Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsConditions Affecting OxygenOther CausesMeasuring O2 SatDangerously Low LevelTreatment

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Conditions Affecting Oxygen

Other Causes

Measuring O2 Sat

Dangerously Low Level

Treatment

Oxygen saturation, or “O2 sat” for short, is a measure of how much oxygen is in your blood.For most healthy adults and children, a normal oxygen saturation level is between 95% and 100%.Hypoxemiaoccurs with lower levels of oxygen in the blood and can lead to complications or even death at dangerously low levels below 90%.

An oxygen saturation below 90% requires medical attention because it means your body isn’t getting enough oxygen to function properly. It is monitored through pulse oximetry (a device typically clipped to the finger) or through arterial blood gas testing.

This article covers conditions that affect the amount of oxygen in your blood and the complications of having low oxygen saturation. You will also learn how to measure yourblood oxygen levelsat home (if recommended) and when to seek treatment.

Conditions That Cause Low Oxygen Levels

Blood disorders, problems with circulation, and lung issues can prevent your body from absorbing or transporting enough oxygen. When this happens, it can lower your blood’s oxygen saturation level.

Examples of conditions that can affect your oxygen saturation include:

Congenital heart defectsare structural heart conditions present at birth. They also can contribute to low oxygen levels in the blood.

Other Causes of Low Oxygen Levels

A drop in oxygen saturation in the blood is calledhypoxemia.

Conditions that affect breathing, oxygen absorption, and red blood cell or hemoglobin count can also cause low O2 sat.

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How to Measure Oxygen Levels

Oxygen saturation is measured in one of two ways: an arterial blood gas test (ABG or Sa02) orpulse oximetry (Sp02).

ABG is usually only done in a hospital, while pulse oximetry can be done in other healthcare settings (like a provider’s office) and even at home.

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ABG

An ABG value refers to the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood running through your arteries.

Your ABG value can give your healthcare provider a sense of how efficiently your hemoglobin—the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body—exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide.

What Do Arterial Blood Gases (ABGs) Measure?

Pulse Oximetry

A pulse oximetry reading reflects the percentage of oxygen saturation in arterial blood.It will generally read at about two percentage points higher or lower than the ABG results.

Unlike the ABG test, pulse oximetry does not involve a needle. Instead, the test uses a sensor to read wavelengths reflected from the blood. The probe is attached to your finger, earlobe, or another place on the body. Some studies have shown that the right middle finger works best. In some people, the right thumb may also work well.

A pulse oximeter can give results on a screen in just a few seconds. Most oximeters work best when used on the middle finger. Nail polish can interfere with oximeter measurement. If at-home monitoring is recommended, you can check your oxygen saturation levels using wearable pulse oximetry devices.

Even some smartwatches even have this feature. You can also buy a pulse oximetry device at your local pharmacy or online.

What Is a Dangerously Low Oxygen Level?

Most people need an oxygen level of 89% or more to ensure that cells in your body have the oxygen they need to work.Low oxygen saturation in the blood can mean there’s less oxygen in the body’s tissues, including the organs and muscles. When this happens, it’s calledhypoxia.

A level that falls to 88% or less requires immediate care.

Keep in mind that a pulse oximeter may not work at an extremely low level of 80% or less oxygen saturation. Other factors that can affect accuracy include skin thickness or pigment, cold hand temperature, and whether or not you smoke.

Sleep Apnea and Low Blood Oxygen During Sleep

Hypoxia usually happens because there is not enough oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia). However, it can also happen when:

With larger deficiencies, cell damage and cell death can happen and, in some cases, prove fatal.

What Does An Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) Mean?

Treating Low Oxygen Saturation

Raising Blood Oxygen Levels Quickly

The following can help raise blood oxygen quickly:

An oxygen level of 85% or less requires immediate care for critical illness.The brain is the most susceptible organ to hypoxia.Brain cells can begin to die within five minutes of oxygen deprivation. If hypoxia lasts longer, it can lead to coma, seizures, and brain death. It is very important to find out the cause of low oxygen saturation so the problem can be fixed.

The full treatment plan will depend on the cause of the low saturation levels.

COPD and Asthma

With chronic conditions like COPD and asthma, the cause of hypoxia is usually low air exchange in the lungs and alveoli. In addition to oxygen therapy, steroids or rescue inhalers (bronchodilators) might be needed to open the airways.

