Alerts for low or abnormal level of SpO2 on real time

[karl2020]

Hi, given that I'm not a doctor so this idea should first be discussed with medical persons, for what I've read, the Coronavirus determines a pneumonia and for what I know, a pneumonia results in breathe difficulties so MAYBE the Sp02 sensor could be useful to register and warn about this. So, the idea is to show the Sp02 values not only during sleeping time but 24h, even better showing the value or an alert in case o anomalies on the bracelet itself.

If we have technology to help the fight against this virus, let'us it!!

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and updated label

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @VividEye, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to use Sp02 option to warn about pneumonia and breathe difficulties on real time. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request.  A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.

[Conser666]

it sounds like the sensor is indeed reading SpO2 and only reporting deltas. Is the issue that there isn't a percentage calibration? Look, if you have baseline data for an individual, and it is dropping slowly, that's kind of important. If you look at the latest results on covid-19, decreased SpO2 detected early can be a real life-saver. Making some sliding window average available to people could be a real help.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @gomezz, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to see track pneumonia and breathe difficulties. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request. We can see that you have shared two ideas here but we ask that you only post one idea per Feature Suggestion. That way we can keep these boards organized and searchable, in addition to clearly understanding which idea other members are voting for. We have chosen one idea and retitled and labelled this idea accordingly. Please repost your other ideas as individual Feature Suggestions by clicking ‘Add New Suggestion’. I hope we receive updates soon.

[scirahul]

Hi,

Can you please help gather fitness band anonymous dataset of COVID-19 tested patients. This would greatly help Machine Learning community build solutions around COVID and fitness bands. The dataset can contain the COVID test result and last 30 days fitness data.

FitBit can send notification to all it's users asking if they undertook COVID test and the result of the same and if they permit use of their fitness data anonymously for 15 days around date they took test on. This will help Machine Learning researchers find relationship/correlation between fitness data and COVID results. I am a S/w developer and intend to help compile this dataset and open source it on Kaggle, where ML researches from all over the world can utilize this data. Such dataset can help ascertain the risk a person is of having COVID infection and if he should go for COVID testing or not. This can greatly help people all over the world. Hoping for a positive response asap.

Based on models developed using this training data set Fitbit can also predict on a ongoing basis if a Fitbit user should take V

Thanks!

[Sheeps]

Please put oxygen sats on fitbit. I'm a respiratory patient and it would help so much. I know you already have the technology! It's topical at present with covid 19 but you'd gain a whole group of people needing this information.

[nuxx]

Today the EOV(SpO2) display for Sleep has been removed without notice, what does this mean?

[swimcraze]

I think Fitbit should incorporate an oximeter feature to measure the percentage level of oxygen so that the wearer is aware if he/she should seek to consult a doctor. See below:

Currently, there is this Estimated Oxygen Variations feature in Fitbit apps. See below. I believe it can also indicate the oxygen level. The algorithm is similar. If this is incorporated, Fitbit would have done a great service to the community.

[swimcraze]

In view of COVID19, I think Fitbit apps should incorporate a pulse oximeter feature to measure the percentage level of oxygen. If the wearer has less than 95% oxygen, he/she will need to consult a medical doctor. Covid19 patient may not know if he/she has silent pneumonia. If the blood oxygen level is less than 95%, the wearer is suspected to be infected with COVID19 virus.

Currently, there is this Estimated Oxygen Variations feature in Fitbit apps. I believe it can also indicate the oxygen level. The algorithm is similar. If this is incorporated, Fitbit would have done a great service to the global community.

[swimcraze]

In view of COVID19, I think Fitbit apps should incorporate a pulse oximeter feature to measure the percentage level of oxygen. If the wearer has less than 95% oxygen, he/she will need to consult a medical doctor. Covid19 patient may not know if he/she has silent pneumonia. If the blood oxygen level is less than 95%, the wearer is suspected to be infected with COVID19 virus.

Currently, there is this Estimated Oxygen Variations feature in Fitbit apps. I believe it can also indicate the oxygen level. The algorithm is similar. If this is incorporated, Fitbit would have done a great service to the global community.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @swimcraze, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to see use Sp02 feature to measure the percentage level of oxygen for medical purposes. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request.  A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.

[CookiemanBelge]

I would really appreciate a status update and explanation/statement from Fitbit why they have not opened up access to the Oximeter data. I wanted to build an app that could use the raw data from the oximeter to generate an oxygen saturation level trend graph. Unfortunately, even at the API level this data is not available. Such data, even if not perfectly accurate, can be used to generate an alert and ask users to investigate their oxygen levels further or seeking other resources for help.  Obviously, having such a graph/data 24/7 in the Fitbit App would make things simpler.

