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I Have A Recent Diagnosis Of Sleep Apnea And Is

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Posted on Sun, 23 Aug 2020
Question: I have a recent diagnosis of sleep apnea and is in the process of securing a CPAP machine from the doctor but have not received it yet. Since the diagnosis, I trying to wear a continuous oximeter called the 02Ring by Wellue.

Sometimes – like today – I where the 02Ring during the day to check my SP02%.

This query concerns something that happened while walking around a large store with a mask for a while: twice my SP02% dropped to 87-88 percent, then went back into the nineties. I probably would have missed it (no symptoms) except the 02Ring starts to vibrate when levels reach 88%. I seem to recall this happening on one or two other occasions in the past couple weeks.

Thankfully, the device records and I have attached the report for your review. Note that it says “Sleep Report” but this happened during my errand runs as indicated. Note that at 15:37 and 14:00 in the detail timeline the dip. (The interruption in the line is because I took off the device and put it back on to make sure it was not malfunctioning.)

For history, due to an enlarged ascending aorta, I am taking
Lisinopril 5mg
Metoprolol ER Succinate 25mg
Rosuvastatin 10mg
I also have been taking Levothyroxine 125mg and a daily 81mg aspirin for years.

As I write this, some 3 hours after the events described herein, my vitals are as follows
Pressure 105/64
Heart Rate 65 bpm
Temperature 98.8 Internal 97.8 External Forehead

Any thoughts on why the sudden drop in SP02, and then a return to normal?
Your help is appreciated.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Bhanu Partap (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Please refer to the detailed answer below

Detailed Answer:
Hello

After going through the medical query raised by you I can very well understand your concern for your health and I would like to explain the things as following.

The O2 rings is a pulse oximeter device which is designed and manufactured to keep a record of your heart rate and oxygen saturation levels in your blood during sleep or while at rest. These type of devices are not designed and developed to take accurate readings while you are physically active.

So there are good possibilities that it’s just a device glitch due to loss of contact with the skin for a moment as the readings returned back to normal without any significant delay.

Also if you don’t see any drops in saturation during sleep there is nothing significant to be concerned for.

For your ascending aorta, it’s advisable to continue with the prescribed medications and a routine follow-up echocardiogram every year or as and when required.

Kind Regards
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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Answered by
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Dr. Bhanu Partap

Cardiologist

Practicing since :2010

Answered : 4732 Questions

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I Have A Recent Diagnosis Of Sleep Apnea And Is

Brief Answer: Please refer to the detailed answer below Detailed Answer: Hello After going through the medical query raised by you I can very well understand your concern for your health and I would like to explain the things as following. The O2 rings is a pulse oximeter device which is designed and manufactured to keep a record of your heart rate and oxygen saturation levels in your blood during sleep or while at rest. These type of devices are not designed and developed to take accurate readings while you are physically active. So there are good possibilities that it’s just a device glitch due to loss of contact with the skin for a moment as the readings returned back to normal without any significant delay. Also if you don’t see any drops in saturation during sleep there is nothing significant to be concerned for. For your ascending aorta, it’s advisable to continue with the prescribed medications and a routine follow-up echocardiogram every year or as and when required. Kind Regards