A preemie is a baby who has been born especially early and as a result has not fully developed all of his or her organs. While some very early preemies may have to stay in the hospital for an extended length of time, many can be taken home in a matter of days and parents will likely be able to use a variety of measuring machines to keep track of their new child's health. If any issues exist regarding the heart and lungs, pulse oximeters can be used to measure the oxygen levels in the baby's blood which can allow for a parent to keep track of heart health.

Much of the medical equipment in a hospital is so large that it must remain stationary and is cumbersome in some circumstances where it would be best if a machine was brought to a patient instead of the patient having to be moved to the piece of equipment. In rare circumstances some significant machinery can be moved but things like an MRI machine are absolutely stationary devices. In today's advanced hospital environments there are many portable devices that can be used by medical professionals including things like oximeters or portable dopplers which can be taken right to a patient's bedside.