Pulse Oximeter Review for CMS50DL

Whether  you exercise a lot, a little, or just pedal a desk, it's a good idea to check your pulse occasionally. For exercisers, you want to know if you have reached your target heart rate. For desk jockeys, you might want to know when it's time to start exercising. And wouldn't it be great if you could also check your blood oxygen level, too?

Enter the CMS50DL Pulse Oximeter by Crucial Medical Systems. This small, handy device works quickly, displays pulse and oxygen percentage on one display panel, and turns off automatically when you remove your finger. It features a low battery warning also.

And it's only about $18 from Amazon.com:

CMS 50-DL Pulse Oximeter with Neck/Wrist cord

This unit has performed very well for me. If you read the reviews, a few people have tested its accuracy against professional models and found it to be quite accurate.

Some people have complained that it takes too long to read the pulse or doesn't work at all. Here are the reasons for delayed or no reading:

• Movement. You need to hold still while the unit is reading. It won't read while you're bouncing on the treadmill.
• Fingernail polish. The instrument shines a light through your finger. If you are wearing nail polish, the reading will either take longer or fail.
• Long fingernails. The instrument is designed for your nails to be of ordinary, trimmed length. Long nails will prevent your finger from going far enough into the instrument to work correctly.
• Not pushing the white ON button after the finger has been inserted.

In my experiments, the meter works when the finger is inserted nail up (the intended way), and it also works when the finger is upside down.

PLUSSES

• Low cost
• Accurate
• Compact and portable

MINUSES

• The display is oriented to be read by someone putting it on your finger, making the reading upside down when you use it yourself.

RECOMMENDATION

This is a great little adjunct to your family medical supply kit.