Cardiovascular Conditions

In circulatory conditions like heart disease, impaired blood flow reduces oxygen delivery. In this case, medications that improve heart function, such asbeta-blockersfor heart failure orprescription medications to treat heart arrhythmias, can help improve oxygen saturation.

Anemia

With anemia, the blood supply to the tissues is reduced because there are not enough healthy red blood cells with hemoglobin to carry oxygen. Sometimes, ared blood cell transfusionis necessary to increase a person’s level of healthy red blood cells.

Oxygen Saturation and COPD

Summary

Oxygen saturation is the measure of how much oxygen is traveling through your body in your red blood cells. Normal oxygen saturation for healthy adults is usually between 95% and 100%.

If you have a chronic health condition that affects your lungs, blood, or circulation, regularly tracking your oxygen saturation may be recommended. An oxygen saturation level below 95% is not normal. A level under 90% requires emergency care.

14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Minnesota Department of Health.Oxygen saturation, pulse oximeters, and COVID-19.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Pulse oximeter accuracy and limitations: FDA safety communication.Merck Manual Professional Version.Oxygen Desaturation.Sarkar M, Niranjan N, Banyal PK.Mechanisms of hypoxemia.Lung India. 2017 Feb;34(1):47-60. doi:10.4103/0970-2113.197116Collins JA, Rudenski A, Gibson J, Howard L, O’Driscoll R.Relating oxygen partial pressure, saturation and content: the haemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve.Breathe. 2015;11(3):194–201. doi:10.1183/20734735.001415American Thoracic Society.Pulse Oximetry.Basaranoglu G, Bakan M, Umutoglu T, et al.Comparison of SpO2 values from different fingers of the hands.Springerplus. 2015;4:561. doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1360-5University of Iowa Health Care.Pulse oximetry basic principles and interpretation.MedlinePlus.Pulse Oximetry.Di Liberto G, Kiger L, Marden MC, Boyer L, Poitrine FC, Conti M,et al.Dense red blood cell and oxygen desaturation in sickle-cell disease.Am J Hematol. 2016 Oct;91(10):1008-13. doi: 10.1002/ajh.24467.Ferdinand P, Roffe C.Hypoxia after stroke: a review of experimental and clinical evidence.Exp Trans Stroke Med.2016 Dec;8(9):1-8. doi:10.1186/s13231-016-0023-0Pavez N, Kattan E, Vera M, et al.Hypoxia-related parameters during septic shock resuscitation: Pathophysiological determinants and potential clinical implications.ATM.2020 Jun;8(12):784. doi:10.21037/atm-20-2048Yale Medicine.Should you really have a pulse oximeter at home?.Raasveld SJ, de Bruin S, Reuland MC, van den Oord C, Schenk J, Aubron C,et al.Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit.JAMA. 2023 Nov 21;330(19):1852-1861. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.20737.

