Hypoxia and Medicine

Can a low oxygen saturation cause chronic headaches? It is about 94% at 1,049 feet. Also my labs came back with elevated Red Blood Count. I have been a non smoker for over 15 years. I suffer from occasional episodes of atrial fibrillation.

causes for low oxygen saturation level? What exactly cause low oxygen saturation? and why is surgery unable to continue until levels are back to normal? does having diabetes have anything to do with LOS levels?

low oxygen saturation levels? I just found out I have sleep apnea. I am fine with that but the doctors are concerned that my oxygen saturation levels dropped to 60 most of the night without the CPAP and 90 with it. Is it normal to have your oxygen levels down that low when you sleep?

How much does a low venous oxygen saturation affect judgement? When brought to the ER with liquid in her lungs (pleural effusion as a result of terminal metastatic breast cancer) my late wife's venous oxygen saturation was measured as 46% (as recorded on hospital file). Just then, in my absence, a relative got her to sign a will and now claims it's valid. Less than two days later she died, but had time to tell me that she shouldn't have signed anything when she was feeling so 'agitated'. I calmed her, telling her I would take care of it, and not to worry. Does anyone out there have the medical know-how to tell me whether I am well founded in contesting the will, and that its worthwhile (despite my state of bereavement) to start looking for lawyers and expert witnesses? A note for "biomed": You may have jumped to conclusions - as father of our infant daughter, I have to make sure that her mother's bequethment to her is protected. As much as I would just like to say 'to hell with this head-ache', I am motivated by parental responsiblity, rather than greed, to find a just solution.

How do fishes survive in water of low oxygen saturation?

I have a very low oxygen saturation level. Lows around 70% to high of 88%. What are some possible causes? In the last four months, I've had a Ct scan, Hide-a-Scan, two heart studies, three halter monitors, sleep study,Sonogram, full body bone scan, endoscopy and complete blood work up. My cholesterol was slightly above normal. The sleep study showed I have sleep apnea. ( I now wear a C-Pap @ 17 psi w/ 5 lpm o2). The endoscopy showed some signs of mild damage due to aspirin and tylenol taken for the pain. The CT scan showed mild degeneration of L1 & L2 but otherwise nothing significant. (History of prostate cancer. Dr thought maybe the cancer had metastasized into the spine but bone scan showed no evidence of cancer) Moderate to severe pain in RUQ was diagnosed as costal condritis. Symptoms of this are improving. Bone chilling fatigue haunts me. I'm fairly certain that this is a direct result of the low o2 sats. Any ideas? So far, the doctors have not found out the problem. Thanks!

how low can your oxygen saturation fall before death? How low does it have to drop to cause death???

I had surgery yesterday and I was frightened to know that my oxygen saturation was low and the nurse kept ask- ing me if I was holding my breathe. I said no. I thought maybe it was the anesthesia. Anyway I have felt like Im getting a cold today. They mentioned pneumonia. Can you telll me anything about this? My oxygen was low. Thye kept me in recovery a good while.

Asthma, oxygen saturation reading off? Also question about Xopenex (and nebulizer treatments in general).? Hi, I've been having some pretty bad asthma symptoms lately (bad enough where I went into the hospital last night). I was put on Prednisone 40 mg 2X daily. Anyway, my oxygen saturation was fine, and I'm wondering if my over-compensating breathing (i.e. I was trying to make up for my shallow breaths by taking more and taking them as deeply as possible, even though my chest was sore) would have highered it, when, if I had just let myself breathe without physically straining during the attack, it would have let my oxygen levels drop lower? There have also been times when I have a bad attack and my oxygen is close to normal, whereas a mild one is much lower. Could this be caused by my rapid breathing (in a desperate attempt to get more air in)? Lastly, can Xopenex nebulizer treatments cause high blood pressure temporarily (like 120/85)? I'm usually 90/60, but last night my BP was high. Thanks so much!

Oxygen saturation drops with exercise? I've been dealing with a lot of breathing problems for several years. In some recent tests we've found that my oxygen saturation levels are dropping from a resting level of 98%-99% to 85% or lower with exercise. What are some things that could cause this? I do not have asthma, allergies, sleep apnea, a cardiac shunt, blood clots, vocal chord dysfunction, or any pulmonary function problems. I am in great shape. I'm a runner and cross country ski racer, I train an average of 13 hours a week. My blood pressure is low and my resting heartrate is around 53bmp My hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are 17gm/dl and 46%47%. I DO have severe acid reflux and a torn esophageal sphincter.

60% oxygen via a venturi mask for someone with low sats? y is it so and how does it help the patient?? my friend has had a surgery and doctors told him his got low sats and atelectasis, they've put him on 60% oxygen via a venturi mask and his oxygean saturation is still about 93%! y is he on 60% not less and how is it helping him??

