Wellue CheckMe O2 Max vs O2Ring: Anyone use both?

Has anyone used both the Viatom/Wellue CheckMe O2 Max and the O2Ring?
Can you offer any insight on the differences beyond the form factor and published differences?
For example, actual data produced, alarm point detection, and ease of use.

One user on apneaboard wore the CheckMe and O2Ring at the same time and found a dramatically different number of alerts. "The checkme gave me a ODI of 2.4 for that night but the o2ring only have me 0.3. Checkme gave 21 dips whilst the o2 ring gave me 2." He wondered if his O2 ring was malfunctioning.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread ... pid435833h

I have not yet found any other real world comparisons of the two devices.

Since the CheckMe has more battery capacity, might it also have a faster processor and more complex analysis to remove movement artifacts and identify alarm conditions? Or, are they virtually the same electronics but with more memory and a larger battery?

Published Differences: CheckMe O2 Max vs O2Ring.
Data measured: once per second vs once per second
Recorded data rate once every: 2 seconds vs 4 seconds
Battery Life: 70 hours vs 12 hours
Medical Device Status: FDA Cleared (diagnosis) vs FDA Listed (wellness)
FDA Review: 510k, meets standards vs No review.

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I would prefer an FDA Cleared device because then I can have more confidence that it works properly. Here's some notes on the difference:

Checkme O2: FDA Cleared as "oximeter" (intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease)
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ ... 6&lpcd=DQA

The 510k Summary
"The data and results provided by this device are for pre-check screening purpose only and cannot be directly used for diagnostic or treatment." but also "It is intended for spot-check and/or continuous data collection, and not continuous monitoring. It can be used in sleep labs, long-term care, hospitals and home use."

O2Ring: FDA Listed as an "oximeter, wellness"
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ ... 6&lpcd=PGJ

Overview: In the USA, a company registers with the FDA as a medical device manufacturer and lists their products, but there is no review by the FDA. Medical device oximeters are Class II medical devices, and can be for wellness only (no review) or for diagnosis, which requires that they are cleared for sale via the 510k process where the supplier submits test report data and the FDA reviews it. (Class III medical devices go through a much more rigorous PreMarket Approval (PMA) process and are Approved by the FDA. I doubt that any oximeters are approved because all would qualify for the 510k process because they are substantially equivalent to devices marketed before 1976, even though the technology has advanced. There is no such thing as "FDA Certified" but you'll see that in advertisements. Also, registration applies to the manufacturer, not the product.)

All Viatom (Wellue) Listed Devices:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ ... 3011200896

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I like the form actor of the O2Ring the best, but if the CheckMe is more reliable or accurate then I should buy that even though the readings from these oximeters are really ballpark at best.

From the FDA: "The typical accuracy (reported as Accuracy Root Mean Square or Arms) of recently FDA-cleared pulse oximeters is within 2 to 3% of arterial blood gas values. This generally means that during testing, about 66% of SpO2 values were within 2 or 3% of blood gas values and about 95% of SpO2 values were within 4 to 6% of blood gas values, respectively."

" The SpO2 reading should always be considered an estimate of oxygen saturation. For example, if an FDA-cleared pulse oximeter reads 90%, then the true oxygen saturation in the blood is generally between 86-94%. Pulse oximeter accuracy is highest at saturations of 90-100%, intermediate at 80-90%, and lowest below 80%. Due to accuracy limitations at the individual level, SpO2 provides more utility for trends over time instead of absolute thresholds. Additionally, the FDA only reviews the accuracy of prescription use oximeters, not OTC oximeters meant for general wellness or sporting/aviation purposes."

REF: Pulse Oximeter Accuracy and Limitations: FDA Safety Communication
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/saf ... ccuracy%20(reported%20as,of%20arterial%20blood%20gas%20values.

Since they are different manufacturers, the algorithms must be different.
The differences in numbers should not be significant.
Pick one; and forget the other.
Avoid stress--don't expect professional results from a consumer device.

I use the Wellue ring and I also have a pulse oximeter. They both give virtually the exact same readings every time I check them. I also have a watch the measures SPO2 and it is very, very close also.
Thumper

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:46 am

Since they are different manufacturers, the algorithms must be different.

To clarify, CheckMe O2 Max and the O2Ring are both made by Viatom, which is marketed in the USA under the brand name Wellue.

So, different specs, no doubt to justify a cost difference;
Or different dates of manufacture--or one is a lemon.
You get what you pay for--theoretically.

