Konica Minolta releases ‘medical wristwatch oximeter’

Konica Minolta has released a new ‘wristwatch-style pulse oximeter’ that will measure the amount of oxygen in the user’s arterial blood. The non-invasive device calculates arterial blood oxygen saturation levels and pulse rates, which manufacturers say make the device ‘ideal for home use’.

With a memory of around 300 hours of blood and pulse data, the oximeter is useful for monitoring continuous progress of patients. Its technology, which works by projecting light through a fingertip, is also clean and efficient and avoids blood extraction, which can cause patients distress.

Konica Minolta states that such devices are used extensively in a range of environments, such as intensive care units and outpatient care for respiratory and circulatory medicine.

Takaaki Saito, Pulsox product manager, commented: “The Pulsox-300 and 300i are wristwatch-style pulse oximeters that continuously monitor blood oxygen saturation levels as the patient goes about his or her daily routine wearing the product, instead of only measurements taken by the doctor in a patient interview.”

Patients can also use the oximeters during sleep by attaching the unit before going to bed, which allows the device to screen for sleep apnea syndrome.

Pulse oximetry relies on the differing light absorption characteristics of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin, with the former absorbing more infrared light and letting more red light pass through.

Light signals are passed through a measuring site, such as the fingertip or earlobe, which are then received by a photodetector that calculates the red to infrared ratio and hence delivers a value for arterial blood oxygen saturation levels.

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