Inside Health

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Series that demystifies health issues, bringing clarity to conflicting advice.

Series that demystifies health issues, separating fact from fiction and bringing clarity to conflicting health advice.

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Inside Health: Oximetry at home, Rapid lateral flow tests for Covid

Oximetry at home, Rapid lateral flow tests for Covid

BBC Radio 4 - Inside Health, Oximetry at home, Rapid lateral flow tests for Covid

Could measuring oxygen levels at home, when people have covid, save lives?

James Gallagher asks whether encouraging people to measure their oxygen levels at home with a pulse oximeter could save lives.

In Covid, oxygen levels in the body can crash without noticeable symptoms - it’s known as “silent hypoxia”. This week we’ll be discussing whether letting people monitor their oxygen levels at home with a pulse oximeter could save lives.  James talks to Chris Harris, who’s been using one, and two pioneers of the project - Dr Matt Inada-Kim, Consultant in Acute Medicine at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and Dr Caroline O'Keeffe who runs oximetry@home in North Hampshire. 

And the hotly debated topic of rapid, or lateral flow, testing. Local councils are rolling them out for people who can't work from home, and the hope is that they could help us keep on top of the virus by picking out people with Covid. Could it be a way out of the pandemic or could it cause more harm than good?  Prof Irene Petersen and our own Dr Margaret McCartney are on the case. 

Dr Navjoyt Ladher answers some of the most common questions about vaccines.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher
PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

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