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Does blood ox work for you

Glene said:
I posted enuf on this thread and made my feelings known but I’ll try one last time. The blood oxygen level that you get is a moving number. Just like your blood pressure can be high when you first get to the doctors office and after 20 minutes if they take it again the numbers change. Blood ox is exactly the same way. As long as your numbers are above 95 you’re in good shape. And as far as a lot of people saying it doesn’t work or is incorrect, there’s several people here that have said it worked fine along with the person who posted pictures of the blood ox and the finger pulse meter getting the same. Attached is the blood ox numbers for the last two years taken at my hospital with their professional instruments. As you can see it’s never the same number. As someone said above look for the trend not for the actual numbers. The watch, used the right way, is as accurate as a finger pulse ox device.
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Funnily enough, it looks like all the people complaining about its supposed inaccuracy are people who clearly have no experience regularly testing their blood oxygen levels, and several of us with serious lung issues, who have had reason to track ours very closely, are saying it seems to be doing very well, close to, if not completely in line with, our dedicated pulse oximeters.

But people are going to believe what they want, and use normal fluctuations as proof of inaccuracy (and our gullibility), so I think I’m giving up addressing incorrect assumptions.

I’ll continue to use mine. I’ve tested it dozens of times against my pulse oximeter (which my pulmonologist deems accurate), and it’s right in line with it. So I’ll start weaning off the handwritten log and start relying on the Watch more. Happily, there are dozens of readings throughout the day, so it’s successful even when I’m not consciously holding still. It looks like it tries every thirty minutes, and there are blocks missing, but the number of successful readings is impressive, IMO.

I upgraded from my S4 specifically for this feature, and I’m really happy I did.

Even though I keep a log for my pulmonologist, it’s not nearly as frequent as this, even counting the blank times, and I have days where I just keep putting it off until/unless I’m having trouble. It’s really good to have an automated reading.

FB147A7B-8A54-410C-B766-6A676F179431.jpeg
 
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I took dozens of readings today while connected to our hospital's FDA-approved monitor. The hospital monitor consistently read 98-100%. The watch failed about 1/3 of the time despite my best efforts. When reads were successful, they ranged from 92-100%. This range of error is simply too great to be of any use to me; 92% at rest indicates a serious medical problem. A difference of 8% is huge; at 88% you qualify for continuous oxygen therapy, while 96% is essentially normal.
The failed readings don't bother me much, but such significant inaccuracy is unacceptable. This feels like a rare Apple flail; my S6 is going back.
 
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GDF said:
Thanks same type of review from the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern and she is usually a great Apple reviewer. Think will cancel my 6 upgrade and just keep the 5. Apple really needs to start making better advances.

www.wsj.com

Apple Watch Series 6 and SE Review: Watch Out for the Upsell

Hoping an Apple Watch Series 6 could replace your pulse oximeter? Don’t count on it giving you reliable blood-oxygen readings, says Joanna Stern.
www.wsj.com www.wsj.com
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From the WSJ article you linked:

“During a visit to my doctor, the watch even compared point for point with a medical-grade vital-signs monitor. However, often when I would manually initiate the 15-second test, I would get an “Unsuccessful Measurement,” indicating that the test didn’t work. Sometimes I would get a lower reading, like 94%—even when my trusty $45 Walgreen’s pulse oximeter said 99%.“

1) The watch matched the medical grade equipment she was tested with. Good sign
2) Unsuccessful test usually means user error, which she didn’t bother to go into
3) SPO2 changes during the day. It isn’t going to be the same number 24/7

If you want to base your buying decision on someone who made a quick and meaningless review because she had a deadline due, go right ahead.
 
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whackwor said:
I took dozens of readings today while connected to our hospital's FDA-approved monitor. The hospital monitor consistently read 98-100%. The watch failed about 1/3 of the time despite my best efforts. When reads were successful, they ranged from 92-100%. This range of error is simply too great to be of any use to me; 92% at rest indicates a serious medical problem. A difference of 8% is huge; at 88% you qualify for continuous oxygen therapy, while 96% is essentially normal.
The failed readings don't bother me much, but such significant inaccuracy is unacceptable. This feels like a rare Apple flail; my S6 is going back.
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Apple has not touted this as a medically approved feature. That may come down the line.

I have tested my new watch with a monitor and the watch was off 2 - 3% each time. That didn’t bother me because Apple has not stated the feature is medically accurate and FDA approved.

I have taken a lot of manual tests and not once have I gotten a user error where the test failed.

Sounds to me like you didn’t inform yourself about the watch before purchase.
 
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Glene said:
As a person who has COPD, I’ve become an expert on this. The bottom line is if you’re above 95-all is good. between 90 and 95% you’re starting to have a problem, anything less than 90 you got to see a pulmonologist/doctor. You’re not getting enough oxygen to your tissues. It can lead to huge problems down the road, also if you’re waking up with a headache or fatigued, that’s another symptom of what they call oxygen starvation or hypoxia.