Since there is a question about the accuracy of these devices, I just put the ring on one finger, and what was labeled as a hospital grade pulse oximeter on the same finger on my other hand, and both gave exactly the same result, 98 O2, 54 pulse. I then did it with my watch and got the same 98 O2 reading. I haven't done this for a while, but these are simililar resuts I've gotten in the past. The Wellue ring was FDA approved, I believe to a 2% accuracy, which is supposedly the same for a medical device. I don't know anything about the Check Me product but I can only offer my observations and I have no reason to doubt the rings accuracy..
Thumper

If you can afford to buy multiple devices to do the same thing--not my problem.
1% whinge.

Look at it this way:
With o2 disorders, a person is like an jet pilot occasionally dependent on supplemental oxygen to stay alive.
This person should insist on accurate, dependable, trusted equipment with double-system failure prevention . No matter the effort, cost, or inconvenience.

I've read that oximeters that are FDA 'Approved' require a Rx to purchase,
and that o2Ring is FHA registered, and that It is not FDA Approved.
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/saf ... munication
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/con ... a-approved
https://www.smartringnews.com/smart-rin ... d%20States. (Search this article for "FDA")
Am I reading this incorrectly?
---
Update:
I apologise for not reading this thread more carefully.
I see that FDA approval has already been discussed and resolved.
-djaugh-

"Has anyone used both the Viatom/Wellue CheckMe O2 Max and the O2Ring?"

I just been using the o2Ring for 6 months.
I just received a second oximeter, the CheckMe max.
I intend to use them side-by-side while I exercise, do normal activities, and sleep with cpap/supplemental o2.
I need readings that are reliable and verifiable (by using two devices at the same time).
I'll compare the delta between the two devices this coming week.
Right now, my sleep disorder, heart rate, and o2 symptoms are only moderate, but I'm currently getting a medical workup from a sleep doctor, a pulmonologist, and, soon, a cardiologist and a neurologist.
It is really important for me to know that information from the oximeter that I wear is accurate and that I have a backup unit available.
My diagnosis, treatment, and possible emergency action depends on it.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has had more recent experience comparing the reliability between the o2ring and the checkme oximeters.

I managed to get my hands on a checkme pro (not the max), a new o2ring and an old o2ring (looks like the same model, just has been used for a while) so I thought I'd test them against each other and share the results.


O2ring Old vs New

First few nights it looked like the New one was more sensitive. It picked up 12 3% drops vs 5 and then 2 drops vs 1. Averages etc were similar.
But from then on the Old picked up more, 2 vs 1 and 7 vs 1. This last one is prob because the New ring was on my forefinger and the old on the thumb though.
After this I made sure to use the same two fingers (thumbs) and swap them the next night. Each time, the Old ring picked up a few more drops. Strange.
Not a dramatic difference (like 5 vs 3 kind of thing) but would've been nice to see the same number of drops to demonstrate consistency.

O2ring vs Checkme Pro

So I have tested the checkme pro against the rings. The first night I got a wildly different result with the checkme (much higher drops etc) making me think it's way more sensitive than the o2ring. This is what another user found on one of these apnea boards. I'm talking 52 drops vs a normal 5-15 or so. But this only happened once more with me and every other time the results were in the same order of magnitude as the ring. So, I'm guessing these were two flukes.

When worn on the thumbs, about half the time they show similar results. I then wore one on my forefinger and one on the thumb. Usually, the one on the forefinger showed much more drops and more time <90% suggesting that forefinger is the best place to wear them, at least for me.
One consistent difference though is that the checkme tended to show 1% or so lower oxygen than the o2ring, pretty much all the time.
Comfort wise, the checkme feels nicer on the thumb as it's less bulky but as you have to have something strapped to your wrist as well, I'd say the o2ring is more comfortable.

General Accuracy

As another experiment, I used the o2ring during the day, when I obviously know I don't have breathing problems... and I still got drops! As many as at night sometimes. I'd be standing there, chopping some veg and by ring would buzz, telling me my oxygen was 89%! I had a finger-based oximeter that I'd put on straight away when this happened and it'd usually show I was at 98/99%. This happened multiple times. I don't know if it's normal to have drops in oxygen during the day, even though you are breathing fine? If not, it seems to me like the ring is making up drops in oxygen level, which kinda renders it pointless. As such, I decided to return the ring and accept there's no accurate way to measure this.

Hello,

I have been using the Checkme O2 for about a year. Recently, it started to give me odd readings I somehow don't trust. It often goes into bouts of drops with a minute or less intervals. They wake me, I take a few breaths and they it all repeats.

The drop from 97 to 83 happens in less than 30 seconds. I have tried to reproduce this awake but holding breath with a normal oximeter and, of course, I couldn't.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a more solid brand of a similar device?

Thank you and good luck!
R.