With a pulse oximeter, you can monitor your oxygen levels and have a better measure for whether you need to contact your healthcare provider.

Some COVID-19 patients have dangerously low levels of oxygen, which is being called “silent hypoxia.”

Coronavirus patients' oxygen levels fall dangerously low – without shortness of breath https://t.co/MftJB6p98D

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 23, 2020

When your body doesn’t have enough oxygen, you could get hypoxemia (low oxygen in your blood) which may lead to hypoxia (low oxygen in your tissues) when your blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to your tissues to meet your body’s needs. These are dangerous conditions. Without oxygen, your brain, liver, and other organs can be damaged just minutes after symptoms start.

Many doctors are recommending that individuals testing positive for COVID-19 monitor their oxygen levels at home with a pulse oximeter. Pulse oximeters are devices you place on your fingertip to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood. These devices use small beams of light that pass through your finger to measure how much oxygen your blood is carrying and your pulse.

Normal oxygen level

A normal oxygen level measured by a pulse oximeter is around 97%. Medical experts start to worry oxygen level drops under 90% because this can affect the amount of oxygen going to your brain and other vital organs. Levels below 80% are considered dangerous and increase the risk of organ damage.

Usually, people with low oxygen levels appear uncomfortable, sometimes even to the point of appearing to be gasping for air. Although, doctors do not clearly understand why some COVID-19 patients have such low levels of oxygen without appearing uncomfortable.

Doctors are divided on whether home monitoring of oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter. In an opinion piece for The New York Times, one ER doctor recommended home oxygen monitoring for patients with COVID-19 because they “believed that information about oxygen levels may help some people seek care earlier if their oxygen level begins to drop”.

Benefits of using a pulse oximeter

Checking oxygen levels at home is beneficial for those diagnosed with COVID-19 or with symptoms that are highly suggestive of infection.

Monitoring your oxygen levels can provide reassurance. If you notice your oxygen levels dropping, you can reach out for medical help.

“The key to taking care of yourself at home with COVID-19 is to carefully monitor your symptoms, especially coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and fever, and to inform your healthcare provider about any worsening symptoms. “Paying attention to how you’re feeling is your best guide,” Michael S. Lipnick, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesia and critical care at the University of California, San Francisco, says.

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory illness. Most cases of COVID-19 are relatively mild and can be treated at home. Its symptoms are fever, dry cough, and, sometimes, shortness of breath. These range from mild to severe, and the most serious cases can be fatal, particularly in people who are older or have underlying medical conditions.

References:

1. https://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/hypoxia-hypoxemia#2
2. https://blogs.webmd.com/webmd-doctors/20200428/what-is-a-pulse-oximeter-and-can-it-help-against-covid19
3. https://www.consumerreports.org/medical-symptoms/covid-19-pulse-oximeters-oxygen-levels-faq/