wonder if possibly the traction was bad during these readings and really my oxygen was normal.
The pulse oximeter measures the red spectrum of light. Your blood is red. It is easy to create artifact with the pulse oximeter Takes a person who is experienced to know what the true reading is. You doctor will also do an ABG to find out. The size of your finger will not make any difference. It is the red spectrum that is being measured; presumably your finger is not cyanotic.