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This reminds me of a great interview with two ER doctors on Amanpour (PBS) two weeks ago. Pulse oximeters can be used to help detect which patients need hospita
by sebmellen 6y ago
This reminds me of a great interview with two ER doctors on Amanpour (PBS) two weeks ago. Pulse oximeters can be used to help detect which patients need hospitalization before they themselves notice, with astounding results.
I really recommend the episode: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/how-earlier-covid-diagnosis-and-treatment-saves-lives/ https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/how-earl...
Here's another article on a hospital implementing the early monitoring program https://www.nny360.com/news/publicservicenews/samaritan-utilizing-new-program-to-monitor-covid-patients-at-home/article_9378fe64-e639-598d-8df4-8232699f6cd4.html https://www.nny360.com/news/publicservicenews/samaritan-util....
> With the oximeter, Samaritan is asking patients to keep track of its measurements twice a day and to write the readings down. Then Home Health follows up with telehealth visits, either over the phone or via Zoom on days two and four, as well as days seven and 10.
- danesparza 6y agoThis is happening now in hospitals with Covid-19. I know, because I'm married to a nurse. Nurses call them "happy hypoxics" because they have no idea their SPO2 levels are dangerously low -- but a pulse oximeter clearly indicates they need additional oxygen.
- treeman79 6y agoI had a pulmonary embolism‘s was white as a ghost struggling to breathe and that dang meter said everything was fine. Even the bloodwork at the hospital said everything was fine. Lost some lung over that and took a year to recover.
- graeme 6y agoDifferent use case: here you can have someone with covid with no perceptible symptoms but low blood o2 tells doctors it is an emergency. Whereas presumably you had some symptoms that were ignored?
- lostlogin 6y agoA negative D-dimer in someone with a PE sounds rare - the test has a negative predictive value of 95.7%. I’m guessing that OP managed to complain enough or be sick enough (but with normal O2 sats?) to get a CT. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736467908000309 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S07364...
- treeman79 6y agoD timer was normal. I was told it was muscle strain. They ran an X-ray to be safe. Just after they rushed me to get a CT. I was admitted. Fun times. Turns out I have factor 5 Leiden, I clot like crazy
- nradov 6y agoYou might have been going into shock. A pulmonary embolism can block blood flow to part of a lung and kill that tissue but it won't necessarily cause SpO2 to drop much. Patients who are otherwise healthy have extra lung capacity to spare.
- treeman79 6y agoSounds reasonable. It was only one lung that had a clot. Heart was racing for months Afterwards Walk 30 feet. 170bpm for ten minutes.
- atc 6y agoMy brother had fairly severe COVID-19 symptoms -- fatigue, feaver, very bad chest -- and he was sent home from hospital due to there not being any beds (and him not being serious enough a case I suspect) with the instruction to monitor his blood oxygen through an Oximeter as you suggestion: e.g. "95 for > 30 mins and you should come back."
- nradov 6y agoThe current clinical recommendation for ambulatory COVID-19 patients at home is to go to the hospital if the pulse oximeter reading drops below 94%. Accurate pulse oximeters are cheap now so it's a good item to keep in your home first aid kit. https://covid19criticalcare.com/i-mask-prophylaxis-treatment-protocol/i-mask-protocol-translations/ https://covid19criticalcare.com/i-mask-prophylaxis-treatment...
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- thebean11 6y agoMine frequently drops to the low 90s (or even 80s) based on the Apple watch, despite normally being 98-100. I'm certainly not in good shape, but still, should I be worried?
- sp332 6y agoWell I don't think it sounds like Covid-19 specifically, but it wouldn't hurt to get that checked out. It's not something that happens to most people, if that's what you're asking.
- nradov 6y agoWrist devices are generally not very accurate. I mean they can be accurate under ideal conditions, but if you're moving around a lot or sweating or the band is loose or you have dark or hairy skin then you might get a low reading. Better to use a real pulse oximeter that clips onto your finger. They're cheaper than an Apple Watch.
- bobthepanda 6y agoWasn‘t there also a thing with the finger oximeters as well? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/health/oximeters-covid-black-patients.amp.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/health/oximeters-covid-bl...
- jhayward 6y ago
- pkaye 6y agoI would say thought that if your hands are cold, warm them up before you take a pulse oximeter reading.
- linuxftw 6y agoMore than 2 doctors have reported positive effects with certain drugs to treat the infection, but those people are lambasted. What makes this anecdotal evidence any different? Shouldn't we report this as misinformation since it didn't come from an approved source such as the CDC or WHO?
- sebmellen 6y agoI think it's definitely more than anecdotal! Take a look at the video — they're running large trials at a number of hospitals already. And I think the two doctors share your same gripe, expressing frustration at the CDC not taking action to recommend these steps earlier.
- vvram 6y agoThis has been standard practice in India for a while now https://mumbai.apollohospitals.com/covid-19-update/stay-i-at-home.html https://mumbai.apollohospitals.com/covid-19-update/stay-i-at... Package includes oximeter, test sample collection, PPE supplies and optional food drop off. Includes a zoom cal with nurse/doctor at regular touchpoint intervals to facilitate hospitalisation