# Relationship of Covid-19, Pneumonia, and Pulse Oximeters



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

A friend sent me an article about the relationship between Covid -19 virus and pneumonia. It is a rather long article with a lot of medical terminology and detail. The article was written by a Pulmonary M.D., a doctor specializing in the lungs. I will try to summarize the article in as few words as possible.

*Covid-19 is a virus that attacks the air sacks on the interior of the lungs. Pneumonia is a lung disease that compromises the lungs (air sacks) ability to transfer oxygen to the blood stream to supply energy to the vital organs. The way this works in concert is a patient is infected with Covid-19 and that infection attacks the air sacks within the lungs. This results in pneumonia and some, if not all, of the air sacks cease to transfer oxygen to the blood stream and then to the vital organs. The vital organs begin to shut down due to a lack of oxygen. As vital organs (brain, heart, lungs, stomach, intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, endocrine glands, etc) shut down, death ensues. The cause of death is pneumonia as a result of the Covid-19 virus. The patient would not have developed pneumonia if it were not for the Covid-19 infection. Not everyone who gets pneumonia dies. It is survivable if caught in the early stages.

The Doctor says that the way Covid-19 works is not fully understood yet. Most patients show typical symptoms such as temperature, coughing, difficulty in breathing, etc. These tend to be the patients that survive since these patients are showing the early stages of pneumonia. However, there are a significant number of patients that show no, or minor symptoms (headache, minor diarrhea, etc.) although they are infected with Covid-19 and pneumonia is advancing in the lungs. At some point, the vital organs begin an immediate and cataclysmic shut down and the patient is rushed to the E.R. with advanced pneumonia. They are put on a respirator but it is too little too late, only about 10% of those put on a respirator survive. Death is almost certain in these cases within 24 to 48 hours after arriving at the hospital.

The Doctor advises that early detection of pneumonia is vital to increase chances of survival. Fortunately, detection of early stages of pneumonia is relatively easy in the home. He recommends that everyone should have a PULSE OXIMETER in the home alongside the common thermometer. The Pulse Oximeter does NOT detect Covid-19 but it will detect early stages of pneumonia. It does measure oxygen levels in the blood stream. It is a relatively inexpensive device, small in size, and so easy to use, a cave man (HavaPopi) can do it.
*
After reading the article, I was sold on a Pulse Ox. I researched on the Internet for the highest rated units with the highest rated customer satisfaction. The top brands that consistently came up included Acurite, Innova, and others. The prices ranged from $20 to $100 per unit. I then searched mail order sites (Amazon, Ebay, manufacturer's websites, etc.) and everything was sold out with no known date when they would be available. GRRRRRR! So I did the unthinkable. I decided to go to the local drug stores to see what they might have in stock. I donned mask, gloves, sanitizer, and ventured out. My first stop was the large chain drug store, Rite-Aid. They were moderately busy but still very easy to keep 20 feet social distance. Annnnnnnd PAYDIRT! I found they had TWO ChoiceMMed 300C20 brand Pulse Oximeter in stock, right there on the shelf in front of my trembling hand! This is not the highest rated unit, but it is in the top ten with 4 out of 5 stars. They are manufactured in, of all places, China (wink, wink) The price was $49.95. The price used to be $35 but as a result of US tariffs on Chinese products the price has gone up. Thank you Mr. so-called president, you make my life so wonderful and Make America Expensive Again! Pulse Ox's are not manufactured in the US other than hospital grade units that cost several hundred dollars each because of price gouging by US manufacturers. So what US industry are we protecting from these home use Pulse Ox's?

So I returned home with my find. Upon entering the house, I washed my hands first and then unboxed my treasure, inserted the two 3AAA batteries, and fired it up. You insert your index finger into a little clamp (no blood is drawn) and a measurement is taken within seconds. I read the instructions and it will not work with fingernail polish or acrylic nails, so HavaPopis you need to remove that first, as I did. Normal blood oxygen saturation levels should read between 94% and 100% (the device also reads heart pulse rate). I tested Ricky's Momi first. She tested 98% blood oxygen saturation. :whoo: Then I tested Ricky's Popi. He tested 96% blood oxygen level. Again :whoo: So neither Momi nor Popi have any indication of early stages of pneumonia (even though it is theoretically possible we have a mild case of C-19). :whoo: It is recommended that the Pulse Ox be used on a daily basis until a viable vaccine for Covid-19 is developed. We are going to beat this thing!

Oh, I said Rite-Aid had TWO on the shelf, Momi is sending me over this morning to purchase the other one (if it is still there) as a gift for our daughters and their partners to co-use. Both are essential employees and work in the on-site education and health care fields in the Los Angeles area. Both are high risk.

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

They aren't a bad thing to have around anyway if you have asthma in the family. I had to learn what "asthma lungs" sound like when my kids were little. The TROUBLE is that in a VERY bad asthma attack, the squeaks and rattles can go away because the bronchioles aren't letting ANY air through anymore. Then there are other signs that your kiddo is in trouble, but if we'd had a pulse ox in those days (they had them at the hospital, but they didn't have home units then) it would have been SO much easier. Now they SUGGEST them for parents of kiddos with asthma. (even before Covid. That's why the drug stores have them)


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Then there are other signs that your kiddo is in trouble, but if we'd had a pulse ox in those days (they had them at the hospital, but they didn't have home units then) it would have been SO much easier.


Darn those Chinese, how dare they try to make our lives safer and more comfortable. I heard on Faux Gnus that the C-19 virus is a Chinese Communist government plot so they can sell more $50 Pulse Oximeters. It must be true if I heard it on that channel!

Ricky's Popi


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Darn those Chinese, how dare they try to make our lives safer and more comfortable. I heard on Faux Gnus that the C-19 virus is a Chinese Communist government plot so they can sell more $50 Pulse Oximeters. It must be true if I heard it on that channel!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


:doh::smash:


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

Ha! Read the same article and made the same decision to order one, after research. Mine was going to take about ten days to arrive via Amazon but got a notice it was coming much sooner. A new toy to play with while while waiting for my sour dough (from scratch) starter to ripen...darn thing wants to be fed a lot. All these distractions!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Cassandra said:


> Ha! Read the same article and made the same decision to order one, after research. Mine was going to take about ten days to arrive via Amazon but got a notice it was coming much sooner. A new toy to play with while while waiting for my sour dough (from scratch) starter to ripen...darn thing wants to be fed a lot. All these distractions!


I just got some sour dough starter from a friend too! I've been making a lot of bread with our new bread maker. LOL!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I could have sworn one of our blood pressure monitors has a pulse oximeter. I have no idea where it is to check. I stored it somewhere because we have two. Maybe I’m remembering wrong? But if that’s the case, it could mean some people already have something for self monitoring.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I could have sworn one of our blood pressure monitors has a pulse oximeter. I have no idea where it is to check. I stored it somewhere because we have two. Maybe I'm remembering wrong? But if that's the case, it could mean some people already have something for self monitoring.


It is possible EvaE, that it has one. We have a digital BP cuff and use it a lot, but it does not have a pulse oxi. I just checked.

Ricky's Popi


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Cassandra said:


> waiting for my sour dough (from scratch) starter to ripen...darn thing wants to be fed a lot. All these distractions!


I have several recipes using the unfed sourdough that you discard when you feed it. If your go to the King Arthur Flour website you should be able to find them. I know there is a biscuit, pancake and coffee cake recipe. I've been baking with sourdough for years!


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