Oxygen has become a buzzword amid the shortage of this lifesaving gas at hospitals across the country due to rising COVID-19 positive cases.
Importance of Oxygen level in COVID-19 patients
The blood oxygen level in the human body is the amount that circulates in the blood. Red blood cells collect oxygen from the lungs and carry most of it to deliver to all parts of the body.
A person’s blood oxygen level is an indicator of how well the oxygen from the lungs is being distributed to other organs. The Coronavirus attacks the lungs in the affected patients and thus resulting in a decrease in the oxygen saturation level in the body.
In the second wave of the pandemic, many reports suggest that the new mutant strain of the COVID-19 virus causes a rapid fall in the oxygen level of the patients.
Prof GD Puri, Dean (Academics) and Head of Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGIMER, in a Tribune report, explained, “In the present surge, we have seen patients’ saturation dropping from 94 percent to 88 percent within a few hours. This may be an indication of cytokine storm, which the COVID virus elicits in the patients’ lungs and body.”
Any decrease in the oxygen saturation levels could be a possible indication of lungs getting infected by the virus.
Prof Puri said patients should take the ‘six-minute walk test’ for early detection. “Those affected by COVID-19, the oxygen saturation can drop on exercising or walking for six minutes. Do sit and stand-up exercises for one minute and note the saturation before and after the exercise. Any drop in saturation over 3 percent is significant. If the baseline saturation in an adult falls below 95 percent, one should report to a hospital.”
Normal oxygen level in a human body
Doctors suggest the normal oxygen level in a human body should be usually 95 percent or higher. The oxygen level may remain nearly 90 percent for people with chronic lung disease or sleep apnea.
The ‘SpO2 (saturation of peripheral oxygen)’ reading on a pulse oximeter shows the percentage of oxygen in one's blood.
How to check the oxygen level
At home, blood oxygen levels can be measured by using a small device called pulse oximeter. It is like a clip that is generally put on a finger to measure oxygen level. Oximeter measures oxygen level by recording the amount of light absorbed as it passes through the fingertip.
However, at health facilities, the most efficient way is an arterial blood gas (ABG) test, for which, a blood sample is taken from an artery, usually from wrist.
How to increase your body oxygen level at home?
Antioxidants and fatty acid rich diet: Have foods that boost the level of antioxidants, which allow body to use oxygen more efficiently. Fatty acids increase the amount of oxygen that haemoglobin can carry. Blueberries, cranberries, red kidney beans, artichoke hearts, strawberries, plums and blackberries are rich sources of antioxidants. Healthy fatty acids can also be found in soybeans, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
Drink 8 glasses of water daily: The human body contains nearly 60 percent water. Having eight glasses of filtered water a day is essential to get the full benefit of oxygenation drink. Restrict intake of caffeine beverages, alcohol, and high sodium foods, which dehydrate the body.
Exercise: Aerobic exercises such as simple walking help the body to utilise oxygen better while removing waste through the lymphatic system. American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes a day of regular walk over spending an hour or more in the gym twice or thrice a week. Walking has also been shown to improve mood and confidence and reduce stress.
Proper breathing: Apart from physical exercises breathing exercise to boost the power of the lungs is also crucial to maintaining respiratory health. The correct method to proper breathing is a slow start from the diaphragm and through the nose. Breathing exercises like pranayam can help improve the lungs health.
Clean air indoors: It is important to maintain the purest quality of air possible indoors. One can use air purifiers. Another helpful “low-tech” tool is a beeswax candle, which does not emit smoke. Instead, it produces negative ions that help in the removal of air pollution.
Amid complaints of oxygen shortage at hospitals, many COVID-19 patients were forced to arrange oxygen at home by using small O2 cylinders made for domestic use. The patient gets the oxygen supply through a mask or tube connected to the cylinder.
