Santamedical SM-110 Finger Pulse Oximeter Set

The product works well, though sometimes it’s a little hit and miss with recognising finger placement for reading o2 saturation. The finger position on the device needs to be carefully positioned for it to read properly. It’s something that just takes a little getting used to. I would not hesitate to recommend this product.

My 81-year-old mother-in-law has several medical conditions, including COPD. When she has a problem breathing, it’s helpful for her to know her oxygen saturation, so she knows if it’s “merely” the COPD or she is having some other decline in lung function. Unfortunately she also has arthritic and perpetually cold hands, and has found that many pulse oximeters have LOTS of trouble getting a good reading on her fingers.

I read through LOTS of the Amazon reviews for pulse oximeters, and any time someone said they were an EMT or a nurse AND they found that a particular unit was more likely to work in difficult situations, those items would go onto my wishlist. After awhile, this and one other moved to the top of the list to try. (I wasn’t eager to have to order several before we found one that worked.) In the end I chose between two — this one, the Santamedical SM-110, which I think must be an older model, and a seemingly newer model of the same brand Santamedical SM-240 OLED Finger Pulse Oximeter. (We have NOT ordered the SM-240.)

My mother-in-law and I discussed the merits of the two and we decided to try this older, less expensive one. It arrived VERY quickly, came with a nylon case, two lanyards and AAA batteries so it was immediately usable. The box and instructions contain some amusingly strange translated English (from Chinese, maybe?) but there wasn’t any huge problem understanding how to use it. My mother-in-law seems happy with it; she hasn’t had any trouble getting it to read, though she does have to warm her hand and switch among different fingers, just like with the ones at her physical therapists’ and doctors’ offices.

This SM-110 has an “old fashioned” red LED display, which I imagine might be hard to read in bright sunlight. The Sp02 reading is near one end, and the pulse is near the other end, and all the digits are quite read-ably large. When you are getting a successful measurement, the reading comes up really quickly (just a few seconds), though when it’s NOT being successful, the “bar graph” next to the digits doesn’t move much. I presume as my mother-in-law gains experience using it, the pulsations of the bar graph will help her position the unit for the steadiest readings.

One annoyance of the design is that if her hand is flat in front of her the numbers are “upside down” to her when she is wearing it. Obviously whoever designed it imagined a caregiver using it on other people, not using it on themselves. (I believe the SM-240 addresses that issue by having the display rotated 90 degrees, so you can more easily read it merely by rotating your hand toward yourself.)

While she has only had it for a week, my mother-in-law seems satisfied, so we’re not going to bother ordering the SM-240. I presume if the newer model works similarly to this one it should be a good risk, too, but this SM-110 was certainly a bargain and works well. There ARE a few even less expensive pulse oximeters on Amazon and other sites, but none of the others has as consistently a high rating here as the Santamedical SM-110 and SM-240 do.

This item is great for putting in your handbag as it is compact, even when in it’s little pouch. It can also be worn around the neck if you’re in a situation where you’re likely to need to get to it more easily. It’s easy to use & easy to understand (the numbers are not too small to read). It’s the perfect size for someone who’s into first aid or needs to carry this round on a more regular basis. It also has a little loop on the pouch so it can be put on a keyring or a narrow belt. I would recommend this product to anyone. A 9yr old could use & understand it if necessary.

Yes. I’ve become a slight hypochondriac since Covid, and I originally bought this pulse oximeter to form part of my Covid first aid kit. It works really well and is actually accurate, considering the low cost. I am pleased to say my blood oxygen saturation is high, though so is my pulse…hmm. lol