Blood oxygen levels meanings?

Question

a friend has been told his blood oxygen levels are at 67%
what does this mean?

Additional Details

yes he was in hospital levels back up now

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It means that is the amount of oxygen in his blood at the time of the test. Is your friend ill and in hospital?I think that result seems to be quite low but it may have been measured buy a different standard than the one I am used to. The doctor who told him the results should have given him some advice about what to do to get the levels up to the normal level. If he has not been given this information I suggest he goes back and ask what the normal range is and what to do to improve his. Can I point out to a previous person who answered a ventilator is normally only used if a person was unable to breathe without help not just for low blood oxygen levels giving him oxygen would be more useful

Source(s):

Retired nurse with Intensive care experience

Answer 2

Everyone here has been discussing oxygen saturation which should normally be more than 90%. However your friend may be referring to PaO2 or the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood which is a direct measure of oxygen in the blood taken from a sample of arterial blood. The normal level of PaO2 is 60-80 so 67 is right there. I don't think this 67% is referring to oxygen saturation because this would be a dangerously low level which would require intubation and mechanical ventilation. Your friend should speak to the doctor and find out exactly what this result means in the context of his case.

Source(s):

PA in surgical critical care

Answer 3

As others have said, the usual range for oxygen saturation in the blood is 95-100% although 92-94% is acceptable in the aftermath of a respiratory illness. In hospital, most people whose saturation is consistently below 92% would be on oxygen.

However, such a low level of oxygen in the blood can also be accounted for if your friend has a heart condition. We have kids admitted who have a heart problem and have downright shocking oxygen saturation but this is their norm and throwing oxygen at them doesn't do anything to raise it.

Answer 4

Wow! the oxygen levels or O2 sats is the amount of oxygen in your blood. that is really low. Is he on oxygen? is he in the hospital? Normal levels or O2 sats are from 91% to 100%. but people with respiratory problems can have O2 sats that are lower and because their bodies adapt to it they can function pretty well, but 67 is very low and this person really should be on oxygen, if they aren't already.

Answer 5

I don't know what the percentage means but I hope he is having an investigation and some treatment. You don't say who told him this so I assume he must have been to the doctor's. I have a lung disease and I don't have enough oxygen in my blood but I haven't been given a percentage. Get him to have a look at his finger nails and if they are becoming convex this is a sure sign that he isn't getting enough oxygen to his extremities.

Answer 6

Ideally you want your level at 100%. Most people are okay until they get to 90% and below and then they exhibit symptoms of respiratory distress and need oxygen. If the oxygen is ineffective in bringing up the levels then there is a serious problem and a ventilator is needed to breathe. As someone else said I hope he is in the hospital.

Answer 7

That means he is very sick and needs to be in a hospital, if he's not already there.Was he the one that told you? Because at 67% he wouldn't be talking. They'd have done a blood gas by now to confirm the reading and at the very least put him on 100% O2 to get his level up. I have seen, let's just say, hospital emplyees that should know better report that low a reading and it was in error. There are things that can effect the pulse oximetry readings that some pepople don't know about. It should be confirmed by a Respiratory Therapist. be fore any one panics.
Btw, 100% is not the ideal. 97% is normal and for reasons that need not be gone into here, 100% is not normal .

Answer 8

It means that there is something wrong with him that it does not allow his red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to his organs. There can be a lot of reasons for this. It may mean his lungs aren't working well.

Answer 9

Oxygen Saturation is the amount of oxygen travelling round your body in the blood. Normal is 95% and above. Ideal is 100%

x

Answer 10

It's the percent of O2 in his blood that's being distributed to his organ systems. Normal levels would be 92% or greater. I hope your friend is seeing a physician and will be ok.

Source(s):

Nurse

Answer 11

its the amount of oxygen in your blood

Answer 12

Thats really low, is he in the hospital? It should be 100%. Anything below 80% is pretty much incompatible with life. Are you sure its blood oxygen you are talking about and not something else?

Answer 13

It means he/she not doing 2 good....! mine last time they were taken 99%