Do I need a pulse oximeter? What’s the right thing to get?
T3’ s tech titan gets hearts beating faster with more exciting advice
GADGET GURU
Oversee your oxygen levels, improve your privy and obtain your favourite arcade games
Doctors’ opinions are torn. Some say keeping an eye on your blood oxygen is fine, others can smell hypochondria
AEveryone is talking about pulse oximeters right now. Mama Guru gets on the phone nightly, tediously listing her O2 stats in order that Guru can enter them into a spreadsheet. GaGu’s postman, wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter, knocks on the door and it’s all “oxygen saturation” this and “please unclamp your dog’s jaws from my shin” that. Frankly, reader, Guru is sick to the point of breathlessness from being asked about them.
Conversely, Doctor Guru loves you and wants you to be well. Pulse Oximeters are the in thing, both because they can (used correctly) suggest to you the early signs of breathing difficulties, and because they are very cheap and readily available. Even if you don’t want to buy something new, it’s entirely feasible to rely on the built-in oxygen-monitoring functions of something like an Apple Watch. If you do, bear in mind that you’ll not be getting medical-grade monitoring, but comparing new readings to a baseline should offer up at least a vague indication of any new lung-based malfeasance.
As for standalone on-the-finger devices, doctors’ opinions are torn. Some say keeping an eye on your blood oxygen is fine for everyone, others can smell hypochondria a mile off and peer at such devices with a healthy dollop of scepticism. Let’s just say this: it’s like a visit to a fortune teller. You’ll need to extend your fingers, you should expect to pay about £30, and you absolutely should not rush to make assumptions about any readings.