The World Health Organization (WHO) identified on Friday the new South African strain as one of concern, as it is reported to carry a high number of mutations - 32 -which possibly makes it more transmissible and dangerous.
The oximeters were donated to Isoparb by international NGO Lifebox as part of its Safer Surgery Project. Five centres from Nagpur — NMC hospital, Matru Seva Sangh, Janata Hospital, GMCH and IGGMC, were given the devices.
An oximeter measures a patient’s pulse rate, amount of oxygen the blood is carrying (oxygen saturation) and blood pressure. However, several government, charity and rural hospitals in the state function without this device, causing a rise in complications in some cases. A small pulse oximeter can cost Rs25,000 whereas a larger one can be worth Rs75,000.
“More than 7,000 of the country’s 15,500 operation theatres work without a pulse oximeter. This small device for monitoring blood oxygen is an important part of modern anaesthesia,” said national president Milind Shah.
According to the checklist provided by World Health Organization, use of this device has proved to reduce surgical complications and maternal mortality by more than 40%, Shah said.
Dr Yadavrao Raut from Umarkhed was the chief guest at the event.
Dr Chaitanya Shembekar said that there is no method in general anaesthesia to check whether a person’s oxygen level is normal. In absence of an oximeter, doctors would understand a person’s lowering oxygen saturation only after the patient is affected by cyanosis in which a part of the body becomes bluish in colour, he said.
At this stage, his oxygen saturation in only 20% compared to the normal range of 98-100. The oximeter is so sensitive that one immediately knows the drop in saturation and can change the approach towards a patient, he added.