Validation of oxygen saturations measured in the community by emergency medical services as a marker of clinical deterioration in patients with confirmed COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study.
Matthew Inada-KimFrancis P ChmielMichael BonifaceDaniel BurnsHelen PocockJohn Jm BlackCharles DeakinPublished in: BMJ open (2024)
Initial oxygen saturation measurements (on air) for confirmed COVID-19 patients conveyed by EMS correlated with short-term patient outcomes, demonstrating an AUROC of 0.753 (95% CI 0.668 to 0.826) in predicting 30-day ICU admission. We found that the threshold of 93% oxygen saturation is prognostic of adverse events and of value for clinician decision-making with sensitivity (74.2% CI 0.642 to 0.840) and specificity (70.6% CI 0.678 to 0.734).