Medical equipment to help keep you safe and monitor your well-being at home

Just when we thought staying six feet away from every other human being on the planet would keep us safe from the raging pathogen, a new study suggests that droplets from an infected person can turn into aerosol particles under high temperature and travel up to 20 feet. The yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study published as a preprint on medRxiv  (not yet endorsed by the World Health Organization) is a reminder that we still know very little about our adversary. But here’s what we know. Anyone can catch Covid-19 and people with underlying health conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart and lung problems are at a greater risk of becoming seriously ill. For the risk groups, particularly, it is advisable to monitor a few health parameters. Here are some gadgets that can help with that and advice from experts on how to use them.
 
 
Infrared thermometer
 
An infrared thermometer measures what is known as the surface temperature as opposed to a regular thermometer that measures core temperature. So, while it may be reassuring to know that your delivery man had a 98.4-degree Celsius temperature before he picked up your order, it might not always be accurate. “An infrared thermometer can sometimes give an inaccurate reading in an air-conditioned room,” says Brajesh Kumar Kunwar, director and head interventional cardiology Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi. This is a problem that even doctors are facing at their clinics. But they still recommend having one at home to know a visitor’s body temperature from an arm’s distance. It’s best to use it at room temperature and crosscheck any abnormality with a regular thermometer, if possible. The one I use is from Apollo Pharmacy and costs Rs 2,199.

Dozee contact-free health monitor

 Pulse oximeter
 
Among a growing list of flu-like symptoms, low levels of oxygen saturation in blood is becoming a commonality in Covid-19 patients. Healthy people have an oxygen saturation between 96 and 100 per cent. Any number lower than 95 per cent is cause for concern, and below 90 is a severe case. “A person with a mild fever can check the saturation level at home. And if it’s going down, it’s an indication to go to the hospital,” says Kunwar. Asymptomatic patients who are not admitted to a hospital should also use a pulse oximeter to check the levels at home, he says. “A few patients have died after their saturation levels suddenly dropped from 95 to below 80,” says Kunwar.
 
A pulse oximeter is a simple device that you can put on your finger to measure the oxygen saturation levels. An AccuSure pulse oximeter costs Rs 2,499 (Flipkart) and one from FDA-approved DrTrust is priced at Rs 4,000 (Amazon).

A pulse oximeter from AccuSure

Sleep tracker
 
Wakefit, a Bengaluru-based sleep solutions startup, recently surveyed 1,500 people across the country about their sleep habits during the lockdown. Forty-four per cent said they were getting less than six hours of sleep, as opposed to 26 per cent before the lockdown. The results were consistent with studies around the world. Some people are sleeping too much, but most research has observed a spike in insomnia, the leading causes being stress and anxiety.
 
Before you seek medical help for it, you might want to record and analyse some data on your own. Sleep tracking has already become an important feature in wearables. And while my Fitbit Versa 2 gives a detailed analysis of sleep divided into stages (deep, light and REM) and the variation of oxygen saturation during sleep (just fluctuation not percentage), some people prefer not to wear a watch while sleeping. There’s a new gadget for them.
 
Dozee (Rs 7,499) is a thin sensor sheet that can be slid underneath your bedsheet. It monitors sleep, heart rate, respiratory rate and stress levels by mapping the micro-vibrations in the body. The app gives you detailed scores and ways to improve them.
 
 
Portable ECG monitor
 
People over the age of 60, with a heart condition or with co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension, should get an electrocardiogram (ECG) done as frequently as medically recommended. And unless you have an Apple Watch 4, or its later versions, that lets you do a single-lead ECG with an app to detect possible atrial fibrillation (Afib), a portable ECG monitor is another option. “But the problem is that you need a trained health worker or a cardiologist to properly conduct an ECG and interpret it,” says Kunwar. It’s more important to know the symptoms of a heart condition, he adds, than doing an ECG at home.
 
While it’s advisable for heart patients to get a standard 12-lead clinical ECG test by a professional, an Apple Watch or a portable ECG device can help healthy individuals detect early signs of a heart problem and know when to see a cardiologist. I have personally benefited from Apple Watch 5’s low heart rate alert. And I have also used a portable ECG monitor, the SanketLife 2.0 (Rs 2,499), developed by an Indian startup. Its app allows you to create a PDF of the ECG and consult a cardiologist remotely. But not everyone needs it at home.

Sanketlife 2.0 ECG monitor

Smart scale
 
A smart scale that analyses your body composition is perhaps very low priority in the larger scheme of things. But no good nutritionist or physical trainer will give you a diet chart or an exercise plan without knowing your BMI (body mass index), body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density, water percentage and visceral fat. Weight is an incomplete indication of one’s health and online BMI calculators are plain rubbish. If Instagram is any proof, the lockdown has given some people the time to be in their best form and others a reason to binge-eat. If you find yourself in the latter zone, a smart scale is a brilliant investment. It basically runs a harmless electrical current from your feet to the rest of your body and determines the amount of fat, muscle and water you store. The Mi Body Composition Scale for Rs 1,999 (Xiaomi website) stores the information on an app and is pretty good.
 
 
Nerve stimulator
 
Most people don’t know of its existence and those who do often tend to misuse it. A nerve stimulator is a gadget that blocks your perception of pain. “It’s like an electrical pain killer for symptomatic treatment,” says Dharam Pandey, head of department of physiotherapy and rehabilitation sciences, Manipal Hospital, Delhi. But only if one knows how to use it safely.

A nerve stimulator from Omron

Most portable devices come with leads attached to electrodes or pads that are to be stuck to your body and use TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) to enhance circulation and relieve muscle aches. The device should never be used on the stomach or head. High intensity stimulation can sometimes also cause muscle spasm. “It should be delivered at a sensory level and not cause much muscle contraction,” says Pandey.
 
A lot of people also make the mistake of using the machine for muscle soreness from exercise. “A fatigued muscle can get even more sore with stimulation,” says Pandey.
 
The one I have tried for pain relief is a small, portable device from Omron and costs Rs 1,700 (Amazon). It helped relieve neck and lower back pain that is often caused by sitting in front of a computer for long. This is not an essential health gadget, but among the many pains that the lockdown is causing, you shouldn’t have to worry about a muscle ache.