14 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Minnesota Department of Health.Oxygen saturation, pulse oximeters, and COVID-19.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Pulse oximeter accuracy and limitations: FDA safety communication.Merck Manual Professional Version.Oxygen Desaturation.Sarkar M, Niranjan N, Banyal PK.Mechanisms of hypoxemia.Lung India. 2017 Feb;34(1):47-60. doi:10.4103/0970-2113.197116Collins JA, Rudenski A, Gibson J, Howard L, O’Driscoll R.Relating oxygen partial pressure, saturation and content: the haemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve.Breathe. 2015;11(3):194–201. doi:10.1183/20734735.001415American Thoracic Society.Pulse Oximetry.Basaranoglu G, Bakan M, Umutoglu T, et al.Comparison of SpO2 values from different fingers of the hands.Springerplus. 2015;4:561. doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1360-5University of Iowa Health Care.Pulse oximetry basic principles and interpretation.MedlinePlus.Pulse Oximetry.Di Liberto G, Kiger L, Marden MC, Boyer L, Poitrine FC, Conti M,et al.Dense red blood cell and oxygen desaturation in sickle-cell disease.Am J Hematol. 2016 Oct;91(10):1008-13. doi: 10.1002/ajh.24467.Ferdinand P, Roffe C.Hypoxia after stroke: a review of experimental and clinical evidence.Exp Trans Stroke Med.2016 Dec;8(9):1-8. doi:10.1186/s13231-016-0023-0Pavez N, Kattan E, Vera M, et al.Hypoxia-related parameters during septic shock resuscitation: Pathophysiological determinants and potential clinical implications.ATM.2020 Jun;8(12):784. doi:10.21037/atm-20-2048Yale Medicine.Should you really have a pulse oximeter at home?.Raasveld SJ, de Bruin S, Reuland MC, van den Oord C, Schenk J, Aubron C,et al.Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit.JAMA. 2023 Nov 21;330(19):1852-1861. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.20737.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Minnesota Department of Health.Oxygen saturation, pulse oximeters, and COVID-19.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Pulse oximeter accuracy and limitations: FDA safety communication.Merck Manual Professional Version.Oxygen Desaturation.Sarkar M, Niranjan N, Banyal PK.Mechanisms of hypoxemia.Lung India. 2017 Feb;34(1):47-60. doi:10.4103/0970-2113.197116Collins JA, Rudenski A, Gibson J, Howard L, O’Driscoll R.Relating oxygen partial pressure, saturation and content: the haemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve.Breathe. 2015;11(3):194–201. doi:10.1183/20734735.001415American Thoracic Society.Pulse Oximetry.Basaranoglu G, Bakan M, Umutoglu T, et al.Comparison of SpO2 values from different fingers of the hands.Springerplus. 2015;4:561. doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1360-5University of Iowa Health Care.Pulse oximetry basic principles and interpretation.MedlinePlus.Pulse Oximetry.Di Liberto G, Kiger L, Marden MC, Boyer L, Poitrine FC, Conti M,et al.Dense red blood cell and oxygen desaturation in sickle-cell disease.Am J Hematol. 2016 Oct;91(10):1008-13. doi: 10.1002/ajh.24467.Ferdinand P, Roffe C.Hypoxia after stroke: a review of experimental and clinical evidence.Exp Trans Stroke Med.2016 Dec;8(9):1-8. doi:10.1186/s13231-016-0023-0Pavez N, Kattan E, Vera M, et al.Hypoxia-related parameters during septic shock resuscitation: Pathophysiological determinants and potential clinical implications.ATM.2020 Jun;8(12):784. doi:10.21037/atm-20-2048Yale Medicine.Should you really have a pulse oximeter at home?.Raasveld SJ, de Bruin S, Reuland MC, van den Oord C, Schenk J, Aubron C,et al.Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit.JAMA. 2023 Nov 21;330(19):1852-1861. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.20737.

Minnesota Department of Health.Oxygen saturation, pulse oximeters, and COVID-19.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Pulse oximeter accuracy and limitations: FDA safety communication.

Merck Manual Professional Version.Oxygen Desaturation.

Sarkar M, Niranjan N, Banyal PK.Mechanisms of hypoxemia.Lung India. 2017 Feb;34(1):47-60. doi:10.4103/0970-2113.197116

Collins JA, Rudenski A, Gibson J, Howard L, O’Driscoll R.Relating oxygen partial pressure, saturation and content: the haemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve.Breathe. 2015;11(3):194–201. doi:10.1183/20734735.001415

American Thoracic Society.Pulse Oximetry.

Basaranoglu G, Bakan M, Umutoglu T, et al.Comparison of SpO2 values from different fingers of the hands.Springerplus. 2015;4:561. doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1360-5

University of Iowa Health Care.Pulse oximetry basic principles and interpretation.

MedlinePlus.Pulse Oximetry.

Di Liberto G, Kiger L, Marden MC, Boyer L, Poitrine FC, Conti M,et al.Dense red blood cell and oxygen desaturation in sickle-cell disease.Am J Hematol. 2016 Oct;91(10):1008-13. doi: 10.1002/ajh.24467.

Ferdinand P, Roffe C.Hypoxia after stroke: a review of experimental and clinical evidence.Exp Trans Stroke Med.2016 Dec;8(9):1-8. doi:10.1186/s13231-016-0023-0

Pavez N, Kattan E, Vera M, et al.Hypoxia-related parameters during septic shock resuscitation: Pathophysiological determinants and potential clinical implications.ATM.2020 Jun;8(12):784. doi:10.21037/atm-20-2048

Yale Medicine.Should you really have a pulse oximeter at home?.

Raasveld SJ, de Bruin S, Reuland MC, van den Oord C, Schenk J, Aubron C,et al.Red Blood Cell Transfusion in the Intensive Care Unit.JAMA. 2023 Nov 21;330(19):1852-1861. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.20737.

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