![]() “We’re working very fast with limited pre-existing data. One is that knowledge of the virus is rapidly changing, which means advice can shift, as it did when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its face mask recommendation in April to one that urges people to start wearing cloth masks in public. There are additional factors to consider, says Dr. However, in a recent New York Times opinion piece, an emergency physician from New Hampshire said if resources were directed toward earlier detection of silent hypoxia, doctors could do more to keep those patients off ventilators. The American Lung Association advises against buying pulse oximeters unnecessarily and recommends people focus their awareness on other COVID-19 symptoms. “In normal times, unless a patient has true lung disease, there is no need for them to use pulse oximetry monitoring,” says Denyse Lutchmansingh, MD, a Yale Medicine pulmonologist.īut these aren’t normal times. ![]() There is debate among doctors about whether or not people need a pulse oximeter in their medical supply kits at home. That’s why some people may want or need to monitor their oxygen saturation levels at home. It happens to patients both in the hospital and at home, but it is a particular problem in the latter case because the symptom may indicate severe COVID-19-related pneumonia, requiring a ventilator. What’s more, doctors report that some COVID-19 patients suddenly develop a condition called “silent hypoxia,” where people look and feel comfortable-and don’t notice any shortness of breath-but their oxygen levels are dangerously low. The logic is that shortness of breath, a symptom of the disease, may not be easy-or even possible-for a person to reasonably self-assess. Pulse oximeters started to fly off store (and online) shelves when people learned that low oxygen saturation levels can be a sign of COVID-19. It’s an electronic device that clips onto a patient’s finger to measure heart rate and oxygen saturation in his or her red blood cells-the device is useful in assessing patients with lung disease. But, there are other-more surprising-items like yoga mats, yeast, and, more recently, pulse oximeters. There has been a shortage of things one might expect: toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, and thermometers. It’s fair to say that the novel coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people shop-and also the items they shop for.
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