Oximeter readings

[hermionegrange]

What is a normal reading on an oximeter, what's low and when do you need support?

Not medical but I think I've read 96 to 100 is normal and I think 111 says to seek support if under 92.

Depends if you have lung disease etc. In a healthy person above 95%

Mine was 84 when I was taken to hospital with double pneumonia. This was many years ago but I’ve never forgotten that number!

Thank you.
Mine always comes up at 98-99, as do my two children.
My husbands comes up at 94-95 always. He said this has always been the case - why might they be?

Does he have some kind of chronic lung disease?

94% + for a healthy person, but most healthy people’s seem to be over about 96%.

If you have COPD and retain CO2 then your range would be 88-92%.

Though I’m not a doctor, so happy to be corrected.

Some people do have lower oxygen levels generally - due to longer term lung issues, smoking, etc etc.

My son has recently had oximetry studies done and they told me they were looking more for drops of more than 5% from his average level when asleep. (His levels at night were typically 96-97, but dropped below 90 on multiple occasions, as low as 81, which was their trigger for further investigation / referral.) I suspect during the day they’d be looking for sustained low levels but I could be wrong.

When DT2 had whooping cough as baby, his o2 levels dropped to low 70s during a nicu check up and they called an ambulance to take him across the street as he needed oxygen immediately.

Did your husband ever smoke or is he very overweight?

Normal is mid to high 90s.

My lungs are fucked and my sats are normally 86-91 (I've got my own pulse oximeter )

I just bought one and I seem to pretty much always get 95. Should I see GP after all this is over to see why it's not higher?

Dd was 87% when she had pneumonia.
Dh has lung problems his was regularly in the mid and upper 80's when he was very ill. Now he's much better he's around 98% so long as he stays well.

He used to smoke socially on nights out but only for a few years, he's only 27. No lung conditions that we are aware of!

I was discussing with a COVID nurse today. She said 94 is considered a concern in general, but they are COVID they are admitting those with 92.

92% is the usual threshold for medical intervention but people’s baselines vary anyway. That threshold is alongside other signs of respiratory distress.

Our son’s have chronic lung disease and have a tracheostomy and ventilator. We do use a sats monitor but try not to get too focussed on the numbers. More reliable signs that that they are heading for trouble:

• rapid respiration rate
• sweating
• tracheal tug
• nasal flaring
• recession
• shoulder shrugging
• head bobbing
• changes to pallor

Please don’t stress about a lower baseline, you would never usually be aware of this and have obviously been fine until this point. Also odometers often lie!