Sats

[Wendyhoz60]

Good evening people

Please could someone tell me what the normal sats reading is, mine is 93 is that too low ?

[stone-UK]

Hi

With a lung condition depending on severity, a norm of 94 is acceptable.

Is this resting without supplementary oxygen.

[Wendyhoz60 in reply to stone-UK]

Yes this is resting I am not on oxygen I bought a monitor to go on my finger as my chest was tight and that was the reading. Thank you for your reply

[skischool]

i have always been advised that even with very severe Emphysema sats of 88-92 were acceptable on air without oxygen whilst sitting doing nothing.obviously higher sats are preferable.mine presently doing nothing on air are 92%,

Sorry i meant to add that without knowing your present lung condition it would not really be appropriate to determine your individual norm.and was just trying to reassure you that 93% is not alarmingly low.

[Wendyhoz60 in reply to skischool]

Thank you

[Dilly2]

Hi wendyhoz60.

People with no health problems 99percent 88 is okay but no less 93 isn't to good are you on oxygen. Best wishes

[Wendyhoz60 in reply to Dilly2]

Thank you

[hypercat54]

When I was smoking my sats were often in the late 80's/early 90's. Since I stopped they have jumped to late 90's. x

[Wendyhoz60 in reply to hypercat54]

Thank you

[Abbo1621]

When in hospital they would not let me out till I was 96% keep doing breathing exercises

[Badbessie]

Hi are you using your monitor correctly. There are numerous reasons for them not to work correctly. Make sure your hands are clean and dry. Do not use them if wearing nail polish. Make sure your hands are warm. In my case due to arthritis I only get a good reading on two fingers. My advice would be to take it with you to the doctors and calibrate it to their pulse oximeter. My best reading at home is 97% but my doctor's a more expensive model reads 99%. So I know my own reads low. Some of the cheaper models can be slightly inaccurate so check that yours is not reading low.

[Hidden]

92% or above is considered ok in those without a respiratory condition, and some with a condition can routinely have sats lower than that without medical concern if it’s normal for them. However, it should be noted that with spO2 monitors, it’s not a case of just putting your finger in and getting an accurate result: it’s very common to get a ‘false’ low, because people don’t understand that they need to have a good signal trace. There should be a line that ‘pulses’ in time to your pulse, and to be sure your reading is accurate, that line needs to be fluid, regular and consistently run the full length of the space it’s been allocated. If it’s only going a small distance, or part way, or it’s irregular, or jerky or sticking, your reading can’t be trusted. If the trace is wonky and doesn’t settle after a while, just swap and try a different finger. Cold or clammy fingers can also lead to a false low, and it can be worth swapping fingers if you have a low reading anyway just to check - although you can get a false low, you can’t get a false high, so if one finger tells you 90% but another tells you 95%, the 95 is the (more) accurate of the two. This is one of the reasons that medical staff won’t just take someone’s word for readings taken at home and always double check themselves.

[Wendyhoz60 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for explaining that to me.

[hypercat54 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I never knew all that either! x

[Hidden in reply to hypercat54]

The result of spending far too much time on children’s wards over the last decade - paeds nurses are a different breed, far more willing to educate and explain than adult nurses tend to be. Routinely dealing with panicking parents probably encourages that tbh! 😂 I know all sorts of medical stuff now I never planned to. Or actually wanted to, now I think about it 🤔🤷‍♂️

[hypercat54 in reply to Hidden]

That's great for our knowledge though so carry on! x

[Spacecat1]

With my serve COPD some days i canbe 97 whivh is good yet anothet day can be 88-92 and both without oxyge do am happy

[peege]

Once you find a 'good finger' to use its worth taking it at the same time each day to discover your normal. I know when mine drop its a sign an infection is in the pipeline, but that's me, we're all different. It's the same with peak flow. I have asthma & mild bronchiectasis.

Once you've found your normal you'll know when it drops. I can usually get my rate higher by deep diaphragm breathing, can see the oximeter rise whilst wearing it. Mostly mine stays in the drawer, it's easy to get hooked!

[Wendyhoz60 in reply to peege]

Thank you for the that I too have mild asthma and mild bronchiectasis and time right it’s easy to get hooked !!

[Hidden]

In a healthy person 98-100. Is 93 sitting? Then it probably goes lower with activity.