60% oxygen via a venturi mask!! how does that help to manage someone with low sats?? my friend has had a surgery and doctors told him his got low sats and atelectasis, they've put him on 60% oxygen via a venturi mask and his oxygean saturation is still about 93%! y is he on 60% not less and how is it helping him??

Please Help needed fast..? 1. predict the effect that increasing altitude would have on blood oxygen saturation 2. Arterial blood is about 98 percent saturated with oxygen. What are two conditions that could result in lower oxygen saturation? Please help.. Thank you so much

Why did my doctor have me do a sleep study and not follow up with it? I did a sleep study for my doctor because he thought I had sleep apnea. Well I did it, and the sleep apnea doctor called me back the same night after I did it, and told me I had Mild sleep apnea, but his concern was with my low oxygen levels. He said he wanted me to stay at my house and sleep with a cpap machine and check my oxygen levels for a night, and he said my doctor would call me back or the company that does the equipment, well low and behold noone calls me for over a month, so I called the office and they said they hadn't received the results yet. So anyway I had to take my daughter to the same doctor today and while I was there I asked him if he received the results yet, and he told me to ask the office girls? (what a doctor) so I go out there and ask the office workers if they received them, well low and behold they had received them the day after I had it done, and the doctor I guess just doesn't look at his patients info when it is faxed in. I guess the dumb office workers just glance at it and file. So anyways they gave me a copy of this fax and the sleep doctor has all this stuff he suggests that my doctor do like have done what he told me with the cpap machine, and also maybe look into surgury, and he suggested a pulmonary and cardiac evaluation since I'm only 30. I don't understand why my doctor just doesn't do anything about this, The sleep doctor said on this report my lowest saturation of sleep oxygen was reduced to 63.1%. I think that is pretty bad. I have trouble breathing when I try to go to sleep without taking something to sleep, because when I take something I don't have to think about it, I just get zonked out. What should I do? I want to defiantly change doctors, but can he get in trouble for this, or since this doctor just suggested it would it not matter. I feel so uncared for at this doctors office, why have me do a sleep study and not even look at my results. Someone please give me info and advice I need so badly. If I change doctors and give them these results will the insurance still go by them and let my new doctor help me?

Why did my doctor have me do a sleep study and not follow up with me? I did a sleep study for my doctor because he thought I had sleep apnea. Well I did it, and the sleep apnea doctor called me back the same night after I did it, and told me I had Mild sleep apnea, but his concern was with my low oxygen levels. He said he wanted me to stay at my house and sleep with a cpap machine and check my oxygen levels for a night, and he said my doctor would call me back or the company that does the equipment, well low and behold noone calls me for over a month, so I called the office and they said they hadn't received the results yet. So anyway I had to take my daughter to the same doctor today and while I was there I asked him if he received the results yet, and he told me to ask the office girls? (what a doctor) so I go out there and ask the office workers if they received them, well low and behold they had received them the day after I had it done, and the doctor I guess just doesn't look at his patients info when it is faxed in. I guess the dumb office workers just glance at it and file. So anyways they gave me a copy of this fax and the sleep doctor has all this stuff he suggests that my doctor do like have done what he told me with the cpap machine, and also maybe look into surgury, and he suggested a pulmonary and cardiac evaluation since I'm only 30. I don't understand why my doctor just doesn't do anything about this, The sleep doctor said on this report my lowest saturation of sleep oxygen was reduced to 63.1%. I think that is pretty bad. I have trouble breathing when I try to go to sleep without taking something to sleep, because when I take something I don't have to think about it, I just get zonked out. What should I do? I want to defiantly change doctors, but can he get in trouble for this, or since this doctor just suggested it would it not matter. I feel so uncared for at this doctors office, why have me do a sleep study and not even look at my results. Someone please give me info and advice I need so badly. If I change doctors and give them these results will the insurance still go by them and let my new doctor help me?

Do I have lung cancer? I do not have insurance and medicaid dropped me. A year ago they found a nodule in my lung. I had a few more scans and to my surprise it had grown. It is very small at 7 cm a year ago. At the last appt. they also said there were lymphnodes that were apparent. Now today I go to the ER for vomiting and they run blood work. Doc comes back and tells me I have low white blood count around 3. I am guessing 3,000. I also have a low oxygen/blood saturation. It was suppose to be in the high 90's and mine was between 70-85. I remember when I was in the hospital for surgery if it had dropped the gave me oxygen. I just do not know whats wrong. I am at a loss. I should mention I am only 28 yrs old

Oxygen Levels? Is an oxygen saturation that reaches 80% in need of going to the hospital. My father has COPD and his O2 has been reading at 84 or lower. What does this mean?

