As India battles the second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), oxygen concentrators have seen a renewed surge in demand, with disease-stricken patients and their relatives scrambling to get hold of one when faced with alarming drops in oxygen levels. Oxygen therapy has also emerged as a leading treatment in severe Covid-19 cases and as a helpful alternative to depleting stocks of liquid oxygen.
The coronavirus brings about a respiratory disease, meaning it affects our lungs and subsequently alters the otherwise normal, steady flow of oxygen from the lungs to the various cells within our body. When one contracts the coronavirus disease, it can cause the oxygen to drop to alarming levels
Oxygen level is measured by oxygen saturation, known briefly as SpO2. This is a measure of the amount of oxygen-carrying haemoglobin in the blood. A healthy individual with normal lungs will have an arterial oxygen saturation of 95% – 100%.
The World Health Organization (WHO) mandates that if the oxygen saturation level is 94% or lower, the patient needs to be treated quickly. SpO2 of less than 90% is a clinical emergency. Now, as per the Covid-19-related guidelines issued by the Union health ministry, the patient needs to be admitted to a hospital if the oxygen concentration goes down to 93% or lower, while that below 90% is classified as a severe disease, requiring admission in ICU.
The coronavirus brings about a respiratory disease, meaning it affects our lungs and subsequently alters the otherwise normal, steady flow of oxygen from the lungs to the various cells within our body. When one contracts the coronavirus disease, it can cause the oxygen to drop to alarming levels
Oxygen level is measured by oxygen saturation, known briefly as SpO2. This is a measure of the amount of oxygen-carrying haemoglobin in the blood. A healthy individual with normal lungs will have an arterial oxygen saturation of 95% – 100%.
The World Health Organization (WHO) mandates that if the oxygen saturation level is 94% or lower, the patient needs to be treated quickly. SpO2 of less than 90% is a clinical emergency. Now, as per the Covid-19-related guidelines issued by the Union health ministry, the patient needs to be admitted to a hospital if the oxygen concentration goes down to 93% or lower, while that below 90% is classified as a severe disease, requiring admission in ICU.
