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Nursing vocabulary · Vital Signs

Oxygen saturation

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˈɑːksɪdʒən ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃən/nounCore term

In nursing, oxygen saturation means: The percentage of the blood's haemoglobin that is carrying oxygen, usually measured with a small clip on the finger called a pulse oximeter.

In Turkish: oksijen satürasyonu, satürasyon

How it is used

In ward talk it becomes 'sats' or 'O2 sats', and on charts SpO2. Nurses say a patient is 'satting 94% on room air' or 'on two litres'. In healthy adults it is usually 95% or above, but the target range for each patient is set by the medical team.

Example sentences

  1. Her oxygen saturation dropped to 88% when she walked to the bathroom.

  2. His oxygen saturation is 96% on two litres through a nasal cannula.

Common collocations

  • low oxygen saturation
  • monitor oxygen saturation
  • oxygen saturation on room air
  • oxygen saturation level
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
  • respiratory rateThe number of breaths a person takes in one minute, counted by watching the chest rise and fall.
  • observationsIn nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.
  • early warning scoreA score calculated from a patient's vital signs and level of consciousness that helps staff notice early that a patient is becoming seriously ill.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Vital Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.