Technology Connections [0] also has a great video about these awesome devices, although not that much in-depth in comparison to this website. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pZZ5AEEmek
Such a great channel and good explanation.
How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
91–100 of 128 posts
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It’s probably a leading indicator of COVID pneumonia This is incorrect. In some cases, COVID-19 causes blood O2 levels to drop, even while being otherwise asymptomatic. See: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/hcp/puls...
What is incorrect? COVID causes blood O2 to drop because it causes a viral pneumonia. Early stages of a viral pneumonia can be pre-symptomatic or entirely asymptomatic. Asymptomatic patients can still transmit COVID to others. Patients with low oxygen should seek medical attention because their pneumonia can get worse. Your source says “Many patients with COVID-19 disease have low oxygen levels even when they are fee…
> What is incorrect?
Your (uncited) claim that "These patients have low oxygen because of COVID pneumonia." There are plenty of sources out there[1] that talk about a strange, again, leading indicator, known as "silent hypoxia" which has nothing to do with pneumonia. Further, there's a lot of confusion in your post: if COVID ends up giving you pneumonia, you are definitionally not asymptomatic.
[1] https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/silent-hypoxia-cov...
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#93The Royal Melbourne hospital in Australia is using pulse oximeters to manage COVID positive patients in their own homes. The program was setup in March this year to manage a large number of patients remotely (cost/safety). The patients take their own measurements with a pulse oximeter and digital thermometer (both off the shelf consumer items). The person is prompted via SMS and submit their vitals via website. A sof…
Thank you for sharing this. In the program guide it says a temperature reading of > 42 degrees or an oxygen saturation of < 90 are the thresholds for a MET call. Is there a basis for these specific values or are they general approximations?
Chosen by the emergency doctors who headed the project. Sats being the more important. Those are default thresholds, but each they can be overridden per-patient.
As I understand it there is a lot of communication going between emergency teams and specialists around the world and the odd pre-publication paper. This work has come out of the RMH's emergency department. Full credit goes to Dr Martin Dutch who's idea the whole thing was. As best I know he came to the idea (tracking sats via cheap electronics to spot risky covid patients) quite early, and independently. He also built an initial prototype. I'm a developer who was brought in to build it out into a working system during the first phase of Australia's covid outbreak.
PS: If you're thinking about using the system, it's worth having a read through the redcap_design_overview.md documentation. Building something like this in a research-survey tool was not easy and there's plenty of things in the design that will be head-scratchers when seen for the first time. Now that the model is proven we'll hopefully build out a 'real' version of it at some point.
We're happy to assist where we can to see other hospitals (particularly resource-constrained ones) pick it up. The operating costs are very low (a server + sms gateway cost). The hospital has also open sourced some other covid tools developed this year.
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#94SO is an internal medicine doctor. When covid was ramping up at first and we thought there would be beds in school gyms and stuff the first thing she did was get a pulse oximeter off the internet.
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
IIRC, Fitbit has products on the market that has them. Works both on iOS and Android. https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2020/01/fitbit-adds-bl...
Wow they finally did it. After the hardware being there for _years_ they managed to get around to enabling the software. I already jettisoned them for Garmin after waiting so long.
They didn't really. The UI showing variation while sleeping (with an unlabeled y axis) is the only information that is surfaced to the user afaict.
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is incorrect? COVID causes blood O2 to drop because it causes a viral pneumonia. Early stages of a viral pneumonia can be pre-symptomatic or entirely asymptomatic. Asymptomatic patients can still transmit COVID to others. Patients with low oxygen should seek medical attention because their pneumonia can get worse. Your source says “Many patients with COVID-19 disease have low oxygen levels even when they are fee…
> What is incorrect? Your (uncited) claim that "These patients have low oxygen because of COVID pneumonia." There are plenty of sources out there[1] that talk about a strange, again, leading indicator, known as "silent hypoxia" which has nothing to do with pneumonia. Further, there's a lot of confusion in your post: if COVID ends up giving you pneumonia, you are definitionally not asymptomatic. [1] https://www.lung.o…
You are mistaken. You can have pretty much any diagnosis and there is no “definitional” reason you must be symptomatic.
Pneumonia is a diagnosis (well, class of), not a symptom nor a sign, which are distinct terms of art. You can have pneumonia that shows up on a chest X-ray (a sign) without any symptoms.
A better example might be high blood pressure, which many people understand can be silent/asymptomatic for years but is easily measurable.
Point still stands, symptoms are noticeable and reportable by the patient. If covid gives you pneumonia you may still be asymptomatic.
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#97Fun fact about pulse oximeters: in California EMTs are regulated so strictly that it is illegal for them to use a pulse oximeter as it is deemed "invasive". So if anyone is experiencing a medical emergency that could successfully be delayed following the algorithm involving checking blood O2, they better hope the EMT is experienced/lucky enough to suspect low O2 or that there's a paramedic or nurse on board. It's def…
Citation please? Page two of LA County Health Services's "EMT Scope of Practice" document lists pulse oximetry as part of the basic diagnostic process for EMTs. This would seem curious if state regulations forbid that. http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhs/206315_802.pdf
That's LA, here's California: https://emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2017/10/Scop...
EMTs in California are indeed allowed to use it, I must have learned something that was county specific, not state wide. My apologies.
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#98I measured myself at home in Mexico City and got 93%. I got kind of worried, knowing people sick with COVID-19 can have very low saturation levels without realising it. Then I remembered I was standing at about 2200 m above sea level. Lots of unexpected weirdness happens at high altutude
So was it really your oxygen saturation level, or was the measurement flawed?
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thank you for sharing this. In the program guide it says a temperature reading of > 42 degrees or an oxygen saturation of < 90 are the thresholds for a MET call. Is there a basis for these specific values or are they general approximations?
Chosen by the emergency doctors who headed the project. Sats being the more important. Those are default thresholds, but each they can be overridden per-patient. As I understand it there is a lot of communication going between emergency teams and specialists around the world and the odd pre-publication paper. This work has come out of the RMH's emergency department. Full credit goes to Dr Martin Dutch who's idea the…
What other tools did the hospital open source this year?
Re: How Pulse Oximeters Work (2015)
#100Went to a party last weekend where the host used a pulse oximeter (and thermometer) on everyone. Blood O2 level is apparently a leading indicator of COVID-19. Pretty cool stuff. The inner workings of it are actually quite simple as well, pretty amazing that it works as well as it does.
Was the host doing this for fun or screen the guests?