Oxometers

[Chezzyy66]

Hi I know this question may sound a bit odd but does it matter which finger an oxometer goes on as I have two oxometers and one is saying 63 and the other is saying 72 I am not sure if they are false readings and not sure which one to believe thankyou x

[mmzetor]

I use the middle finger on left hand , dawn did ask the doctor once and she said it didn't mater which one

[Chezzyy66 in reply to mmzetor]

Thankyou

[Chezzyy66 in reply to Chezzyy66]

I'm not sure which one is a true result one cost me 40 pound the other 23 pound but not sure which is a true reading

[joyce74 in reply to Chezzyy66]

Next time you visit your GP or respiratory nurse take yours with you and ask if you can compare with theirs at the same time which will give you a good idea.

[Toci in reply to mmzetor]

Snap mm.

[mmzetor]

if you have nail varnish on it can make a difference , but both of them reading you have are very low , do you have any one there you could try it on and see what they get

[Chezzyy66 in reply to mmzetor]

Yes I have tried it on myself and mine is 97 and so is my husbands but mums starts of at 79 then drops after a couple of seconds to 63 with one of the oxometers

[rubyred777 in reply to Chezzyy66]

Hi Chezzy, Are they both 97 on you and your husband? I always take mine to the Drs. and check it with theirs. Could be your mom's fingers are cold. The price really doesn't differ. My cheapest one seems to be the best. Ruby🌹

[mmzetor]

when I tried mine on our son it has a hell of a job picking anything up on him at all don't know why ,

[stone-UK]

Hi

Home oximetersare not very good at snapshots.

Some start high and come down to settle.

Some start low and go up to settle.

Your normal at rest is probably about 94%.

Try each one two or three times on quick succession, choose the one that gives the most consistent reading and ditch the other.

If you get chance try and compare with you GP or nurse

[O2Trees]

Could the battery be low on one of them? I was told by my respiratory nurse that when the batteries are going they give a false low reading.

[Chezzyy66 in reply to O2Trees]

No I've changed the batteries

[Toci]

Although I was not told to use the middle finger, left hand by my oxy nurse it is the one she (and others on her team) always use. Always sit still to take a reading and always wait a couple of minutes for it to settle to get a true reading. My husband's reads 98, my son's 99 and mine (without oxygen) is in the low 70s when at rest and a lot lower if I move. Anyone with a reading of 88 or less at rest should be assessed for oxygen therapy so either of the two readings you have is too low.

If your dilemma is which reading to believe I recommend taking the oximeter along to your next clinic/hospital appointment and checking it against the nurse's.

[diesel12]

When I was in hospital a couple of years ago they put me on oxygen as I was showing low oxygen levels. One day a ICU nurse was covering on the ward and asked if she could try putting the meter on my toe and the reading was fine. She explained that it is because your circulation can be different in your arms and legs so always best to check if in doubt.

[jimmy1c]

Hi

A few months ago I didn't feel well and when I eventually saw a gp my Oximeter reading with her device was 97. I then had to go two days later to out of hours gp really not feeling great. The nurse took my oxy reading and it was 88. The gp stated I probably have never had a reading of 97 since diagnosis and the previous gp needed new batteries. !!! The nurses machine was one of those that you find in hospital

Jimmy1c

[Hidden]

My nurse told me theirs are recalibrated every day to ensure accuracy. x

[Caspiana]

Hello Chezzy.

It doesn't seem to make any difference to me. 😀 xx

[2greys]

I find that the height relative to my heart makes a difference. Whilst sitting at a table with my hand on the table I get a lower O2 reading than if I let my arm hang down. The hanging down position was always used by the therapists at PR.

As for the heart rate reading that can be all over the place depending on my frame of mind. I can lower my bpm down as far as 12 bpm just by thinking about it. It freaks my partner out when I do it and my Gp's face is a study too.

[punkyb]

I know the cold weather affects the reading...

[Foxy79]

Hello chezzyy

About oximetr it does make a difference and again if it shows you different numbers then you will act on it and by saying different numbers it shows best & accurate on left first finger cause pluse goes straight to your heart that's what I've been told and I have been thinking that and following it as well came good with it it's in your mind I think but over all long as it helps you and gives accurate done it for me try it mate thanks foxy

[Nanny1086]

Hi ,I always use my ring finger ,but the copd nurse told me it doesn't really matter which one ,,, but those numbers seem low ,are you ok ,? Have you got someone you could ask to try it it on them ? , take care ,

[Salmo]

The posts above seem to have covered all the usual explanations for low or incorrect readings and given you all the obvious advice. Only additions I can add are that bruising (and henna dye !!) can also affect readings and to make sure you keep Mum's hands still when using monitor (shivering/movement can give low readings). You could also try warming your Mum's hands up in warm water (make sure dry after !!) before taking a reading.

The other point to note is that some home monitors are not reliable at low O2 levels (below 80 or even 85 in some cases). Even at high levels of 90-95 they can be 3% out and much more (10-20%) at very low levels. It may well be that a a reading of 60 on your monitor could translate into a real reading of anything from 50 to 70 (or even 40 to 80) depending on how far out your monitor is. I also think that with very low O2 levels you need to use more expensive ear lobe or forehead monitors to get meaningful readings.

Looking at your previous posts I see your Mum has not been at all well so it may well be that the low levels you see are correct and that you are more looking for some way of using O2 levels to work out how her condition changes from day to day to see if she is getting worse/better. It would be worth checking with your GP how to do this. My own experience says that you need to experiment a lot (and keep accurate records) to get useful oximeter data for this purpose.

Some things to try may be to check if her O2 levels rise when she is on oxygen in first instance. If monitor can detect an increase then it may be worth finding ways to get the most consistent readings along the lines you are already exploring such as checking readings on various fingers and different hands but always at same height to see if that affects reading and which one is most reliable. Lying on an arm or exertion could affect readings so make sure you take readings when she is in the same stable position (sitting or lying). Make sure she has not exerted herself before taking a reading (or at least had time to rest and recover). Obvioulsy check levels plus and minus oxygen and at different times of day if you want to make long term records of how she is doing.

[2greys]

I can also add another possible variable, ambient light. Bright daylight or night time. The ones used at PR had rubber sheaths that the finger went down into with the actual oximeter at the bottom of it.

[TyneandWear in reply to 2greys]

These are the type generally used in hospitals unless the oximeter belongs to the nurse.

It doesn't make any difference which finger the oximeter is put on as long as you keep your hand still and not hanging down.

Thérèse

[Nottobad]

I use my pinky finger as I have arthritis in my hands and all my fingers bend at the top. My pinky is the only one that dosnt bend. When I was at PR the physio used a earlobe monitor because she said with most of my finger bending that could give a false reading.