You should go to the hospital for low oxygen if your blood oxygen level (SpO2) drops to 88% or below, or if you have severe symptoms like bluish lips/skin, confusion, severe shortness of breath, chest pain, or difficulty speaking, even with a slightly lower reading (e.g., 92%+). For levels below 92%, contact your healthcare provider immediately; for 88% or lower, seek emergency care.
If your blood oxygen level is 88% or lower, call 911 or go to your nearest Emergency Department. If you need to go to the hospital, you will likely receive a blood test called an arterial blood gas, which can make sure your blood oxygen level is accurate so you can get treatment as needed.
If your blood oxygen level is low, you will benefit from oxygen therapy which should bring your blood oxygen level up to the normal range. If your blood oxygen level is normal, you will probably not benefit from oxygen therapy, even if you feel a little breathless.
Seek emergency care if you have shortness of breath that:
Comes on fast, affects your ability to function or happens with symptoms such as chest pain. Happens above 8,000 feet (about 2,400 meters) and occurs with a cough, rapid heartbeat or weakness.
People should contact a health care provider if their oxygen saturation readings drop below 92%, as it may be a sign of hypoxia, a condition in which not enough oxygen reaches the body's tissues. If blood oxygen saturation levels fall to 88% or lower, seek immediate medical attention, says Dr. Lutchmansingh.
While some of your tissues can adjust to temporary dips in oxygen levels, prolonged hypoxia can cause organ damage. Brain and heart damage are particularly dangerous and can lead to death. Lack of oxygen to your brain is called cerebral hypoxia.
We recommend that you:
People with low oxygen levels may need oxygen or other treatment. Your healthcare professional will discuss this with you. Current guidelines recommend people with an oxygen saturation level of 92% or less should be referred for a blood gas assessment to see if oxygen therapy is needed.
Healthy pulse oximeter values often range from 95% to 100%. Values under 90% are considered low. Often, hypoxemia treatment involves receiving extra oxygen. This treatment is called supplemental oxygen or oxygen therapy.
Vital Signs
It may be helpful to have a baseline as some patients living with lung disease can tolerate low oxygen levels for months and months. Generally, if the oxygen level is 79% or lower, they will likely die in the next 24 hours.
If you're using an oximeter at home and your oxygen saturation level is 92% or lower, call your healthcare provider. If it's at 88% or lower, get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible.
Silent hypoxia (also known as happy hypoxia) is generalised hypoxia that does not coincide with shortness of breath. This presentation is known to be a complication of COVID-19, and is also known in walking pneumonia, altitude sickness, and rebreather diving.
If the oxygen saturation drops below 85%, the severe lack of oxygen affects the brain. The person may experience vision changes and lose consciousness.
Oxygen Saturations Less than 92% Are Associated with Major Adverse Events in Outpatients with Pneumonia: A Population-Based Cohort Study | Clinical Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic.
In some patients, if the oxygen levels are low it may be necessary to provide supplemental oxygen for them to use at home during the recovery phase. Oxygen is not the best treatment for breathlessness and other treatment options such as inhalers/nebulisers are used to treat this symptom.
Low oxygen concentrations can include giddiness, mental confusion, loss of judgment, loss of coordination, weakness, nausea, fainting, loss of consciousness, and death. 20.9 percent: Normal atmospheric oxygen content.
Supplemental oxygen can be administered through various ways, including low-flow systems, high-flow devices, positive-pressure ventilation, or extracorporeal oxygenation. Oxygen therapy may also be required outside of healthcare settings; improper use can result in serious side effects, including increased mortality.
Furthermore, cells and tissues can neither "save up" nor "catch up" on oxygen — they need a constant supply. When the oxygen saturation falls below 89 percent, or the arterial oxygen pressure falls below 60 mmHg — whether during rest, activity, sleep or at altitude — then supplemental oxygen is needed.
Pulse oximeters are most accurate when blood oxygen saturation is between 90% and 100%. Accuracy decreases when blood oxygen saturation is between 80% and 90%, and the devices are least accurate when saturation is below 80%. Keep in mind that readings may be off by a few percentage points.
Symptoms of mild cerebral hypoxia include inattentiveness, poor judgment, memory loss, and a decrease in motor coordination. Brain cells are extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation and can begin to die within five minutes after oxygen supply has been cut off.
Oxygen devices vary, but you can expect to get a machine that delivers extra oxygen through a breathing mask or small tube (cannula). You may receive oxygen at home, with a portable machine while you travel, or in the hospital.
Contact your provider if your oxygen saturation level is 92% or lower. If it falls to 88% or lower, seek immediate medical attention. If you have questions about your results, talk to your provider.
When you feel short of breath, pursed-lip breathing helps get more oxygen into your lungs and calms you down, so you can better control your breath. To practice pursed-lip breathing, sit down in a chair and relax your neck and shoulder muscles. Breathe in slowly through your nose, making sure to keep your mouth closed.
Drink plenty of water: Well-hydrated lungs are more efficient at dispersing oxygen into your bloodstream. The average daily water intake for “men is about 15.5 cups and for women, about 11.5 cups.” Go outside: There's nothing like a breath of fresh air to promote more oxygen flow.