30% of deaths at Bhagalpur hosp due to happy hypoxia: Doctors

BHAGALPUR: Doctors at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) at Bhagalpur have claimed that several patients admitted there were suffering from ‘happy hypoxia’.
Doctors say ‘happy hypoxia’ is a medical condition under which the oxygen saturation level can drop to as low as 30%and even less but the patient continues with their daily activities without notching it.Such patients need immediate oxygen or ventilator support.
Dr Raj Kamal Choudhary, associate professor in the department of medicine at JLNMCH, who has worked in World Health Organization (WHO) for more than eight years as sub-regional coordinator, told this newspaper that around 30% of the Covid deaths in the age group of 23-45 years occurred due to ‘happy hypoxia’, but the deceased did not get themselves tested for Covid-19.
“These 30% people did not bother to get their samples tested and came to the hospital in a critical condition,” Dr Choudhary said, adding that saving such patients is a herculean task. He said another 20% people, who died due to ‘happy hypoxia’ in Bhagalpur, had been detected positive for Covid through RT-PCR test.
Dr Hem Shanker Sharma, associate professor in the department of medicine and nodal officer for Covid-19 at JLNMCH, said ‘hypoxia’ is a condition of very low oxygen saturation levels in the blood. “Peripheral oxygen saturation level (SpO2) in the bloodstream of a healthy person is 95% and above but Covid-19 patients display dangerously low levels of SpO2. Hypoxia is a warning signal for imminent failure of vital body organs, such as kidney and heart,” Dr Sharma said.
He said ‘happy hypoxia’ does not prompt or reflect any breathlessness or related external warning symptoms. “Such Covid patients, during early stages of the illness, feel almost well and stable but he or she isn’t actually well. This condition is ‘happy hypoxia’ and such patients continue with his or her daily routine without bothering for check-up even if minor symptoms are felt. It is too late to cure such patients who land in the hospital when things deteriorated,” Dr Sharma said.