Keeping up with COVID-19: An Oxygen-Sensing Approach
Wearable oximeters may bring hope and save lives.
Silent hypoxia is taking people’s lives.
The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the associated disease, COVID-19, have dire implications for infected patients’ respiratory systems. The novel coronavirus binds to receptors on the lung’s alveolar cells, which produce surfactant. Surfactant is a substance that breaks up surface tension of water within the alveoli, preventing the alveolar space from collapsing during exhalation. However, infection reduces surfactant production and the consequent collapse of air spaces, which reduces the bloodstream’s access to oxygen and can result in hypoxia. In some cases, infected patients can develop hypoxia without experiencing any breathlessness, a phenomenon known as “silent hypoxia.” (Levitan, 2020).
In addition to reduced oxygenation of the blood, coronavirus infection can result in a condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In ARDS, the virus activates white blood cells and promotes mass release of cytokines, which mediate inflammation and stimulate the leakage of fluid from the pulmonary vasculature. The cytokines increase the permeability of the air spaces, allowing the buildup of fluid within the air space. The buildup of fluid within the lungs also impairs the clearance of carbon dioxide and results in shortness of breath. Additionally, the immune response can contribute to the scarring of the lungs, which changes the compliance of the lungs, making them harder to inflate. According to a retrospective clinical study of 107 COVID patients from Wuhan, China, 78.9% of COVID-19 patients who succumbed to the virus had reported ARDS (Wang et al., 2020). Most ARDS patients would require supplementary oxygen and mechanical ventilation, further straining healthcare capacity during the pandemic.
As society continues to battle the pandemic, patients need accessible ways to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and providers need more sources of data to determine the disease course in patients. As stated earlier, a patient may develop silent hypoxia before experiencing any traditional symptoms associated with COVID-19 or receiving a formal diagnosis. These silent hypoxic, unwitting COVID-19 patients could spread the virus to those around them or wait too long before seeing a healthcare provider. We need a continuous, user-centric oxygen monitoring platform to alert patients to their own silent hypoxia, notify their providers, and help patients receive aggressive care as soon as possible.
Technology may flatten the growth curve of COVID-19 cases.
Oximetry is the traditional way to measure blood oxygen levels. There are a variety of devices used to monitor blood oxygen saturation, represented by SpO2 metric, including the pulse oximeter, the finger adhesive, and devices that attach to the earlobe, toes, forehead, and nose. Oximetry can give readings within 2% of your actual blood oxygen levels and can therefore be reliably used as an indicator for such occurrences as hypoxemia or any sign of respiratory distress as long as it is used in concert with other patient assessment tools (Thoracic.org).
Existing oximeters, such as finger clips, are useful for patient assessment. However, sometimes they could be difficult to carry or use. Some of them are bulky like the Nonin Onyx and can fall out while transporting a patient or simply by going about our daily movements like getting up, sitting down, and wiggling our fingers. In addition, some patients may have a weak pulse, which can skew measurement results. Meanwhile, current wrist devices do not continuously monitor oxygen levels and warn patients. Instead, they only measure pulse and fitness-related measurements such as step count and sleep time. Additionally, wrist measurements of oxygen saturation are not always dependable. Regardless, hypoxic patients need smart, portable, and wearable oxygen monitoring devices that alarm users when their SpO2 levels drop below acceptable levels.
OxiWear improves traditional oximetry, marrying advances in technology with user comfort. The upcoming smart OxiWear Earbuds provide continuous earlobe SpO2 measurements, with data displayed on OxiWear’s wrist display. When patients’ SpO2 levels drop below acceptable levels, users will receive alarms. Patients are able to make a 911 call by clicking the button on OxiWear Wrist.
For patients with COVID-related silent hypoxia, OxiWear Earbuds will help inform them of their symptoms and seek assistance before their condition worsens. OxiWear’s technology could also supplement existing COVID diagnostics and encourage silent hypoxic patients who have not been diagnosed for COVID to seek testing.
Smart wearable oximeters and other technologies, such as deep learning diagnosis and big data mining, may bring hopes to flatten the growth curve of newly infected cases as well as preventing deaths- critical benchmarks for society’s ability to overcome this pandemic.
Grab your device now at igg.oxiwear.fitness
Click below to access the complete white paper on the importance of oxygen monitoring for COVID-19 patients.
Works Cited
