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heart condition
my brother is 51 years old and had a virus attack his heart, with no other heart conditions ever, his heart is only working at 20%. Doctors say he needs a pacemaker but heart is to weak to do. He is on some medicine, not sure what, but he is very weak and tired, his oxygen level is 97%. He is very sore through his back and sides and all the way down his legs. They sent him home with a life vest. I don't know if they're doing enough for him.
Flycaster is right. I have seen a number of patients even with 99% oxygen readings but when a blood gas was performed, they were immediately put onto a ventilator. The usual test for oxygen is a pulseoximeter and this tells you how well each red blood cell is holding oxygen. If you imagine there are a high number of red cells reading 99%, then this is fine. However, imagine there are only a few. This is dire for body organs and the patient starts to hallucinate. If he has an oxygen level of 97% and has a good number of red cells, then this is an excellent reading. What the cardiologist is likely doing is waiting to see how much the heart recovers from the viral attack. It could fully recover, it could go to halfway or it may not improve. Rest is the best cure in such cases, and medication. Don't let him exert himself so his heart can recover gently.
I've learned the oxygen level is not the important thing to concentrate on, I have Congestive Heart Failure and my Ox level in between 96 and 90. My heart compensates by beating more often. Your brother's situation with a heart virus is very difficult to treat. I'm betting he is getting drugs like Coreg or the equivalent which can be very difficult to tolerate, but will re-model the heart. Be sure and report ANY changes to his doc. He is very lucky to have a pro-active sis, well done! I'm just out of the hospital after a ten day stay, and my wife was extremely pro-active in my care. Well done, please keep us informed and stay on top of his care.
Hi sweetie:
I don't have any answers for you, but I hated seeing that no one bothered to answer your post. What is a life vest?
Does your brother smoke, or did he ever? 97% is not a terrible oxygen level to have. It sounds like he needs REST to recover.
Be sure he lets his doctors know how badly he is feeling. Good luck and God Bless...
I don't have any answers for you, but I hated seeing that no one bothered to answer your post. What is a life vest?
Does your brother smoke, or did he ever? 97% is not a terrible oxygen level to have. It sounds like he needs REST to recover.
Be sure he lets his doctors know how badly he is feeling. Good luck and God Bless...
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