Pulse oximetry is an essential tool that saves lives: a call for standardisation

Pneumonia is a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly amongst adults aged >70 years and children. Annual deaths due to pneumonia in these groups was estimated at more than one million and 672 000 worldwide for both groups, respectively, in 2019 [1]. The importance of pneumonia is highlighted by impact of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on vulnerable populations. Yet, despite the high impact of pneumonia worldwide, diagnosing pneumonia, especially in children in low- and middle-income countries, remains a big challenge. Frequent clinical signs of pneumonia (cough and difficult or rapid breathing) are non-specific and can overlap with other prevalent diseases in these settings, such as malaria. Equally important, data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 40% of children with pneumonia symptoms in the 40 countries reporting 90% of child pneumonia deaths never receive medical care for their pneumonia [2]. Furthermore, overdiagnosis of bacterial pneumonia and unnecessary administration of antibiotics poses an extra challenge, particularly in countries with limited resources for diagnostic procedures.

Source: European Respiratory Journal - June 4, 2021 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Cilloniz, C., Simonds, A., Hansen, K., Alouch, J., Zar, H., Nakanishi, Y., Levine, S., Cohen, M., Dela Cruz, C., Evans, S. E., Sanguinetti, M., Vila, J., Diez Manglano, J., Ferrer, R., Criado, L., Polo Garcia, J., Correcher, Z., Rodriguez-Hurtado, D., Ter Tags: Original Articles: Correspondence Source Type: research