ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Hurricane Irene
came rushing up the East Coast as a Category One. As the storm left
the Caribbean and approached the United States, many states in the
Northeast began to worry. The coastline north of Virginia and even
Maryland, is not prone to hurricanes. Coastal towns from New Jersey
all the way up to Massachusetts began mandatory evacuations of
certain low lying areas. New York City was one that took steps that
had not been seen in the city ever before. Mayor Bloomberg
evacuated thousands of people in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens,
Manhattan, and even Long Island. The public transportation system
was also shut down with fears of flooding. Holland Tunnel,
connecting New York City and New Jersey, did experience some
flooding Sunday. Hospitals that were in Zone A in New York City
were forced to evacuate most patients. Only patients whose health
was in greater risk from moving were kept in place. In order to
move patients, doctors had to get certain tools and procedures in
place. One tool used was the pulse oximeter.
A pulse oximeter, also
known as a pulse ox, is a
medical device used to measure blood oxygen saturation and pulse
rate of a patient. Many patients at hospitals in New York City were
on supplemental oxygen, which made it critical for doctors to
continuously monitor their oxygen levels throughout their
transport. A new finger pulse oximeter made this
both easy and possible. It runs on standard AAA batteries and is
designed to clip onto one’s fingertip. It provides a reading within
seconds of application. A finger pulse oximeter is widely used by
individuals at home who are suffering from respiratory
illnesses.
Hurricane Irene left behind almost $10 billion in damage and
over 20 people dead, but the pr
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