
The Infection That’s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients - magoghm
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html
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robocat
Summary: Covid19 victim blood CO2 levels are normal, so people don’t feel
breathless, even though their oxygen levels have dropped alarmingly. Detecting
low O2 levels is a sign to get to hospital, and writer posits that this helped
some infected doctors he dealt with, and maybe Boris.

“ But when Covid pneumonia first strikes, patients don’t feel short of breath,
even as their oxygen levels fall. And by the time they do, they have
alarmingly low oxygen levels and moderate-to-severe pneumonia (as seen on
chest X-rays). Normal oxygen saturation for most persons at sea level is 94
percent to 100 percent; Covid pneumonia patients I saw had oxygen saturations
as low as 50 percent.”

“A vast majority of Covid pneumonia patients I met had remarkably low oxygen
saturations at triage — seemingly incompatible with life — but they were using
their cellphones as we put them on monitors. Although breathing fast, they had
relatively minimal apparent distress, despite dangerously low oxygen levels
and terrible pneumonia on chest X-rays.”

“Even patients without respiratory complaints had Covid pneumonia. The patient
stabbed in the shoulder, whom we X-rayed because we worried he had a collapsed
lung, actually had Covid pneumonia. In patients on whom we did CT scans
because they were injured in falls, we coincidentally found Covid pneumonia.
Elderly patients who had passed out for unknown reasons and a number of
diabetic patients were found to have it. And here is what really surprised us:
These patients did not report any sensation of breathing problems”

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bb2018
I found this to be a very interesting read and I just bought two pulse
oximeters (one for me, one for parents).

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paypalcust83
As this is a respiratory illness, I bought one 5 weeks ago. I assumed the
worst (complete overwhelming of medical system, with home self-care) and hoped
for the best. Although I have obstructive sleep apnea and terrible circulation
(often require blood draw from my hands), my waking SpO2 ranges 91 to 99
percent.

[https://amzn.com/B06Y2FFQB9](https://amzn.com/B06Y2FFQB9)

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salawat
Mirror: [http://archive.is/5O1if](http://archive.is/5O1if)

