Oximeter results - when to be concerned

I just got my SPO 7600 and tried it on my brother. He was at 81% for 24 minutes during the night on two different nights. At what point is it recommended to get a real sleep study.

PS - I'm registered as cpapsue but I'm traveling and this isn't my computer - hence, my alias!

I start getting concerned if I drop below 93%......and I REALLY get concerned if I drop below 90%.

Below 90%, I start seriously trying to figure out what's wrong.

If you look at the SPO chart, I seem to remember that it's color-coded....so it's pretty easy to see what's good....and what isn't.

"the SPO chart"? Can you elaborate?

Moneygal......

The SPO-7500 comes with software....that generates a downloadable report.

The report is in color.......and helps the viewer see when O2 is dropping to levels where there should be concern.

Hi MoneyGal - I have a CMS-50E & it too came with software that produces charts of the Spo2 data here are some screen grabs from different days .

Cheers DSM

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I have read the charts. We used the oximeter as a sort of pre-screening for a sleep study. Is any drop below 90ish a cause for concern whether or not you are on a machine? Or, is the concern how long you stay below a certain oxygen level?

When I used the oximeter, I was below 90% (lowest being 86% ) for 1.4% of 7 hrs. Is that an acceptable level ?

The information on the CD seems to just talk about what info is provided, but no cautionary recommendations. Will the customer service reps at their number talk with non-professionals, or are we supposed to already know what we're doing !

First, make sure you are reading the reports right. With my pulse-ox if the probe loses contact with your finger the readings will go low for a minute or so before they recover. Set the recording to begin and take the probe off and put it back on several times. Watch what happens. Download the data and look at the report.

As a test, try holding your breath until you feel compelled to breathe. Don't breath deeply before you start, just stop breathing for a minute or so. Watch what your oxygen levels do.

I can bring my oxygen level down to 90% by holding my breath, no lower than that. When I sleep with CPAP I will occasionally see 88% if I am not breathing right. When it drops this low I will wake up to get air.

Providing you are reading the reports correctly, I would definitely send your brother for a sleep study. 81% for an extended period is too low. I understand that in the hospital if your level drops below 88% they will put you on oxygen to bring your levels back up.

Your levels aren't as bad as your brothers but they don't look ideal to me, I would get yourself checked as well.

speaking in very general terms rather than relating purely to sleep apnoea, as an RN I would definately consider readings below 90% to be of concern. It is also the amount of time the level drops too so whether it is 2 lenghty periods like you describe or frequent but brief dips, it indicates a situation that needs assessment- I would say that a sleep study would be a really good idea ! depending on a person age and general health status there can be other reasons for low SaO2 but in a person of reasonable health who experiences the drops while sleeping only sleep apnoea is the most likely but all you can really tell from the readings is that it warrents a proper assessment of general health status, pulmonary function etc. My original figures showed that i was dipping down as low as 51% for brief period but multiple brief drops to the low 70% - the readings should not be ignored

kebsa -

When I had my sleep study I got to 68%, yours was really low. Thanks for the info. I didn't know whether people normally drop below 90% periodically and that it was OK. Now I understand that any drop below 90%, on cpap or not, is cause for concern. That's what I needed to know.

Susan