Pulse Oximeter

[sqwakvfr]

Just saw an interesting YouTube video from a medical doctor who suggested a second noninvasive test to screen for Covid 19 infection.  She suggested in addition to a Temperature check an Oxygen Saturation level check might be worthy.  The device, about the size of a cell phone battery, measures the oxygen saturation level of the subjects blood.  She demonstrated a fingertip pulse oximeter device.  It was a simple procedure and a reading of the Oxygen level and pulse comes back in a couple minutes.  Normal Range is between 95 to 100.  I checked on Lazada and a fingertip Pulse Oximeter can be purchased for about $30 USD. 

 

I am thinking about buying a Temperature Reader and a Pulse Oximeter.  

[RichCor]

Not to throw cold water on your idea, but...

 

When dealing with communicable diseases it's important to keep standard precautions and isolation procedures in mind.

 

Isolation and barrier precautions aim to reduce or eliminate direct or indirect patient-to-patient transmission of healthcare associated infections that can occur through three mechanisms:

1. Via contact, which involves skin (or mucosa) to skin contact and the direct physical transfer of microorganisms from one patient to another or via hands, and indirect via a contaminated surface
2. Via respiratory droplets larger than 5 μm, which are not suspended for long in the air and usually travel a distance of less than 1 meter.
3. Airborne transmission: particles 5 μm or smaller remain suspended in the air for prolonged periods, and therefore can travel longer distances and infect susceptible hosts several meters away from the source.

With a Pulse Oximiter, is requires direct contact with the body, so would need to be constantly cleaned or barriered (and calibrated to work as such).

Also, the operator would need to instruct and interact with the subject. 

[anterian]

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

 I checked on Lazada and a fingertip Pulse Oximeter can be purchased for about $30 USD. 

apart from the fact that is about 3 times the normal price, this will check on lung function and haemoglobin levels. But early stage non symptomatic infection will not alter these. 

[sqwakvfr]

Richcor, great points.  In that case this device might be ideal for immediate family or self monitoring.

[rabas]

I bought one in early January when they were still cheap. It takes 10 seconds to get a first reading and then runs continuously.  It also shows a pulse train so I can see PVCs, which I've had all my life. Readings are very stable. I use it for breathing exercise when working on a computer.  

 

As for COVID-19, I though I read that low O2 can be an early indicator because it often affects mainly the lower lungs but I would read up on that. It's easy to wipe clean with alcohol so should be safe for family use with proper care.

[lopburi3]

Thought this was standard test at same time as blood pressure on any hospital visit (or stay).  It sure has been for me.  As said easy enough to keep clean.

[kwonitoy]

Bought one in April Lazada, there's lots of different types. Works great, I think mine was 1300 baht, but there are cheaper ones.

[Puccini]

A pulse oximeter is a tool that helps health personnel determine what level of oxygen, if any, a patient needs to be administered to help with his respiration. It is not a diagnostic tool for Covid-19 or any other disease, nor a preliminary test for SARS-CoV-2.

[Why Me]

10 minutes ago, Puccini said:

It is not a diagnostic tool for Covid-19 or any other disease, nor a preliminary test for SARS-CoV-2.

True, low blood oxygen isn't proof of C-19. But what I've read is that a dangerous consequence of C-19 can be lungs filled with fluid unable to sufficiently oxygenate blood without the patient realizing they are in trouble. An oximeter would at least set off an alarm.

 

The only trouble with having tools like this in the household is they can lead to obsessive behavior and people racing off to the hospital when a transient abnormal reading is due to something silly like a heavy meal.

[Puccini]

44 minutes ago, Why Me said:

True, low blood oxygen isn't proof of C-19. But what I've read is that a dangerous consequence of C-19 can be lungs filled with fluid unable to sufficiently oxygenate blood without the patient realizing they are in trouble. An oximeter would at least set off an alarm...

If my lungs were filling up with fluid, would I not have difficulty breathing and thus realise that I am in trouble? What would come first, shortness of breath or a low SpO₂ reading?

 

Quote

sometimes people with the disease have low oxygen levels even before they have shortness of breath, [Elissa Perkins, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center] says. “In COVID-19 patients, we often see that they look comfortable, but their oxygen saturation is significantly worse than normal.” For that reason, she says, a home pulse oximeter “could provide valuable additional information about their disease.”

Quote

Some public figures who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus, like CNN’s Chris Cuomo and Bravo’s Andy Cohen, have been using pulse oximeters in the hope of getting a measure of their lung function while they’re quarantined at home.

Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/medical-symptoms/covid-19-pulse-oximeters-oxygen-levels-faq/

 

In other words, you indeed have a point: home testing with a pulse oximeter can be useful during this Covid-19 pandemic, particularly for persons in high-risk groups, which many of us are.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Puccini
Added link to source

[Puccini]

6 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I am thinking about buying a Temperature Reader and a Pulse Oximeter.

I got mine in June last year on the recommendation of the pneumatologist who released me from hospital after treatment for a particularly severe bacterial pneumonia.

[CygnusX1]

2 hours ago, Why Me said:

True, low blood oxygen isn't proof of C-19. But what I've read is that a dangerous consequence of C-19 can be lungs filled with fluid unable to sufficiently oxygenate blood without the patient realizing they are in trouble. An oximeter would at least set off an alarm.

 

1 hour ago, Puccini said:

If my lungs were filling up with fluid, would I not have difficulty breathing and thus realise that I am in trouble? What would come first, shortness of breath or a low SpO₂ reading?

 

That’s what I’m confused about. Most accounts of people with a severe case involve a frightening feeling of shortness of breath, but in some cases the person doesn’t experience any respiratory distress at all, but has dangerously low blood oxygen levels. The latter resembles cases of people who are ascending to high altitude. I remember on a Himalayan trip many years ago, our expedition doctor was keen to try out his oximeter, which I think was new technology at the time. After measuring our levels in the 80s or even high 70s, he commented that had we been at sea level, he would have immediately sent us all to intensive care. We all felt great however, no respiratory distress at all.

[uhuh]

3 hours ago, Puccini said:

If my lungs were filling up with fluid, would I not have difficulty breathing and thus realise that I am in trouble? What would come first, shortness of breath or a low SpO₂ reading?

With covid 19, low SpO2 often comes first. 

That means patients don't realize they cannot breathe,  and they go to the hospital too late.

So a pulse oximeter is useful. 

 

There was another thread about pulse oximeters recently, whith some useful posts. 

[ExpatOilWorker]

I got a Beurer PO30. It is very accurate and I can get my O2 levels down to 79 when holding my breath. 

Edited May 10, 2020 by ExpatOilWorker

[cmarshall]

Apparently what happens with some Covid patients is that they lose lung capacity, but so slowly that they adapt and don't realize it.  One ICU doctor was astonished that he had to tell a patient to stop talking on a cellphone so that he could intubate the patient whose O2 level had dropped to 50%.  The pulse ox can give an early indication of reduced O2 uptake.  And that's important because there are steps they can take to improve your O2 level before it gets so bad that you have to go on a ventilator at which point you have 50% chance of dying.