Objective The healthcare workers and the workers in the manufacturing industry of chemotherapy drugs are exposed to the “hazardous” effects of these drugs during production, transportation, distribution, administration, and disposal. In order to be protected from these harmful effects, personal protective equipment and medical devices providing safe applications are used. The aim of the present article is to review of medical devices used for safe chemotherapy applications in line with the information obtained from the literature. Data sources The international and national reliable sources, were used in the literature review for data analysis by using the keywords including chemotherapy, chemotherapy drugs, antineoplastic drugs, cytotoxic drugs, hazardous drugs, exposure to chemotherapy drugs, side effects of chemotherapy drugs, closed-system drug transfer devices, healthcare staff, needle-free devices, needle-free connectors, surface contamination, and phthalates. Data summary In order to minimize cytotoxic drug exposure, international standards were developed in the mid-1980s stating that all cytotoxic drugs should be prepared preferably in a ventilated biological safety cabinet, nurses dealing with the use of these drugs should use appropriate personal protective equipment, and in case of cytotoxic drug spillage, predefined cleaning and decontamination protocols should be followed. Although the risk of acute and long-term toxic effects in healthcare workers has decreased in recent years with these applications in the preparation and administration of cancer drugs, measurable contamination occurs in the workplace. A large number of medical devices have been developed for minimizing this type of contamination with chemotherapy drugs. In this article, these medical devices have been reviewed in detail under subtitles of closed system transfer devices, needle-free devices, and valve technology. Conclusions Until the results of the evaluations to be made in new studies prove the opposite, the use of these devices with additional protection measures taken, especially during the application of dangerous drugs, is of great importance in terms of patient and employee safety.

Purpose: Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive medical technique that measures the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood by shining light through their skin. It is widely used in medical care and is considered as important as the 4 traditional vital signs. In this article, it was aimed to review all aspects of pulse oximetry in detail. Materials and Methods: The international and national reliable sources were used in the literature review for critical data analysis. A total of 13 articles including 9 reviews, 1 comparative clinical research, 1 cost-saving quality improvement project, 1 cross-sectional and multicenter descriptive study, and 1 questionnaire study were used for the preparation of this part of the review. Results: The history, principles, advantages, limitations inaccuracies, cost analysis, the level of knowledge about pulse oximeter among clinicians, and pulse oximetry versus tissue oximetry were all reviewed in detail. Conclusion: The device has a significant impact on modern medicine, allowing continuous monitoring of hemoglobin oxygen saturation in arterial blood. Oximeters are valuable in managing oxygen levels in respiratory and nonrespiratory diseases and have become an essential tool in hospital settings. Detecting low levels of oxygen saturation early can alert patients to seek medical attention promptly. It is crucial to comprehend the working and limitations of pulse oximetry technology to ensure patient safety.

Purpose: Pulse oximetry is widely used in healthcare settings for both screening and continuous monitoring. In this article, it was aimed to review some aspects of pulse oximetry including clinical applications, portable devices, and recent advances in detail. Materials and Methods: The international and national reliable sources were used in the literature review for critical data analysis. A total of 31 articles including 19 prospective comparative clinical studies, 9 reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 1 retrospective study, and 1 experimental study were used for preparation of this part of the review. Results: In this part of the article, clinical applications of pulse oximeters, portable/wearable pulse oximeters, remote patient monitoring, and recent advances were all reviewed in detail. Conclusion: Pulse oximetry is a widely used and reliable noninvasive technique that provides useful information about blood oxygenation in individuals. This technique can guide oxygen therapy, reduce the occurrence of hypoxemia, and decrease the frequency of admissions to the intensive care unit, as well as arterial blood gas sampling. New multiwaveform sensors and advanced signal processing techniques can differentiate between different types of hemoglobin and may be useful for continuous measurement of total hemoglobin, as well as for detecting and providing information on blood loss and cardiac output.