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New Delhi: When a 22-year-old and very pregnant Covid-19 patient was having difficulty breathing, doctors at Jaipur Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) had to first find out if it was due to her pregnancy or illness.
“An x-ray could have revealed if the patient had pneumonia, but it would have (had) a deleterious effect on the fetus,” said Dr. Sheetu Singh, one of the Covid-19 doctors at RUHS and an assistant professor at the Institute of Respiratory Disease , SMS Medical College, Jaipur.
Instead, the doctors used a pulse oximeter to check the oxygen levels in the woman’s blood. The reading showed that his levels were still normal, which meant that his respiratory problems were unrelated to coronavirus disease.
A simple but effective tool, pulse oximeters have been useful in the treatment and management of Covid-19.
Oximeters are small clip-on devices that are commonly attached to a patient’s fingers. Until now it has been used in people suffering from respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung disease, asthma and others.
The readings are taken in percentages; If between 88 and 95 percent, oxygen saturation is considered normal, below 88 percent, the patient is said to be in a state of hypoxia (low oxygen levels) and needs immediate hospitalization and therapy. oxygen.
“For pulmonologists, oximeters and stethoscopes are very important tools,” said Singh. With stethoscopes, given their limited benefits and the tendency to spread infection, now considered less important, oximeters have become absolutely necessary to determine what patient health is deteriorating.
Also read: Oxygen therapy or ventilators? Indian doctors reconsider the best option for critical cases of Covid
Covid-19 and hypoxia
Pneumonia is a common symptom of Covid-19. It is the condition when the lungs fill with fluid and pus, which causes a person to have difficulty breathing. The rapid rate of respiration tightens the lung muscles, resulting in decreased oxygen level while carbon dioxide level increases within the body.
This imbalance causes changes in the alkalinity (acidity levels) of the blood and can cause heart failure and death, Singh said.
Patients suffering from hypoxia should be transferred to a tertiary care center and receive an oxygen supply. They also must undergo an arterial blood gas test, which records oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood. This helps to adjust the amount of oxygen to be administered to a patient.
Also read: How we lost time in the race for a Covid-19 cure
Now in fever clinics
In pulmonology, oxygen saturation levels are the fifth vital sign that is examined daily, apart from pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiratory rate. This is also true for all Covid-19 cases.
Fever clinics in Karnataka and Maharashtra that are used to track Covid-19 cases now rely on oximeters to detect patients with flu-like symptoms.
“We take a detailed medical history of all patients, (and) those with low oxygen saturation receive immediate medical attention,” said Vijay Khabale, director of public relations for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
“It would be advisable to make them readily available in all general medicine clinics to detect hypoxia early,” said Dr Om Srivastava, infectious disease specialist, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai.
Should you get it at home?
Much has been written about “Happy hypoxia” or silent hypoxia where patients with Covid-19 do not feel the symptoms of dyspnea but have dangerously low oxygen levels. An oximeter can help with this, as it can warn such a patient about when to get to a hospital before their condition deteriorates.
Oximeters sold online for homes cost around Rs 3,000, while those in the hospital are worth around Rs 1 lakh.
However, doctors say it is not an absolute necessity to have one at home.
“It is an interesting question, but we are not currently seeing many cases where oxygen levels have decreased without symptoms,” said Dr. Karan Madan, assistant professor, pulmonary medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi . “We cannot recommend home use at this time,” he said.
Dr. Sheetu Singh agreed.
“Most of the Covid-19 patients who have shown signs of respiratory distress show dyspnea … it is still the most important symptom to consider.”
For those who still want to have a pulse oximeter at home, remember that there are possibilities of faulty readings, whether due to old batteries, extremely cold temperatures, and the application of nail paint and mehendi, added Dr. Singh.
Also read: 40-paise an antacid pill is a new hope to treat Covid, Modi wants to stock up
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