During the Corona period, people are checking their body temperature on a large scale because the increased temperature is the main symptom of Kovid-19. However, experts have said in their new statement that it is more important to check oxygen level than to do a temperature check to detect kovid in the elderly.
Emphasis on increasing the use of oximeters for screening of the elderly
Coronavirus in India continues to wreak havoc. During the coronation of Corona, people are checking their body temperature on a large scale because the increased temperature is the main symptom of Kovid-19. However, experts have said in their new statement that it is more important to check oxygen level than to do a temperature check to detect kovid in the elderly. This recent commentary by Washington State University College of Nursing associate professor Catherine Van Son and clinical assistant professor Deborah Eti on the subject has been published in Frontiers in Medicine.
Discussion on use of oximeter has been going on for several months
There has been much discussion in the last few months about the reliability of pulse oximeter as an indicator of Kovid-19. In January 2021, the World Health Organization listed the use of a pulse oximeter to identify corona patients so that patients with low oxygen levels may need to be hospitalized for treatment. But in February 2021, the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) questioned the reliability of the oximeter.
Oximeters may also give incorrect results under certain circumstances
The FDA had said that under certain circumstances the results of the pulse oximeter may also be inaccurate. The FDA said that poor circulation, skin pigmentation, skin thickness and temperature can affect the results of a pulse oximeter. In addition to the FDA, the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also warned health workers in February that pulse due to skin pigmentation had an impact on the accuracy of the results.
An oximeter is essential in identifying patients without symptoms.
The new statement said that instead of measuring the temperature of the elderly, it is more important to measure their oxygen level with the help of pulse oximeter. He said that the baseline temperature is lower in the elderly. He said that minor fever is found in more than 30 per cent of the severely infected elderly people or there is no fever at all. Many patients of corona virus do not show signs of lowering oxygen levels. Such patients have no difficulty in breathing, but their oxygen level remains below 90 percent. This can be quite dangerous. Dr. Van Sun and Eti should consider the use of oximeters for the screening of corona in the elderly as it can identify patients without symptoms whose disease has reduced oxygen levels.
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