Can someone help me with these bilogy questions? Describe 3 real life of any situations where the parameters like Hb-Oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide levels, pH, and myoglobin levels in blood are measured Will hyperventilation raise or lower blood pO2? blood pCO2? blood pH? Why? Will emphysema raise or lower blood pO2? blood pCO2? blood pH? Why?

HELP!! can I be discharged!? About 3 months ago I went to NTC for training, which lasted a month. Well, as most know, NTC is located in death vally. Well, about 3 weeks after we got back, I came down with a really bad cough. The day after I got the cough, I felt sicker than I had ever felt. I went to sick call, and they thought it was the common cold. Well, the next day I passed out in formation, and was rushed to the ER. When I got there the noticed that my oxygen saturation was in the low 80's (which is really bad), Well they put me on oxygen and transfered me to ICU. The next night I was transfered to another hospital, where one of the worlds most renowed pulmonary doctors could examin me, all the while I was getting worse and worse. On day 3 in the hospital I fell into a comma and came really close to dying three different times. I was in the comma for a week, and by a mirical came out of it. The doctors said it was nothing more than a miricale that saved me. Well I have been out for over a month now, and yet I have not got any of my strength back. I mean, I can not jog for more than two blocks without getting so winded that I pass out. I can not do anything that puts stain on my lungs whatsoever. I can't even climb two flights of stairs without taking a break in between. So, my question is, am I eligible for a medical discharge?

"Pulse-ox" reading inaccurate? Hi, I've been having some pretty bad asthma symptoms lately (bad enough where I went into the hospital last night). I was put on Prednisone 40 mg 2X daily. Anyway, my oxygen saturation was fine, and I'm wondering if my over-compensating breathing (i.e. I was trying to make up for my shallow breaths by taking more and taking them as deeply as possible, even though my chest was sore) would have highered it, when, if I had just let myself breathe without physically straining during the attack, would it have made my oxygen levels drop lower? There have also been times when I have a bad attack and my oxygen is close to normal, whereas with a mild one, the reading is much lower. Could this be caused by my rapid breathing (in a desperate attempt to get more air in)? Thanks! Would the nail polish, poor circulation, and cold hands cause a LOWER reading than normal, or a higher reading? (If you don't mind, can you hit the "edit" on your answer and add that in please? I don't think you can reply to a question twice. :) Thank you so much!) Oh my gosh! That could explain why it read normal ... I'm very anemic (Ferritin was 7 I believe). Thank you so much!

Biology essay on red blood cell graph? I'm supposed to answer the following questions on this graph/subject, (I typed out everything it says.) and I dont understand it.. I'm homeschooled so I just cant ask a teacher and no one I know knows anything about it.. and I'm just so confused and stressed out (I get easily stressed, and then never shut up..) Red blood cells are able to transport oxygen throughout the body because oxygen binds to hemoglobin molecules within the blood cells. To learn how the concentration of oxygen in tissues affects the binding of oxygen to the hemoglobin molecule, researchers devised the following study. Samples of human blood were taken from various tissues. In each sample, the researchers measured the amount of dissolved oxygen in the tissue and isolated the hemoglobin. The amount of isolated hemoglobin was measured and then separated to determine how much of the hemoglobin had all of its binding sites filled with oxygen. The amount of saturate hemoglobin was compared with the total amount of hemoglobin to yield the percentage of hemoglobin saturation. Some results of the study are shown in the graph. Use the graph to answer the questions that follow. a. If the concentration of oxygen in the lung tissues is about 9%, what is the hemoglobin saturation of the red blood cells in the lungs? b. If the concentration of oxygen in a sample of body tissue is 4%, what is the hemoglobin saturation of the red blood cells in the sample? c. What happens to the hemoglobin saturation of the red blood cells as the cells move to tissues that have lower oxygen concentrations? d. What must happen to the oxygen bound to the hemoglobin as the red blood cells move to tissues with lower oxygen concentration? Heres a pic of the graph:http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/8748/picture024jm7.jpg

What happens to hemoglobin.....? What happens to hemoglobin saturation of the red blood cell as the cells move to tissues with lower oxygen concentration.

