PGIMER experts call for pulse oximeter test in COVID Care Centres

Naina Mishra

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 26

Experts have suggested the use of “pulse oximeter” in COVID Care Centres or home isolation for detection of blood oxygen saturation as an early warning sign in COVID-19 patients, the same technique which used in the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) to continuously monitor patients.

Recently with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of oxygen as a monitor to not only diagnose the lung damage but also monitor the treatment with various modalities has brought forth the use of this technology.

The Kejriwal-led government, recently, announced that the state was going to issue pulse oximeters to all COVID-19 patients in the capital, who were under home isolation.

The device usually costing Rs 1,500 rupee can be “advanced warning device” in COVID-19 patients.

Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method for monitoring a person’s oxygen saturation in the blood.

A team of experts from the PGIMER had also suggested the UT administration to carry out regular check oxygen saturation check of vulnerable people in the peripheral areas such as Bapu Dham Colony.

Prof GD Puri, Dean (Academics) and head, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGIMER, says: “Pulse Oximeter can be used as complete remote monitoring in community care. Unfortunately, a number of COVID Care Centre do not use it in routine practice and some do not have it in their armamentarium. In PGIMER, a pulse oximeter is used to remotely monitor the patients.”

Prof Puri explains: “COVID-19 patients may have ‘happy hypoxia’ (a term used as these patients may not feel breathless at rest especially while their oxygen tension in blood or pulse oximetry values may be low). If such patients can be detected early and the management started quickly then the associated complications can be minimized and the long-term outcome can be improved.”

“Though the COVID infection apparently involves lungs but the pathology it creates can affect brain, heart and other organs also through either involvement of blood vessels or through excessive coagulation,” said Prof Puri.

He added: “While 80 per cent of COVID-19 patients may be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic but some sub-clinical pathology may be going on in these. Though fever may make a person suspicious of some infection, simple monitors as pulse oximeters can not only detect the lung involvement but also hint about the early clinical deterioration.”

How walkers can test?

Prof Puri explains that normally oxygenation of blood was maintained even if a person did mild exercise or walks for five to six minutes. But in COVID-19 patients, with the tendency to deteriorate, this saturation could drop on exercise or walking briskly for five minutes.

“Individuals can carry their own simple test after a brisk walk or sit-ups for a short duration. If the saturations drop more than three to four per cent, one needs to be careful,” added Prof Puri.

Normal oxygen saturation in blood as measured by finger plethysmography sensors is 96 to 100 per cent depending upon the age and any chronic lung disease. Anything less than 96 in an otherwise healthy adult should raise a suspicion of some underlying lung pathology.