Oxygen 88% not in hospital?

[justanothermumsy]

My son has what I think is pneumonia. He's 10. I took him to the gp this morning and his Sp02 (oxygen saturation) was 88%. I know this is low. Should he not have been sent to hospital? He's prescribed him a week of antibiotics

So he doesn’t have pneumonia, he has a chest infection and the antibiotics will soon kick in. If you feel he is deteriorating after 24 hours of the meds, call the GP again.

Do you have a home monitor to keep an eye on it? Did you ask the GP about it? I would be very concerned under 90, slightly concerned under 95.

How are his other symptoms?

My son had pneumonia at this age and was admitted to hospital with sats that low so I would take him to A&E to be sure. Hope he's ok xx

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/lungs-and-airways/pneumonia/

I would have thought it would be hospital as under 90 -it’s worth a 111 call to check

Just googled to check and it says if saturation level is 88 or lower straight to a and e - I didn’t know if that was just for younger kids but that’s for all ages inc adults so definitely worth checking again op

You don’t know he doesn’t have pneumonia. I had ‘walking’ pneumonia and my 1 year old has just had it too. Swabs are needed to diagnose it.

OP if you aren’t happy get a second opinion. It took 3 GP visits and a hospital admission before someone took me seriously and swabbed her. Her oxygen was still in the 90s and so I kept getting told it was viral. Anything below 95 gets us sent to hospital here.

This is quite some claim. You don’t even have a description of his symptoms.

I would get a oxygen monitor straight away and test again. unless it has come up, I would go to A and E. I went to A and E with pneumonia last year. It took about 12 hours to be seen, then I was admitted. If I had waited until the last minute I could have deteriorated and died in those 12 hours. Better go sooner rather than later

Trust your gut here. I'd present to A&E

I would go to a and E and an surprised the dr didn’t tell you to go there with oxygen that low. Hope he feels better soon

Yes, I would go to A&E. My son struggled with his breathing as a toddler with asthma and we were always kept in until his sats were reliably above 94.

Wasn't the covid guidance under 90 was hospital? For a child at 88 I would go to a and e

Is it fluctuating and dipping to 88 and then in low mid 90s I’d honestly treat at home. You have antibiotics and The bar is so low in the nhs you will get minimal treatment anyway
if you see any worrying deterioration I’d go in

if it’s consistently at 88 or lower I’d go in. Bring snacks water and anything else you’ll need.
It’s a really unpleasant and uncomfortable place to be with a baby or toddler and not much better with an older child I imagine

i say this based on my own personal paed A&e admission a couple of months ago. my newborn was struggling to breathe and o2 was dipping between 85 and 92
in our trust consistent under 90 was the threshold for obs. We were borderline and they said we could go home or stay for 12 hrs obs.
we went home… and got an oxygen monitor on amazon
it was delivered in 9 hours

If he has a chest infection then pneumonia is likely. It's the term for fluid in the lungs, the antibiotics should accelerate how quickly it clears though.

Under 90 he should have been sent. Take him to a and e and they can make sure he's on the right antibiotics and see if he needs a bit of oxygen support while they kick in, especially as levels naturally drop lower whilst asleep.

Are you mad?
A child under 90 most definitely needs A&E

Sats monitors can be unreliable if they don't fit well (small fingers), if hands are cold, if the person moves etc. Did the doc leave it on for a while or just say "88%, yep that's fine, off you go"?

Could you get a message to the doctors asking why a&e wasn’t indicated at 88% saturation? I appreciate my gp surgery is a rarity in that the office staff pass on messages and relay them back. Eg I got home the other week, thought about the advice (like you are) called and spoke to the receptionist who passed on meaaage to dr.

dr called me an hour later having conferred with colleagues and reconsidered their initial advice.

I agree with pp that below 90 usually indicates hospital, unless it is fluctuating up and down.

You absolutely sure it was his sats that were consistently 88 with a good trace and not his heart rate?

Thats sounds strange that you weren’t advised to go in if it was consistently at 88%. Or was it that it fluctuated to a low of 88% during the readings? That would be very different and might mean the doctors response is highly reasonable.

Paediatric nurse, yes if he says really we're 88% yes, he does need oxygen. Was it a good trace on the machine? The slightest movement, will mean it's not true reading.

My kids have both been hospitalised on nebulisers and oxygen with sats that low.

Depends what you mean by 88. If 88 is just what you saw on the screen briefly then it's possible (likely even) that it didn't stay there. He may have spent several minutes at mid 90s when you couldn't see the monitor.

If it sat at 88 for a chunk of time and you observed that, then you may be spot on that the Dr is not being cautious enough. Absolutely take to a&e if that's the case.