ThisOriginally Posted by Jason M
I only use them because I need to put an 02 sat in my admission assessment.
This
I only use them because I need to put an 02 sat in my admission assessment.
Good post. In an austere environment there is often not much you can do with the information. Good reading- comforting. Bad- what do you do? And a pulse oximeter is often a fair weather friend. It can give spurious or poor readings in less than ideal conditions cold patient, Vado constriction, bright ambient light, motion.
I like these ones myself because they offer a waveform, which you can somewhat use to verify that the reading you're getting from the machine isn't just artifact (sort of like white noise generated by movement, temp changes, poor circulation etc) that's messing with the number on the screen.
I keep one around on the off chance I get COVID really bad and it starts fucking my lungs up, or if anyone in the fam develops CHF, COVID, or COPD and I get called to their house to see if they're doing poorly (which, as mentioned above is usually pretty apparent in the first minute I spend with them).
Overt tachypnea, a resp rate of more than 20 (really for me to be worried it's gotta be in the 30s, but that's just the insouciance of a critical care nurse), retractions, abnormal breath sounds, diaphoresis, chest pain, color changes (in the lips) are always the alarm bells. Probably more than a pulse ox in many cases.
COVID was sort of the wrench in the works that made me get one just because some COVID patients are completely asymptomatic and have a verifiable pulse ox in the 70s which is fucking bananas to me, but hey whatever 2020 was weird.
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I think you may have been the person who suggested that one because of the waveform.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
FWIW I have had a $40 day pulse Ox for a couple years. Nice to have item I kept in my car. I had used them as a FF/EMT - they were valuable items back in the day to confirm a visual diagnosis.
Last year I ordered a dozen at $10 and gave them to all my family and close friends as COVID party favors….
To be accurate, I did not order them until after a 42yoa buddy of mine spent a few days at the 90-92% oxygenation level with COVID. Unfortunately at the time, the hospitals were “busy” and he never got admitted at 90% oxygenation, but did spend some quality time in the ER. Exactly the scenario where a home pulse ox would pay off.
After that, I realized that most of family and friends had the skill levels to benefit from the pulse ox diagnostics if they got into a COVID situation. Had an aunt use it for some CHF assessment, but otherwise one of those blessedly worthless gifts, which gladdens the heart!
These are so cheap now that there's no reason not to get one
A friend got me one in the depths of the panicdemic.
Her husband was running scary low with no other symptoms.
I am a prospect for an Apple Watch with fall alarm but don't know if I need running pulseox, or ekg.
Code Name: JET STREAM
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