My Oxygen Saturation is Still 98%: Arsen Torosyan Discusses Coronavirus Symptoms

Health Minister Arsen Torosyan wrote on his Facebook page: “I have decided to share information about the subjective and objective symptoms characteristic of coronavirus disease. One of the objectively significant symptoms is blood oxygen saturation, or as doctors call it, oxygen saturation (SpO2). It should be above 95%, which indicates that the transfer of oxygen in the lungs to the blood is occurring in sufficient quantities, and there is no oxygen deficiency in the body.

When pneumonia develops due to coronavirus and a part of the lungs is excluded from the oxygen exchange process, saturation begins to decline. The lower the saturation, the greater the extent of lung tissue damage and the more serious the patient’s condition. It is precisely to increase saturation that doctors provide oxygen therapy to patients, initially breathing through a regular mask, and in more severe cases, using non-invasive and invasive artificial ventilation of the lungs.

This indicator is measured several times a day for all our patients to determine whether the health condition is improving or deteriorating, and appropriate interventions can be made. P.S. Fortunately, my oxygen saturation is still 98%.”