Scientists from Imperial College London found measuring blood oxygen levels at home is a safe way for people with COVID-19 to spot signs that their health could be deteriorating, and they may need emergency and hospital care
Pulse oximeters are widely available, low-cost devices that shine light through a person’s finger to assess their blood oxygen saturation.
Evidence has shown that a fall in blood oxygen levels is a critical indicator that a COVID-19 patient’s health is deteriorating and they may need closer monitoring and urgent treatment.
In the study, the team examined 13 studies involving almost 3,000 participants across five countries, most of which were carried out during the first pandemic wave.
The scientists found that with medical guidance, home pulse oximetry can act as a safety net, reducing unnecessary emergency and hospital admissions for patients who can safely stay at home, while spotting early signs of deterioration and escalating care in those who need it.
This would help to save stretched resources, and reduce the further potential spread of the virus from contact in health settings.
However, the researchers note a lack of research on darker-skinned patients, for whom oximetry may be less accurate than in white people.
Based on their findings, the researchers put forward a set of key recommendations that can help standardize the use of oximetry in-home COVID-19 monitoring.
Importantly, the study recommends the use of a defined cutoff point in blood oxygen levels (92%), which will enable healthcare professionals to determine when a patient needs to go to the hospital for treatment, or whether they can rule out the need for further care at the time.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about how dangerous the new COVID-19 variant is and a universal antibody therapy for all COVID-19 variants.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies about the cause of persistent breathlessness after COVID-19, and results showing Pfizer vaccine can successfully treat COVID-19.
The research is published in Lancet Digital Health and was conducted by Dr. Ahmed Alboksmaty et al.
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