In a bid to better screen for patients infected with COVID-19, the Karnataka government has issued an order enforcing the use of fingertip pulse oximeters in the state’s fever clinics.
Dr Om Prakash Patil, director of the Health and Welfare Department, has instructed fever clinics in the state to acquire fingertip pulse oximeters to determine oxygen saturation levels of patients presenting with complaints of breathlessness. All SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Illness) and ILI (Influenza-Like Illness) patients with blood oxygen saturation level of less than 95% have been asked to test for the coronavirus infection.
The order stated, “It has come to the notice of the State that fingertip pulse oximeter is an essential tool for stratification of ILI and SARI, and must be made available at all fever clinics. All ILI and SARI cases with less than 95 per cent peripheral oxygen saturation should be subjected for Covid-19 swab test.”
A fingertip pulse oximeter is a non-invasive tool that measures the pulse rate and the oxygen carried in the blood pumped from the heart. A blood oxygen percentage of less than 95% indicates breathing difficulties and lung troubles.
Karnataka’s 651 fever clinics in its government and private hospitals are the primary screening centres for COVID-19. The clinics were earlier using an infrared thermal scanner which only measures the body temperature to indicate a fever. The additional use of finger pulse oximeters would ensure swift and prioritised services and referrals from healthcare professionals and concerned authorities.