simple waterproof housing for fingertip pulse O2 meter?

[growingupninja]

Can anyone recommend materials or a technique to waterproof a hand while wearing a pulse O2 fingertip monitor? It is a little battery powered device about half the size of a computer mouse that slips over your finger and provides a continuous readout of pulse and blood oxygen saturation using a lightbeam. I use it for apnea training on dry land but would like to check some readings while doing my regular pool workout. Mine is described as 'water resistant'... But I am certain it won't work if submerged.

Simplest thing would be to put it on, slip my hand in clear plastic bag and put a rubberband around my wrist, but I wonder if there is something like silicone grease but less messy I could use to seal it shut and rubber band on the wrist isn't great for circulation, etc?

[jdnieman]

Pm sent. I'd be interested to know if anyone figures this out. This should work On the surface or shallow depths. However, at depth, you will probably need a tissue oximeter,mwhich is very pricey and I don't think they have small units yet. Confirm this by checking your radial pulse at 80 feet. Nada. No pulse. No pulse Ox signal. I think searchers have to use needle tissue oximetry electrodes on diving seals, etc.

[growingupninja]

Pm sent. I'd be interested to know if anyone figures this out. This should work On the surface or shallow depths. However, at depth, you will probably need a tissue oximeter,mwhich is very pricey and I don't think they have small units yet. Confirm this by checking your radial pulse at 80 feet. Nada. No pulse. No pulse Ox signal. I think searchers have to use needle tissue oximetry electrodes on diving seals, etc.

Cool, thanks. I didn't get a PM though? I am actually going to have time on Tue to play around with this. I'll just be in a pool and was thinking I would wrap something super absorbent around my wrist like a shammy or microfiber towel, put a bag over my hand and carefully close it around my wrist so the towel is just inside the seal to absorb any small leaks.

As far as pulse at depths, I think the Galileo Sol is right now the only option, but it uses a chest strap (I think Murat uses an oil filled one for all his NLT training). Yes, radial pulse is very likely impossible at depth; whenever I have done tests with cold water facial immersion, after a minute I can hardly find my wrist pulse because vasoconstriction is so strong, although my fingertip unit still works (but the pulse graph will be nearly flatlined. When I dive deep in warm water, I can tell that vasoconstriction is kicking in really strong around 70' and beyond from the way lactic acid builds on the ascent and just sensations that I have come to associate with vasoconstriction. In California it kicks in on immersion and mild depths. I doubt I could take my fingertip unit down to 80' without some kind of seriously engineered waterproofing, but I can vouch that it does a pretty good job even when DR kicks in solid.

The O2 meter I use is the 'OxyWatch 300CA Professional Series Finger Pulse Oximeter' from portablenebs.net. It was $70. Many freedive instructors aren't using these things yet and barely seem to know what they are, which is a real freakin' shame. Ten years ago I think a fingertip pulse O2 meter was pricey enough to be mostly research only; I imagine in another 10 years we will have non-invasive units incorporated into an FRV or something similar.

[Putmeincoach]

Chefs use little finger "condoms" for lack of better term to put on cut fingers to keep from contaminating food. They're much thicker than a latex glove, pretty durable. I'd imagine it would fit right over the monitor and the seal is watertight. Most are blue in color and available at pretty much any cooking supply store, many cintas employee first aide boxes stock them too. May be a viable option.

[growingupninja]

I will post some photos later but I had some success with using a foodsaver bag crimped in small over my finger with some strips of synthetic chamois packed in around the meter, and some all weather duct tape to seal it. Did 3 x 50m before I decided it might be at risk of being flooded. I think the device may have issues with high humidity and it only works if you are very still so I had to swim the 50, surface, maintain the hold and tinker with it until it locked the reading.. Oh well worth a try and worth the effort but I will just save for a Galileo Sol...