Understanding Blood Oxygen Levels

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What is Blood Oxygen Level?

Blood oxygen level is the amount of oxygen circulating in the blood. Red blood cells carry most of the oxygen, collecting it from the lungs and delivering it to all parts of the body. A person’s blood oxygen level is an indicator of how well the body distributes oxygen from the lungs to the cells, and it can be important for people’s health.

Ways in measuring your blood oxygen level

There are two ways in measuring your blood oxygen level, arterial blood gas and a pulse oximeter. An arterial blood gas test is a blood test. It measures your blood’s oxygen level. The test also checks the balance of acids and bases, known as the pH balance, in your blood. An ABG is very accurate, but it’s invasive while the pulse oximeter is a noninvasive device that estimates the amount of oxygen in your blood. It does so by sending infrared light into capillaries in your finger, toe, or earlobe. Then it measures how much light is reflected off the gases. A reading indicates what percentage of your blood is saturated, known as the SpO2 level. This test has a 2 percent error window. That means the reading may be as much as 2 percent higher or lower than your actual blood oxygen level. This test may be slightly less accurate, but it’s very easy for doctors to perform. So doctors rely on it for fast readings.

How blood becomes oxygenated

Understanding how blood is saturated with oxygen begins with the alveoli or air sacs. There are millions of these microscopic air sacs in the lungs. They serve an important function to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to and from the bloodstream. When oxygen molecules pass through the alveoli, they bind to hemoglobin which is a substance in the blood. As the hemoglobin circulates, oxygen essentially hitches a ride and gets dropped off to the body’s tissues. With this, hemoglobin picks up carbon dioxide from the tissues and transports it back to the alveoli so the cycle can begin all over again. The level of oxygen in your blood depends on several key factors, how much oxygen you breathe in, how well the alveoli swap carbon dioxide for oxygen, how much hemoglobin is concentrated in red blood cells, and how well hemoglobin attracts oxygen. Most of the time, hemoglobin contains enough oxygen to meet the body’s needs. But some diseases reduce their ability to bind to oxygen.

Measuring your blood oxygen levels

Generally speaking, an oxygen saturation level below 95% is considered abnormal and anything below 90% is an emergency. When this happens, oxygen therapy is needed, sometimes urgently. The brain is the most susceptible organ to hypoxia, and brain cells can begin to die within five minutes of oxygen deprivation. Should hypoxia last longer, coma, seizures, and brain death can occur. It is very important to determine the cause of low oxygen saturation in order to correct the problem. With chronic conditions, such as COPD and asthma, the root cause is usually low air exchange in the lungs and alveoli. In addition to oxygen therapy, steroids or bronchodilators may be needed to open the airways. 

Treatment

The treatment options for low blood oxygen levels include supplemental oxygen. Doctors can administer oxygen therapy in an office, or they can prescribe or recommend the use of home oxygen therapy. A range of devices is available for delivering and monitoring home oxygen therapy, but some require a prescription. People can make lifestyle adjustments to reduce the symptoms of low oxygen levels, as well as improve their general health and quality of life. Eating a healthy and balanced diet can also help improve blood oxygen saturation. Since iron deficiency is one of the major causes of low oxygen saturation, eating foods that are rich in iron, such as meat, fish, kidney beans, lentils, and cashew nuts, can be helpful.

Disclaimer

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

References:

https://www.healthline.com/health/normal-blood-oxygen-level?fbclid=IwAR2tm66BtteLIJxtsWO-wSdlPskRkyMm8eexDCWwM4Cb7vJqnbBq-6lJNHY

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321044?fbclid=IwAR2HNjiORsJFrMem4CtlSf_CQyqwubEdMCGg5Js7D2MsWAPmUrjVoI38Hcw

https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Oxygen-Saturation.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3DxB_BMOxHo5-bkw3P4V5QfeQ3tATQpUdvPyYPlL0AA85gueIEhzF4gtQ

What is Oxygen Saturation Monitoring in Children?

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As parents, making sure that your child is healthy and happy is always a topmost priority. We are always in the lookout for any signs that can compromise their health. We want to monitor as much as we can on everything that happens to them.

One of the signs that we should be on guard for is Cyanosis or Turning Blue. This happens when there is not sufficient level of oxygen in the blood. It can be evident at birth but can also appear any time later in life and most often accompanies conditions in which the lungs or heart is compromised.

Cyanosis is one of the symptoms of Hypoxemia, a medical condition wherein there is an abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood. More specifically, it is oxygen deficiency in the arterial blood.

Oxygen saturation means the amount of oxygen being carried in your child’s red blood cells. The optimal oxygen saturation of the blood lies between 95-98 %. Anything less than 95% results in hypoxemia and should be a major concern.

How is oxygen saturation monitoring in children done? One way to measure oxygen saturation is through a test called arterial blood gas. Instead of taking the blood from the vein, it is taken from the artery and the amount of oxygen present is determined.

Another way is through a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter like CMS-50QB ‏is one device that can be used to monitor oxygen saturation. It is a simple, portable monitor for measuring oxygen saturation and pulse rate and is suitable for use indoors and outdoors. It is also used in monitoring COPD patients or those who suffer chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

On one side, the clip contains a strong light source, which shines through the finger. On the other side, a sensor measures what proportion of the light penetrated through the finger and what was absorbed. Different proportions of light penetrate the finger according to the level of saturation of the blood. From this, the oxygen saturation figure is calculated. The pulse rate can also be measured and displayed. The sensor or probe is connected to the monitor by a long thin, wire. It can be used on the finger or the toe.

The monitor and sensor or probe is totally safe, non-invasive and will not hurt your child when it is applied securely but not tightly on the finger or toe. The probe or sensor may be used on a different toe or finger every 8 hours to make sure that the device is working and to give the child’s finger or toe some rest.

Children with low level of oxygen saturation need to be connected to the monitor at all times so that their level of oxygen is constantly monitored. While for others, monitoring can be done when they are sleeping. Your doctor or health provider will determine how long your child needs to be monitored.

When your child’s oxygen is low, oxygen therapy is done so that your child will receive a higher concentration of oxygen than we normally breathe in the air. A face mask or nasal tube is connected to a mechanical ventilator.