Unless you have other potential health problems, such as COPD, the normal oxygen level measured by a pulse oximeter is about 97%. When the level drops below 90%, doctors will start to worry because it will affect the amount of oxygen entering the brain and other vital organs. People feel confused and lethargic at low levels. Levels below 80% are considered dangerous and increase the risk of organ damage.
The level of oxygen in the blood depends on many factors. It depends on the amount of oxygen in the air you breathe in and its ability to pass through tiny air sacs into the blood at the very end of the lungs. For COVID-19 patients, we know that the virus can damage the tiny air sacs, filling them with fluid, inflammatory cells and other substances, thereby preventing oxygen from flowing into the blood.
Generally, people with low oxygen levels feel uncomfortable and sometimes even seem to be pumping air. This can happen if the windpipe is blocked or if too much carbon dioxide accumulates in the blood, triggering your body to breathe faster to exhale it.
It is not clear why some COVID-19 patients have such low oxygen levels without feeling unwell. Some experts believe that this is related to lung vascular damage. Normally, when the lungs are damaged, the blood vessels contract (or become smaller) to force blood to the undamaged lungs, thereby maintaining oxygen levels. When infected with COVID-19, this response may not work properly, so blood flow even continues to the damaged areas of the lungs, where oxygen cannot penetrate the bloodstream. There are also newly discovered “microthrombi” or tiny blood clots that prevent oxygen from flowing into the blood vessels of the lungs, which may cause oxygen levels to drop.
Doctors are divided on whether the use of pulse oximeters for home oxygen level monitoring is helpful, because we have no clear evidence to change the results. In a recent review article in The New York Times, an emergency doctor recommended home monitoring of patients with COVID-19 because they believed that information about oxygen levels might help some people seek medical attention early when oxygen levels start to drop .
For those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or have symptoms strongly suggesting infection, it is most beneficial to check oxygen levels at home. Monitoring the oxygen level can reassure you that you will experience shortness of breath, ebb and flow during the course of the disease. If you find that your level has dropped, it can also help you know when to ask your doctor for help.
However, it is important to note that it is possible to receive false alarms from the oximeter. In addition to the risk of equipment failure, wearing dark nail polish, fake nails, and small items such as cold hands may cause the reading to drop, and the reading may vary slightly depending on your location. Therefore, it is important to track your level trends and not to react to individual readings.
Post time: Dec-18-2020