Take a few deep breath’s before you run the test, and you’ll get a higher score, a few deep breath’s are acceptable according to my pulmonologist. Because it shows you still have the ability to process oxygen.
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That is excellent info, thanks!
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
From the WSJ article you linked:

“During a visit to my doctor, the watch even compared point for point with a medical-grade vital-signs monitor. However, often when I would manually initiate the 15-second test, I would get an “Unsuccessful Measurement,” indicating that the test didn’t work. Sometimes I would get a lower reading, like 94%—even when my trusty $45 Walgreen’s pulse oximeter said 99%.“

1) The watch matched the medical grade equipment she was tested with. Good sign
2) Unsuccessful test usually means user error, which she didn’t bother to go into
3) SPO2 changes during the day. It isn’t going to be the same number 24/7

If you want to base your buying decision on someone who made a quick and meaningless review because she had a deadline due, go right ahead.
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Cool - thanks. I still trust hers and other reviews that are usually really pro Apple. Just not worth the upgrade from the 5 to 6, unless you need the blood ox.
 
I still think the benefits of this are in looking at trends over time. If you go into health to look at the data and then into ‘see more oxygen data’. You can then select the average readings below the graph and you see it charts your average. My readings fluctuate ... of course they do. But I’m not inclined to believe readings of 88%. However, even with the occasional erroneous result I should get an idea if my average results are charting downwards. Or if I get a significant day to day drop.

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It works well for me if I’m still after working out or doing push-ups even sitting still I’m a bit shakey so it doesn’t work. Where it think this app is useful is over long periods of time esp when it reads behind the scenes. If your constantly getting lowper then 95 it might be useful to ping your dr.
 
richard371 said:
It works well for me if I’m still after working out or doing push-ups even sitting still I’m a bit shakey so it doesn’t work. Where it think this app is useful is over long periods of time esp when it reads behind the scenes. If your constantly getting lowper then 95 it might be useful to ping your dr.
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I am logging everything else about myself longterm. I figure why not SPo2. And like you say, a long term trend can be helpful to a doctor even if the numbers might be off a percent or two.
 
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Yup it’s all about averages of lots of samples. There will always be 1 offs.
BasicGreatGuy said:
I am logging everything else about myself longterm. I figure why not SPo2. And like you say, a long term trend can be helpful to a doctor even if the numbers Matt be off a percent or two.
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Can only reliably get it to work with the sport band too tight on my wrist. Cannot get to work with other bands or a sport band one notch looser. Very limited utility - extremely disappointed.
 
Cozmosis said:
Can only reliably get it to work with the sport band too tight on my wrist. Cannot get to work with other bands or a sport band one notch looser. Very limited utility - extremely disappointed.
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Because it’s an entertainment feature. Doesn’t bode well for Apple in health if they lose credibility releasing features that are unreliable. And instead look to mislead people. The old Apple would say no.
 
Cozmosis said:
Can only reliably get it to work with the sport band too tight on my wrist. Cannot get to work with other bands or a sport band one notch looser. Very limited utility - extremely disappointed.
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If you wear your Apple Watch too loose your heart rate won’t be very accurate either. Apple recommends wearing it snugly for best results.
 
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Just noticed that mine hasn’t taken any today since I put it on at 10 am. That was eight hours ago. It did to just after midnight before I went to bed. So for me the automatic readings are not reliable.

I’m assuming it hasn’t even attempted to take readings, rather than it has but they failed. Is there a way to check?
 
I just tried to launch it and the app wouldn't launch. So I was going to reinstall it. I deleted it and..... t's not on the app store on the watch?!
 
rKunda said:
I just tried to launch it and the app wouldn't launch. So I was going to reinstall it. I deleted it and..... t's not on the app store on the watch?!
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You can’t reinstall the app via the watch store. There is a OS bug that prevents typical reinstall. You will need to contact support. Several members have run into the same problem.
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
You can’t reinstall the app via the watch store. There is a OS bug that prevents typical reinstall. You will need to contact support. Several members have run into the same problem.
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Support will tell him to wait for the next beta. There’s nothing they can do.
 
StumpyBloke said:
Just noticed that mine hasn’t taken any today since I put it on at 10 am. That was eight hours ago. It did to just after midnight before I went to bed. So for me the automatic readings are not reliable.

I’m assuming it hasn’t even attempted to take readings, rather than it has but they failed. Is there a way to check?
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Make sure your band is tight enough. I just had an automatic test done at 4:21pm.
 
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A little background, I worked as a emergency department / trauma RN for many years and am very familiar with these readings....as we used them on all patients at least once and many continuously. I also have asthma and have a pulse oximeter that takes a reading from my finger nail bed, as do the ones we used in the ED.

I've found my readings, so far, to be pretty consistent with what I get from the finger pulse oximeter. At most, they may be 1% off between on another (finger vs. watch). Readings can vary, even in the medical setting, a few % from minute to minute depending on conditions and external factors. The Sp02 is a good general indicator of oxygen saturation but the true test is an arterial blood gas test. That's invasive and not comfortable, so we use Sp02 unless a patient really needs that level of accuracy as well the ABG shows other data too (not just oxygen saturation).

Yes, you need to hold still for the watch to read it and have it on snuggly. Just like a finger sensor, it needs solid contact to function and get the most accurate reading possible. So far, I am very pleased and impressed with it.
 
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