If the telltale breath and stained fingers and teeth weren’t enough, it turns out a pulse oximeter is a pretty good tool for detecting smokers who won’t readily admit their habit. In addition to detecting blood oxygen levels, it can detect carbon monoxide levels which are typically higher in smokers. Dr. Sridhar Reddy of St Clair MI, along with the help of his son Ashray, tested the device on 476 patients with impressive results…
The device, which Reddy said costs $4,000-$5,000, measures the level of carbon monoxide in hemoglobin. It accurately spotted up 95 percent of all smokers when Reddy looked only at those who had a 6 percent or higher level of carbon monoxide.
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In his office, he sometimes sets the device to sound an alarm if the carbon monoxide level is higher than 10 percent, meaning that only the heaviest smokers should set it off. Patients wonder why the alarm goes off, and “we can tell them that 10 percent of their blood is poisoned with carbon monoxide. That gets them in a conversation about preventing lung disease even if they don’t have it,” he said.
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Photo: Victor Bezrukov