But, while we're on the subject, why don't we have a little crash course on Oximeters.

• The first thing you need to remember is that the oxygen saturations provided by an oximeter do NOT have the accuracy of an arterial blood gas (ABG). However, they are a lot less difficult to obtain, are great for providing trends, and are certainly a lot less expensive.

Many things can affect the accuracy of the reading that you get including some shades of nail polish, dark skin color, poor circulation, and having had a cigarette in the past few hours. If you smoke, don't waste your time and money buying an oximeter! The oximeter can't tell the difference between the oxygen (O₂)in your blood, and the carbon monoxide (CO), thus giving you a falsely high reading of your oxygen saturation if you have been smoking.

• Your oximeter will give you a heart rate as well as an oxygen saturation. Don't get the two confused.
• A normal saturation, at sea level, is about 98% (95%-98%). Many patients with COPD will have an oximetry reading in the lower 90's, but that is fine. So do people without pulmonary disease when they go to altitude.
• You should have an oximetry reading above 88% but don't worry if it jumps around and briefly drops below that. It can be do to your activity or circulation, or a bent finger or arm. Consistently having levels drop below 88% is of concern and should be reported to your physician.
• Most physicians prefer that you maintain an oximetry reading of at least 90%, keeping it between 90-94%. It depends on the carbon dioxide level of your blood, your individual condition, and the type of pulmonary problem that you have. This is where you turn to your pulmonary physician for advice specific to you. Remember, each of you is an individual with different needs.

• You'll probably find that your oximetry readings will be high, even "normal", when you are sitting, and that they will drop with activity.
• If you are observant, you will find that pacing yourself helps keep your oxygen level up.
• If you are really smart, you will find that breathing patterns make a tremendous difference.

When you breathe slowly, breathe out longer that you breathe in, and use pursed lip breathing (PLB) it can sometimes make the difference between normal and abnormal oximetry readings. If you are doing good pursed lip breathing you should be able to increase your oxygen saturation numbers while you are doing the PLB. The lower your saturation, the easier it is to blow those numbers up. The closer your saturations are to normal the better your technique needs to be in order to increase those saturation numbers. But, there are lots of patients with low oxygen saturations who are able to increase their saturations all the way up to 98% with excellent PLB technique.

WARNING! If you work too hard at your breathing techniques you will see that you actually lower your saturations! So, relax and don't be an over achiever!

Why would you want to do use PLB to increase your oxygen levels when you have oxygen prescribed for this very reason? For peace of mind! If you have confidence in your ability to keep your oxygen saturations at a safe level with your own breathing techniques you never have to panic if you temporarily run out of oxygen! Also, proper breathing techniques, including a slower breathing pattern, enable you to better utilize your prescribed oxygen and you may find you need a lower liter flow. And so, investing in an oximeter, if only to practice breathing techniques, may be of value for those of you with compromised oxygen levels.