Academic question part 2!!!!!!? BACKGROUND A 41-year-old man presents with fever, malaise, and a 20-lb weight loss over the past 3 months. The patient also has intermittent headaches, coughing with occasional hemoptysis, and multiple chronic skin lesions. The lesions initially appeared as hyperpigmented scaly plaques on his lower back (see Image 1). They have enlarged over the last year, spreading to his arms, nose (see Images 2-3), and penis (see Image 4). The lesions are not itchy or painful. Over the last few weeks, the lesions on the patient’s nose and penis have begun to ulcerate and produce a bloody, purulent discharge. The patient was diagnosed with HIV infection 13 years ago. He denies having any chest discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, or diarrhea. He has not traveled recently and has not had any contact with people who were sick. He has not spent any time in environments where the risk of tuberculosis is high (eg, prison, shelters). On physical examination, the patient is afebrile with a blood pressure of 116/58 mm Hg and a heart rate of 92 bpm. His respiratory rate is 14 breaths/min, and his oxygen saturation while breathing room air is 96%. On his nose is a crusted, indurated plaque with irregular borders and central ulceration that produces thick, blood-tinged, suppurative discharge (see Image 3). A nontender oval-shaped crusted plaque with superficial ulceration is located on his penis at the base of the glans (see Image 4). Numerous skin-colored umbilicated papules, of about 3-6 mm and with central hemorrhagic crusts, are scattered irregularly on his arms and face (see Image 2). A diffuse, hyperpigmented lichenification of the skin is noted on his back, with many small areas of superficial ulceration (see Image 1). No retinal lesions are noted on funduscopic examination. No frank nuchal rigidity is present; however, the patient expresses moderate discomfort with neck flexion. The lungs are clear to auscultation with no rales, rhonchi, or wheezing; the cardiac examination is normal. The remainder of the physical examination yields unremarkable results. The patient is transferred to the adjoining emergency department (ED) and, because infectious meningitis is suspected, is placed in respiratory isolation. A lumbar puncture reveals an opening pressure of 22 cm H2O. A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample is sent for laboratory evaluation and shows a WBC count of 450/mm33 (0.450 X 109/L) with a mononuclear predominance, a mildly elevated protein level, and a slightly decreased glucose concentration. India ink staining reveals the presence of fungi. What is the etiology of the patient’s symptoms? Are all of the lesions from the same disease process?

In metabolically active tissues you would expect? A) the % saturation of hemoglobin will be less than it is near the lungs. B) the partial pressure of oxygen will be higher than in the alveoli. C) The pH will be slightly higher than it is in the fluid close to the lungs. D) The partial pressure of carcon dioxide will be at its lowest level. E) All of the above

Can Pectus Carinatun in kids post-op cause heart arrythmias if the chest shifts during growth? My son acquired Pectus Carinatum (pigeon chested) after open heart surgery at 1 y/o. It was due to how he was sewn up. He is now 7. It has always been symmetrical (protruding straight in the middle) up until these past 5 months. Now it has shifted to the right about an inch. And seems to be continuing to do so. Lately he has been having terrible trouble getting over the simplest of colds and having much wheezing from them for up to a minth afterwards. He recently had a episode where his heart rate increased, 130s, and his oxygen saturation dropped to the low 90s. His pediatrician doesn't seem to think that it should be affecting anything internally. I feel that itis strange that hhis problems have occured after his chest has moved. Thanks.

60% oxygen via a venturi mask!! how does that help to manage someone with low sats?? my friend has had a surgery and doctors told him his got low sats and atelectasis, they've put him on 60% oxygen via a venturi mask and his oxygean saturation is still about 93%! y is he on 60% not less and how is it helping him??

Why did my doctor have me do a sleep study and not follow up with it? I did a sleep study for my doctor because he thought I had sleep apnea. Well I did it, and the sleep apnea doctor called me back the same night after I did it, and told me I had Mild sleep apnea, but his concern was with my low oxygen levels. He said he wanted me to stay at my house and sleep with a cpap machine and check my oxygen levels for a night, and he said my doctor would call me back or the company that does the equipment, well low and behold noone calls me for over a month, so I called the office and they said they hadn't received the results yet. So anyway I had to take my daughter to the same doctor today and while I was there I asked him if he received the results yet, and he told me to ask the office girls? (what a doctor) so I go out there and ask the office workers if they received them, well low and behold they had received them the day after I had it done, and the doctor I guess just doesn't look at his patients info when it is faxed in. I guess the dumb office workers just glance at it and file. So anyways they gave me a copy of this fax and the sleep doctor has all this stuff he suggests that my doctor do like have done what he told me with the cpap machine, and also maybe look into surgury, and he suggested a pulmonary and cardiac evaluation since I'm only 30. I don't understand why my doctor just doesn't do anything about this, The sleep doctor said on this report my lowest saturation of sleep oxygen was reduced to 63.1%. I think that is pretty bad. I have trouble breathing when I try to go to sleep without taking something to sleep, because when I take something I don't have to think about it, I just get zonked out. What should I do? I want to defiantly change doctors, but can he get in trouble for this, or since this doctor just suggested it would it not matter. I feel so uncared for at this doctors office, why have me do a sleep study and not even look at my results. Someone please give me info and advice I need so badly. If I change doctors and give them these results will the insurance still go by them and let my new doctor help me?