A new study shows how COVID patients can detect warning signs of severe complications early after a mild infection
A new study led by Imperial College London finds that people with mild COVID-19 infection can safely monitor their blood oxygen levels at home to detect symptoms that their health is failing and that they may require emergency and hospital care.
Pulse oximeters are easy-to-use, low-cost devices that shine light through a person’s finger to see how well their blood oxygen levels are. A drop in blood oxygen levels has been demonstrated to be a critical indicator that a COVID-19 patient’s health is deteriorating, necessitating closer monitoring and treatment.
The study, led by Imperial College’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, was the first to conduct a comprehensive analysis of pulse oximetry and its value in home monitoring for persons with COVID-19.
The study, which was published in Lancet Digital Health, looked at 13 studies with nearly 3,000 participants from five countries, the majority of which were conducted during the first pandemic wave.
Home pulse oximetry, the researchers discovered, can operate as a safety net for patients who can safely stay at home, minimizing unnecessary emergency and hospital admissions while detecting early signals of deterioration and escalating treatment in those who require it. This would help to conserve scarce resources while also limiting the virus’s potential transmission through contact in healthcare settings.
The researchers do caution, however, that there is a paucity of data on patients with darker skin, for whom oximetry may be less precise than in white people.
Based on their findings, the researchers proposed a set of key recommendations that can assist standardize the use of oximetry in home COVID-19 monitoring.
Notably, the study advises the use of a set cutoff point for blood oxygen levels (92 percent), which will enable healthcare practitioners to assess when a patient requires hospitalization for treatment or can be ruled out at the time.
According to Dr. Ahmed Alboksmaty, Research Associate at the Institute for Global Health Innovation: “Throughout the pandemic, concern among the public has shifted from ‘Have I got COVID?’ to ‘If I got COVID, do I need to go to hospital?’. Our study shows that people with COVID-19 can safely keep an eye on their blood oxygen levels at home using pulse oximetry. If their oxygen levels drop below a certain point, then this indicates that they need to seek professional medical care.”
“Pulse oximetry is easy to self-use, affordable in cost, widely available, and as we have shown, a useful way to identify health deterioration in COVID-19 patients.”
Some cellphones and mobile apps can also test blood oxygen levels, which the researchers believe could be a useful monitoring tool for the general public. While some studies have found that the new pulse oximeters are as accurate as standard pulse oximeters, the researchers determined that there isn’t enough data to advocate their usage for clinical monitoring just yet.
The study also discovered other evidence gaps, including inadequate data to evaluate if pulse oximetry can enhance patients’ health outcomes.
Dr. Ana Luisa Neves, an Advanced Research Fellow at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, added: “Our research has demonstrated how the use of pulse oximetry in remote patient monitoring could help ease the strains on health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“However, it’s vital to ensure that the current lack of research in racially and ethnically diverse populations is addressed. It’s therefore critical to provide support to ensure this technology reduces, rather than entrenches, existing health inequalities.”
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