Coronavirus: Pulse oximeter. How does it help in COVID-19 disease

Oxygen is all around us in the air that we breathe, and that is a good thing because we could not live without it. Oxygen is so important that it will lead to death if we are deprived of it for only a short time. 

Why is oxygen important to our bodies? 
Oxygen is needed so that the chemical energy from food, which our bodies need for life, can be liberated via oxidation. The chemical reactions have to transfer the electrons somewhere, and Oxygen has the second affinity in the periodic table, i.e., the reactions proceed fast and easily, so food energy converts to life rapidly 
Also, oxygen, as a pure element, has a standard entropy of 0, while carbonic acid has a high entropy at body temperature. This enables us to literally breathe off entropy from our bodies 

How much oxygen do we need to survive 
Normal levels of arterial blood oxygen are between 75 and 100 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). An oxygen level of 60mmHg or lower indicates the need for supplemental oxygen. Too much oxygen can be dangerous as well, and can damage the cells in your lungs. 

Pulse oximeter
Pulse oximeter is a device which measures the level of oxygen in the the blood. Giving the impact of the novel coronavirus on the Respiratory system, a drop is oxygen level in the blood is an early indicator of lungs being infected. 


How does Pulse oximeter help in detection COVID-19 detection 
The most important thing to look out for in COVID-19 patient is the drop in oxygen levels. When oxygen level drop really low, the kidneys, heart, brain and all the vital organs start deteriorating because they are not getting required amount of oxygen. 

Normal oxygen levels are above 95%. In COVID-19 levels drop significantly and can even drop to 40%. This called hypoxia. Normally, when oxygen levels drop, the patient feels breathless even if the Oxygen level drop below 90% 

The oximeter then become crucial in monitoring the oxygen levels even when an individual does not feel breathless. That allows medical professionals to know sooner that the patients is deteriorating. 

 Need of pulse Oximeter 
Pulse oximeter may be used to see if there is enough oxygen in the blood. This information is needed in many kinds of situations 
  • During or after surgery.
  • Procedure that use sedation 
  • To see how well lung medicine are working 
  • To check a person's ability to handle increase activity levels 
  • To see if a ventilator is needed to help with breathing, or to see how well it's working 
  • To check a person has moments when breathing stops during sleep (Sleep apnea) 
Pulse oximetry is also used to check the health of a person with any condition that affects blood oxygen levels such as 
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 
  • Pneumonia 
  • Lung cancer 
  • Asthma 
  • COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) 
  • Heart attack 
  • Heart failure 
  • Anemia 
Procedure for Pulse oximeter device 
In most cases, pulse oximeter will follow this process 
  1. A clip like device called probe will be placed on your finger or earlobe. Or a probe with sticky adhesive may placed on your forehead or finger 
  2. The probe may be left on for ongoing monitoring 
  3. Or it may used to take a single reading. The probe will be removed after test 
There is no need to panic and buy pulse oximeter for home use. If a COVID-19 postive patient feels uncomfortable, they can have their assessment done at the nearby hospital. All hospitals and most doctors have pulse oximeter. 

Conclusion 
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has seen people across the world stocking up on masks, sanitizers, and personal protective equipment, anything that can give them an advantage over the novel coronavirus. As the diseases spreads, the demand for a device like oximeter has spiked. So much so that tech companies are reportedly working on manufacturing smart watches with oximeter. 



Comments

  1. PurnaJuly 28, 2020 at 11:20 AM

    Very Informative post and really educative too.. thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prateek kambojJuly 28, 2020 at 10:11 PM

      Thanks Purna keep visiting on knowledge 06tree for more informative post

      Delete

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