Covid-19 patients are arriving in hospital in a far worse state than they realised because of a condition called silent hypoxia, which makes treatment even more difficult.
A potentially life-saving solution in the form of a pulse oximeter, however, allows patients to monitor their oxygen levels at home.
At a cost of about £20 the oximeter will allow people to seek medical help immediately should oxygen levels in their blood drop too low.
Research suggests that even a slight reduction in oxygen levels can be a sign of Covid-19 complications.
A normal oxygen level in the blood is between 95 per cent and 100 per cent.
In an attempt to save lives, the NHS bought hundreds of thousands of oximeters (oxygen monitors) for patients with Covid-19 to use at home.
The Covid Oximetry at Home service was set up by NHS England as a way of making sure patients vulnerable to coronavirus are monitored at home and any deterioration picked up and treated quickly, increasing their chance of recovery.
Once a person tests positive for Covid-19, the test-and-trace service notifies their GP, which enables them to refer eligible people into the service – this includes people aged over 65, people under 65 who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people under 65 who are deemed high risk due to either ethnicity, a high BMI or those with medical problems.
These patients are given an oximeter to test their pulse, how much oxygen is in their blood and record the results.
People measure and record their oxygen levels with the device three times a day.
The results will show their GP if their health is improving or deteriorating – which means that they can intervene quickly if needed to get them treatment.
A pulse oximeter slips over the middle finger and shines a light into the body.
It measures how much of the light is absorbed to calculate oxygen levels in the blood.
If oxygen levels drop below 94 per cent, oximeter users are advised to speak to their GP or call 111. If they go below 92 per cent, people should go to A&E or call 999 for an ambulance.
Studies, which have not been reviewed by other scientists, suggest that even small dips below 95 per cent are linked to an increased risk of death.
Because of the way that Covid-19 attacks the lungs, doctors said everyone should have one.
Dr Matt Inada-Kim became the national clinical leader of the Covid Oximetry at Home project.
"With Covid, we were admitting patients with oxygen levels in the 70s or low or middle 80s," said Dr Inada-Kim, a consultant in acute medicine at Hampshire Hospitals.
He told BBC Radio 4's Inside Health: "The point of this whole strategy is to try to get in early to prevent people getting that sick by admitting patients at a more salvageable point in their illness."
Dr Inada-Kim said there is no definitive proof that the gadget saves lives and it could take until April to know for sure. However, the early signs are all positive.
"What we think we can see are the early seeds of a reduction in the length of stay after a hospital admission, an improvement in survival and a reduction in the pressures on the emergency services," he said.
He is so convinced of the role of oximeters that he said everyone should consider buying one.
"Personally I would, and I know a number of colleagues who have bought pulse oximeters to distribute to their loved ones," he said.
But the devices do have their downfalls.
Dr David Strain, a clinical academic at the University of Exeter Medical School and clinician at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, said that the oximeters used in hospitals “have a very good track record”.
“Our devices in hospital cost several hundred pounds, if not thousands of pounds in some places, so clearly the level of technology will be different between them and the technology you might buy in chemists for £20,” he said.
The machines may also work less well monitoring oxygen levels in black people.
A study from the US showed the devices can provide misleading results in more than one in 10 black patients.
Researchers analysed pulse oximetry measures of oxygen saturation and measures of arterial oxygen saturation in arterial blood gas from 1,333 white patients and 276 black patients admitted to hospital in 2020.
They found pulse oximeters overestimated oxygen levels 3.6 per cent of the time in white patients, but got it wrong almost 12 per cent of the time in black patients.
Nail varnish, tattoos and false nails can also affect a person’s reading, according to the British Lung Foundation, as can medical conditions including anaemia and Raynaud’s syndrome.
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
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