Independent doctor’s comments re sats of 81%

Q. If an elderly person has a reading of 81% sats what action should

take place?
A. They would usually require home oxygen for at least 16 hours a
day. But depends on the underlying cause of the lung disease.
Q. If any action should be for the person in question.
A. Well if they haven't seen a doctor or had any treatment then they
should at least have a chest x Ray, lung function testing and some
basic blood tests to diagnose the problem. If it has happened acutely
they are quite sick, I would expect them to be extremely short of
breath and have difficulty functioning. If it was chronic process with
chronic lung disease then they would generally have difficulty doing
any physical activity and likely be confined to a wheelchair for mobility
or mobility scooter. If you have a bad pneumonia then you can have
saturation so far that level. They would require hospitalisation
reasonably urgently in that situation.