SPO2

Hi everyone,

I just bought a Wellue O2 ring to wear during the night. I'll probably return it due to accuracy issues, but thought I would ask here first.

I am paced at 60-130, and use CPAP.

According to the graphs generated by the ring, my pulse will dip down to 46. If I am paced at a minimum of 60, is it possible for my pulse rate to go down that far below? I trust the PM more than the ring.

Thanks.

5 Comments

accuracy

by Tracey_E - 2024-01-12 08:36:43

Pacers can throw off the count, yes. Sometimes there are little beats between the full beats (pvc) that it misses, sometimes the pacing confuses it. I've had devices count beats as well as pacing spikes so it said I was well over 200. I returned a heart rate monitor once that kept saying I had no heart rate. Your pacer is the more dependable of the two!

That said, it's not uncommon to sometimes go a bit below 60. It's not set in beats per minute, but one beat per second. Over the course of a minute, that will be near to 60 but not always exactly. So, if it says 57 or 58, that can be accurate.

O2

by fredaosss - 2024-01-12 09:58:55

Thanks. Makes sense. 

Sats

by piglet22 - 2024-01-13 04:30:12

We have to be careful here.

What you are describing is the sort of symptom you could get with ectopics (PVCs or PACs).

Ectopics will certainly impact on your apparent pulse rate and taking a radial pulse can reveal an erratic pulse with weak or skipped beats.

You can have an IPG base rate of 70 BPM and ectopics will take that down to 40 or less. It can result in physical symptoms like dizziness and blackouts.

Technically, the pacemaker is working as it should, it just can't cope with ectopics.

That's one scenario.

In order of confidence in home pulse monitoring, palpable and blood pressure monitors are reliable. Palpable means fingers.

My BP monitor reliably reports ectopics.

The oximeter is not good when it comes to ectopics. It might indicate that something different is going on but I don't trust vthe figures.

Your description does fit ectopics but it might be something else, or nothing.

If you can, when you get these episodes, feel your pulse or use a BP monitor.

For normal patients, a cheap self contained oximeter or an electronic BP monitor work fine and are widely used in GP surgeries.

Just be wary with pacemakers.

Sleeping heart rate

by Selwyn - 2024-01-13 15:44:57

You will find some pacemakers can be set for sleep so that the sleep rate is less than the lower limit rate.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/524832?form=fpf

I hope this answers your question Fredaosss.

The idea is to prolong battery life.

 

Sleeping rate

by piglet22 - 2024-01-14 05:46:54

Selwyn

If the pacemaker has this facility and is set, plus the patient is informed of it, that's fine.

When it starts when nothing has been set or after years of not experiencing the symptoms then sometimes has changed.

A year ago ectopics started interfering with my base rate and sleep or relaxation was the common factor.

I hadn't had any problems for 18 years or 8 years on the current device.

As well as being scary, it produced very real symptoms like intense dizziness and involuntary falls

Unusual oximeter or BP monitor readings are a good indicator that something is going on.

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