Mum taken into hospital - low sats?

[crazynell]

Hi my 97 year old mum with mixed dementia got taken into hospital on Sunday night. The nursing home called an ambulance on GP advice and the paramedics rang me and told me her sats were low and she had a high temp and needed to go into hospital

Mum had been vomiting over the weekend. She's on the acute medical ward on IV antibiotics and oxygen, and they seem to be investigating the cause of the infection. She's going for a ultrasound scan today

They haven't told me what is the problem yet and this is made worse by the fact that the ward has closed itself to visitors due to a covid outbreak so I can't visit her.

Why would your sats be low. It seems to be more than a stomach bug doesn't it?

Low Sats are usually related to respiratory issues, such as a chest infection or asthma flare up.

That sounds so hard. I’m sorry.
Tbh all of the signs she has might be covid related.

Low sats can also happen without a chest infection/asthma etc, they can be caused by dehydration.

Thanks @LIZS that's what I thought, she is prone to chestiness if she gets a cold.
@PacificFish thanks. I wondered that as her nursing home has been in covid lockdown for the past two weeks. It's made worse as I live 50 miles away and my brother who lives 5 minutes drive away has covid himself

@bloodywhitecat dehydration is a possibility, but why then would they be doing an ultrasound scan?

Where are they scanning, I am guessing they are looking to rule out a blockage somewhere in her intestines? Chest x-rays are usually used in the first instance for suspected chest infections.

It doesn't look good does it?

Update - it's a chest infection and she's going back to her nursing home with antibiotics today