Here are some general guidelines to understanding oximeter readings and SpO2 values.
A healthy person should be able to achieve normal blood oxygen saturation levels (SpO2) of 94% to 99% consistently. For patients with mild respiratory diseases, the SpO2 should be 90% or above. Supplementary oxygen should be used if SpO2 levels falls below 90%, which is unacceptable for prolonged periods of time.
They say blood oxygen levels between 94 and 98 per cent are 'normal' But the study found drops below 96 per cent correlated with death It suggests Covid-19 patients told to stay at home needed. Normal arterial oxygen is approximately 75 to 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Values under 60 mm Hg usually indicate the need for supplemental oxygen. Normal pulse oximeter readings usually range from 95 to 100 percent. Values under 90 percent are considered low.
The blood oxygen level and the pulse rate, to a degree, are affiliated with each other but there is no strict direct correlation between the two. For example, a baby, a teenager a young adult and an elderly person in good health should all have a blood oxygen level of 94 or higher but the pulse in a baby can be 115 beats per minute while the other three people can average between 60 to 72 beats per minute. When you consider other variables like diet, and exercise regimen the range difference in pulse rate between people can be even more dramatic. A good example of such dramatic variations is marathon runners. Marathon runners can bring their pulse to as low as 35 beats per minute while maintaining a blood oxygen level of 97% or higher. This is due to the great conditioning of their bodies which makes the blood circulation so efficient that their hearts work very little to circulate the same amount of blood compared to non-runners.
Your Blood Oxygen Normal Values are dependent on your health condition, respiratory rate, percentage of oxygen in the air, activities you are performing, and other factors. Medical conditions like COPD, Asthma, Pneumonia, Lung cancer and cancer treatments like chemotherapy, smoking habit or vaping can affect the lungs capacity to transfer oxygen to the blood, thus bringing down your blood oxygen levels in a permanent way. For more details and answers to your questions visit your doctor's office.
Medicare will pay for oxygen therapy and oxygen equipment if your SpO2 readings are below 88%. If your blood oxygen saturation falls under 88% consistently, consult with a doctor immediately. Many doctors want their patients to have their SpO2 above 90%.
Sleep apnea may affect your SpO2 level. In fact, monitoring your SpO2 level while sleeping is a good way to measure your condition. To learn more about Screening for Sleep Apnea, visit Screening Sleep Apnea with Pulse Oximeters
Recently we have learned that Finger Pulse Oximeters are becoming an essential tool for detecting early Covid-19 caused Pneumonia in patients, even when they are not showing pneumonia symptoms, as reported by Doctor Richard Levitan in The New York Times article The Infection That�s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients
When tracking your oxygen levels in your blood pay attention to the trend. If you see anything unusual, it is time to consult your friendly doctor.
Under certain special conditions, a pulse oximeter may not give accurate results. You need to be aware of these limitations when interpreting the result.
Regardless of the reading, one should treat the patient first. The reading is only one of several important assessment criterions. Watch for symptoms of hypoxia or hypoxemia. Furthermore, pulse oximeter measures oxygen saturation, not breathing and does not indicate the removal of carbon dioxide from blood. Along with SpO2, one needs to record the respiratory rate to get an indication on breathing. If the patient is having supplementary oxygen, track the amount of oxygen also.
Take appropriate actions if the patient is not feeling OK. Emergency care may be required.
Monitor your pulse rate along with your SpO2. They are predictors of health problems. If you have abnormal readings even for a short period of time, see a doctor. Low or high pulse rate can indicate heart problems.
According to Dr. Fred Furgang in his article 'Hypoxia, Oxygen, and Pulse Oximetry,' a pilot should use supplemental oxygen if the oximeter reading is below 90%, maintain at 91-92% level when doing remedial tasks and above 93% with increased workload.
The amount of oxygen in the air, which decreases at higher altitude, would have a significant effect on a person's SpO2. A person may have a reading of 98% at sea level; it may decrease to 95% at 5,000 ft. and further to 90% at 10,000 ft. At altitude above 10,000 ft., a person may fail to adjust to the low level of oxygen and his SpO2 may drop below 80% resulting in hypoxic conditions.
