The £20 gadget that could prove a lifesaver in coronavirus crisis – by checking your lungs
A GADGET that costs less than £20 could prove to be a lifesaver during the coronavirus crisis, a leading doctor has claimed.
Pulse oximeters clip over the fingertip or ear to measure blood oxygen levels in the body and tell you how well the heart and lungs are working.
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The matchbox-sized devices - which can be bought online or from shops like Argos - may be essential for those with serious lung problems.
Dr Nick Summerton, former adviser to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), told the they are even more useful now most GP consultations are being done remotely.
Pulse oximeters work by emitting a beat of light through the finger to a sensor on the other side of the unit.
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Oxygenated and unoxygenated blood absorbs light differently, so the device looks at the pattern of light to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood.
That reading is then displayed on its digital screen.
A number above 95 per cent is normal for a healthy person at rest.
But for people with conditions that cause breathing difficulties - often categorised under the term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - the figure can be much lower.
Those patients can use them to track changes in blood oxygen levels and determine whether or not their medication needs to be adjusted or even if they need to go to hospital.
The devices became common in GP practices around five years ago and more recently, people have started using them at home.
Doc's orders
But Dr Summerton has urged everyone with serious lung conditions to be issued with a pulse oximeter on prescription.
He says that it means patients can monitor their oxygen levels at home if they start developing coronavirus symptoms.
If their levels fall dangerously low, it could allow them to quickly alert their GP - without having to go to the surgery.
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This is vital because the device can pick up falling blood oxygen levels before a patient shows symptoms - such as breathlessness or blueness of the lips or fingers.
Dr Summerton said that monitoring blood oxygen levels could provide an early warning that their condition is deteriorating.
He recommends that when someone first gets a pulse oximeter, they should take an initial reading to gage what is a normal level for them.
"After that, if they get any Covid-19 symptoms, they should monitor it at home every few hours," he added.
"If their oxygen saturation drops by 2 or 3 per cent, they should call their GP, specialist nurse or 111."
Dr Summerton urged healthy people to avoid buying the devices as they are needed for people with severe lung conditions.
He added: "What we want to do is pick up people with coronavirus early. There is no need for your average fit 30-year-old to buy one. They need to be available for those who would really benefit from them."
Coronavirus symptoms generally are a persistent cough and a fever, but some will go on to develop breathing problems.
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The virus can multiply in the respiratory tract, which affects the airways, making it harder to breathe normally.
It can develop into a severe condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Those patients will be admitted to intensive care where they may need a ventilator to help get oxygen moving around the body.