CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Here's how it works:
You place the device on your index finger, and let the device measure the oxygen saturation of your blood. It's an easy, painless measure of how well oxygen is being sent to parts of your body furthest from your heart, such as your arms and legs. It's effective, but Dr. Salim Surani said it's only beneficial if it’s used right.
"Just like temperature, we keep a thermometer but we don’t raise 100-percent of our findings based off the thermometer," Dr. Surani said. "This is also a good, cheap non-invasive tool."
Dr. Surani added that when using the device, be sure not to have nail polish on your fingers and make sure your hands are dry. Cosmetics and sweaty hands make for a bad reading.
Cynthia Fields is a retired nurse. She said recently both her sister Camilla and brother-in-law Robert Uballe were diagnosed with the coronavirus. After testing positive, they were asked to go home and let the virus resolve on its own. Fields said that’s when things got dangerous.
"Regular people may not understand when they’re getting in trouble," Fields said. "They’re home and they start coughing and having symptoms, but then when do they call 911 again?"
Fields said at first, Robert wasn't showing any symptoms.
"He was so worried about my sister," Fields said. "He wasn’t thinking about himself. He’s worried about his wife."
Seven days later, things turned for the worst.
"He was coughing, and I was like ‘woah, it’s getting bad’ he said ‘I’m getting tired but he was still talking and everything," Fields said.
Fields said a Pulse Oximeter can be the bridge between life and death, and if her brother-in-law knew when to ring the bell and dial 911 because of oxygen levels below 90, he just might still be here.
"He passed away home alone," Fields said. "I do believe if my brother had had this little tool at home, he would’ve known, but he didn’t know. He thought he could recuperate."
Experts say you can find a Pulse Oximeter just about anywhere. Try Amazon, CVS, Walgreens or any other medical store.
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