Pulse oximeters are simple devices and interpreting its reading is not really complicated. In fact, it’s quite simple. But in order to really understand the device you have to understand the human body and how it functions.
What is Oxygen Saturation
Oxygen saturation means blood molecules are carrying the maximum amount of oxygen possible. If every bit of hemoglobin is carrying oxygen, then we would have a blood oxygen saturation of 100%. A healthy person with normal lungs, breathing at normal altitude, should have an oxygen saturation level between 95 percent and 100 percent.
We know that our blood is red. But there is a bit of nuance involved here, and that’s how pulse oximeters measure our blood oxygen levels. When blood is in our arteries, it has a bright red color, whereas when it in our veins it has a dark red color. The difference in color is due to the amount of oxygen in hemoglobin. By the time blood travels from arteries to veins, it has dispersed some of the oxygen it had been carrying.
What Does a Pulse Oximeter Measure
A pulse oximeter measures two physiological aspects of our body. First is the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin and the pulse rate in beats per second.
As the amount of oxygen in hemoglobin decreases, the color of blood changes along with it. The change can be detected by a pulse oximeter using light sensors. The device flashes beams of light that can penetrate the skin and reach the blood. When the light is reflected back towards the device, it is picked up by the sensors. The device can interpret the reflection and determine the color of the blood.
The color of the blood can then be used to determine the level of oxygen saturation in our blood. And through the saturation of blood, the device can indirectly determine, with reasonable accuracy, the amount of oxygen carried by our blood.
The device also measures our heart rate per minute. The reason for measuring our heart rate is to determine the signal strength of the device. It allows us to know if the device is working properly or not. In the case of a weak signal, we would know that the readings could be inaccurate. It serves as a fail-safe mechanism to minimize the potential for incorrect readings.
How to Interpret Pulse Oximeter Readings
As you can see, there is not much for us to do when using a pulse oximeter. It functions on a dual process system that allows us to know if the device is working properly or not. Moreover, every pulse oximeter comes with an alarm, which alerts us when our blood oxygen levels fall below a certain level.
So even if you don’t understand how to interpret pulse oximeter readings, you can still use it effectively to monitor your blood oxygen levels. But it is still important to understand how to interpret pulse oximeter readers.
Normal Range for Pulse Oximeter Readings
For a healthy adult, a normal reading typically ranges between 95 and 100 percent. However, the same wouldn’t apply to individuals suffering from lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although your physician will tell you what is normal for your specific condition, it is not uncommon for people suffering from lung diseases to maintain their pulse ox reading between 88 and 92 percent.
In the case of a healthy child, oxygen saturation levels tend to fluctuate between 96 and 100 percent. The range is similar to a healthy adult. But in the case of children, even a drop below 95% is a cause for concern and might result in a physician to order a medical intervention.
Conditions that May Yield Inaccurate Readings
It is extremely unlikely to have abnormally high blood oxygen levels. The only way high oxygen levels can occur is due to overuse of supplemental oxygen. This can only be detected using an arterial blood gas test, an invasive test for measuring blood oxygen levels.
Is 96 Blood Oxygen Good
There are some external interferences that can artificially yield low pulse ox readings. Strong and bright lights can affect the sensors’ ability to accurately measure our blood saturation level. Artificial nails and nail polish can also result in inaccurate and artificially low readings because it prevents light from penetrating through the extra layer.
How to Deal with Low Blood Oxygen Levels
Oxygen supplementation or oxygen therapy is the ideal way to boost oxygen saturation. However, oxygen supplementation is considered as a prescription medication, and your doctor must prescribe it.
A temporary drop in oxygen saturation is not believed to be harmful. But if your blood saturation continuously drops below normal levels, you will need to seek medical attention. Also, it important to follow your doctor’s advice when using oxygen therapy to avoid needless complications.
Summary
96 Blood Oxygen Covid
Now you should know how to interpret pulse oximeter readings. In fact, you should understand how the device functions, including the physiological aspects involved in the process. Before we end the article, a quick reminder, always remember to keep the alarm turned on.