Oxygen Meter Vs Oxygen Monitor – Is There a Difference?

In our time new technologies appear every day. We barely learn how to use a new gadget and another one appears – a new name, new improved features, different ways of functioning… How can we keep track? If we talk about oxygen monitoring devices, which is the difference between oxygen monitors, pulse oximeters and oxygen meters? Is there a difference at all?

In the year 1777, the term oxygen was coined by Antoine Lavoisier using the Greek words ‘oxys’ which means acid, and ‘genes’ which means producer, since he thought that all acids contain oxygen. Although we know today that this is not true, what remains a fact is the importance of oxygen for our survival.

Oxygen, the third most abundant chemical by mass in the whole universe (next to hydrogen and helium respectively), is one of the most important elements on Earth. Life is possible because of oxygen. A person, in order to survive and be healthy, should have a sufficient supply of oxygen. For this reason, several instruments that determine the amount of oxygen were invented. Most of these instruments are used in the field of medicine; some are employed in automotives and in industrial-related work areas.

Oxygen-measuring devices that are used for medicinal purposes are usually categorized as oxygen monitors. These monitors measure the oxygen saturation in a person’s blood. There are different oxygen monitoring instruments used by hospitals in order to do this. Traditional methods use laboratory equipments like microscopes, test tubes and analyzers to determine and measure the amount of blood oxygenation.

During this procedure, as commonly practiced by many hospitals, a patient has to submit a direct blood sample to analyzers which issue the result several hours after. An easier way to do this is through a blood or pulse oximeter (the term ‘oxygen monitor’ is being used nowadays mostly for referring to this modern non-invasive device). The blood oxygen monitor, placed on the finger or earlobe, accurately detects and measures the blood oxygenation without requiring a direct blood sample. This device is commonly used in ICU, in patients who suffer from respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, infants and mothers who are delivering their child. Other professions and activities (pilots, chemical-hazardous work areas and athletics) also require the use of a pulse oximeter.

On the other hand, there is also an oxygen monitoring device that is used in automotives, factories and even in laboratories: the oxygen meter. The most common oxygen meters available on the market are the dissolved oxygen meters which measure the amount of saturation of dissolved oxygen in a water source. Most of these meters are found in water district offices where the water supply is examined. But the truth of the matter is, anybody who wants to check the heath of his or her water supply can use an oxygenation meter like this.

As such, fish farmers may utilize this device in order to make sure that the fish are receiving adequate amounts of oxygen. Factories that dispose effluents into a body of water are required to use an oxygen saturation meter to ensure that the water is not polluted and destructive to ecological health. The price of most oxygen meters ranges from about $200 to as high as $1400. Two popular brands of oxygen meters are the Hanna and the Oakton.

Both devices – the oxygen monitor and the oxygen meter – measure oxygen concentrations, but they differ in a lot of ways. However, they remain to function for one purpose: to ensure the health and safety of people.