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 An oxygen concentrator is a very important medical device used in hospitals especially in  intensive care units(ICUs) for supplying oxygen to  those  in need of oxygen. When the oxygen level of a patient has dropped considerably, an oxygen concentrator is required. Some of the common diseases that lead to a reduction in oxygen levels in patients include apnea, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.  Oxygen concentrators are often necessary in neonatal hospital wards as sick newborns especially preterm infants often need supplemental oxygen especially if they are suffering from health conditions like apnea of prematurity. Usually, pulse oximeters are often used to monitor their oxygen levels before delivering oxygen to the patient using oxygen concentrators. A typical oxygen concentrator can supply oxygen to one or more patients at the same time. It supplies oxygen to a patient either by intermittent pulse flow or through continuous flow. In newborns, the recommended amount of oxyge

Solomon C. Nwaneri, PhD,  Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Lagos.  E-mail: snwaneri@unilag.edu.ng A pulse oximeter is a medical device used to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2) in the blood. It is a non-invasive device. This means that the device does not penetrate or break into the skin. The blood needs a minimum amount of oxygen for the body to survive which is usually 95%. If the oxygen saturation is lower than the prescribed limits, a person is exposed to a condition referred to as hypoxemia .  Hypoxemia refers to oxygen levels that are lower than the normal saturation. This condition is characterized by shortness of breath and sometimes headache. Hypoxemia is usually caused by underlying diseases such as sleep apnea, lung diseases and several other possible causes. Oxygen should be in the haemoglobin of the blood known as oxyhaemoglobin(HbO2). Pulse oximeters operate based  on the absorption of different wavelengths of light. Usually, Red and infrared light are t