Blood oxygen levels should be at least 95% to meet the body’s needs. Low levels can cause tissue death and are caused by lung or heart malfunction. A pulse oximeter can assess levels non-invasively, and treatment involves increasing oxygen intake. Diagnostic tests may be ordered to determine the cause.
A blood oxygen level is a measurement to determine how much oxygen is in a patient’s blood. At least 95% of red blood cells in a sample should carry oxygen to fully meet the body’s needs. Oxygen is required for a number of cellular processes, particularly in the brain. Also known as your oxygen saturation level, this measurement is an important indicator of health.
People can have low blood oxygen levels due to a malfunction of the lungs or heart. Normally, the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, where a gas exchange takes place, replacing carbon dioxide, a waste product, with fresh oxygen. With each step, some red blood cells will miss the exchange, but a blood oxygen level test should show that 95% to 100% of cells are getting new oxygen and supplying cells with enough to function.
If the heart is not pumping efficiently or a patient’s lungs are malfunctioning, the oxygen level in the blood will begin to drop. Patients may become cyanotic, developing bluish discoloration of the extremities, and may also be short of breath and very tired. Eventually, lack of oxygen can cause tissue death, not only in the extremities but also in vital organs such as the brain. If a patient has low blood oxygen, immediate treatment should be provided to restore the level and then find out the reason so the doctor can correct the cause.
One method of assessing the level of oxygen in the blood is non-invasive and very simple. It involves clipping a device called a pulse oximeter to the patient’s finger. It emits a light through your finger and estimates your oxygen saturation based on the behavior of the light. The invasive option is to take a direct sample of blood from an artery for an arterial blood gas test. In this test, people look at the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and bicarbonate in a patient’s blood.
Immediate treatment for low blood oxygen involves increasing the amount of oxygen the patient inhales. Patients can inhale a gas mixture or pure oxygen. A patient may require intubation if their airways are not very stable, or they may be breathing from a mask or nasal cannula. When the level starts to rise, your doctor may order diagnostic tests to learn more about what’s happening and work on treatments. A patient with asthma, for example, may need a new asthma management program to keep the airways more functional.
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