BTW: Regarding the app sleep view, the three months premium trial is only available if you have not run the trial previously. I can also understand the fraustration users having data behind a paywall as there is minimal ongoing cost for Fitbit; i.e. as opposed to creating content. 

[JackieB0412]

I need to admit that looking at the EOV graph and not being able to see what is impacting it is causing great anxiety during my recovery. I don’t have a pulse oximeter and only have access to telemedicine. I know that the Fitbit is not intended for medical purposes but it’s also not intended to create anxiety. Perhaps Fitbit should provide additional info other than low variations are good and high are bad. Keep in mind that with covid19 spo2 levels can vary so slowly over time that the user may not even realize they have an issue until it’s too late. 

[Sheeps]

I have severe asthma so a idea as to oxygen levels would help so much. I know it is not a medical device but a estimate as to level would really help. Eg 95 -100%. If my Oxygen level was in low 80s at night I would know I need to get things checked.

Donna Wing
Sent from my iPhone

[Harald-LB]

@CookiemanBelge 

I had the same Idea to build such an app.

See: https://github.com/Harald-LB/CovidPulseOx 

I purchased a smart watch from the concurrent the Fitbit and asked for access to their SDK.

The answer was:

> Thanks for your interest ...In order to evaluate a possible collaboration, please explain how this partnership would increase our sales and marketing relevance.

And on telephone I was told that if I do not sign a contract for at least 5000 watches I am of no interest.

This lets me conclude that the makers of smart watches do not trust that their own Pulse Oximeter and are not keen on free programmers writing apps for it.

In my project I will now concentrate on the classical pulse oxymeter, used in hospital.

[Bleeh]

This should be released already!  And NOT as a Premium feature.

SpO2 is available on so many other devices that Fitbits excuses are just nonsense.

My guess is, once the Apple Watch 6 comes out with a full health suite, Fitbit will feel the pain more than others, because there are a lot of upset current users.  There is still time, but I am not holding my breath.

[Conser666]

Actually, according to a medical journal article I just saw, the iOx app for the current generation Apple watch is about as accurate as standalone pulse oximeters, and some doctors already recommend using them for telemedicine.  

I have to say, I'm quite annoyed at Fitbit's push to premium and lack of response on the SpO2 issue.  I prefer Android phones still, but I'm going to start looking into Samsung and other smart watch brands with fitness tracking, given the steady annoyances I'm finding with Fitbit.  The sleep onset information has to be manually reset typically once or twice a week, and I have to deal with pop-up nags daily and scroll past "premium" junk.  Very disappointing.

[SomedayMay]

Wait, we are buying fitbit watches for a premium already and they want us to pay MORE to access medical features?

WOW. 

[Harald-LB]

@Conser666 

Please tell us where you saw this article, in which medical journal.

[DM.sblg]

2020-05-03  It would be a good thing for Fitbit to emphasize and prioritize blood oxygen measurements and alerts development as during our daily sedentary activities, we can't detect the oxygen level continuously being low. 

.. just read an article (Lapresse) with observations from 4 different areas in the world entitled "starting to understand (covid-19).  It seems that the virus reduced significantly the blood oxygen level and keeps its low for a long period.  When it happens, most people not exercising won't notice any breathing problems because a healthy human body can take much for a few days.  But as the covid-19 keeps depraving blood oxygen level, mico-blood-clot starts to form and spread everywhere, lung, kidney, even in the brain.  Long term low Oxygen level should be a top priority.

[CorkBoulder]

FitBit has a huge choice to make, either open up access to the PulseOX data and dramatically expand their customer base or not and fall into the waste bin of history. There are a growing number of articles showing how critical monitoring oxygen levels is and will be, this is a good example:

https://bgr.com/2020/04/13/apple-watch-6-rumors-blood-oxygen-sensor-and-coronavirus-treatment/ 

I bought my Versa specifically for this feature, but the current sleep oxygen variation (at night only) is useless to me and to most people, Apple recognizes the merit in monitoring health, it appears FitBit does not. I will likely be buying an Apple Watch next and once done almost certainly won’’t be back.  

FitBit is ostensibly collecting that info already but not making it available, why? 

[Conser666]

Re iPhone apps: See American Journal Of Emergency Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2019.07.020,

The Utility of iPhone oximetry apps.  While some docs are using them for telemedicine, the conclusions are a little more harsh, as shown below.  

While iOx has modest concordance with control, Ox and POx showed almost none. The iOx device was best in correctly identifying hypoxia patients, but almost 1/4 of patients were incorrectly classified. The three apps provided inaccurate SpO2 measurements and had limited to no ability to accurately detect hypoxia. These apps should not be relied upon to provide accurate SpO2 measurements in emergent, even austere conditions.

[Harald-LB]

@Conser666 

Many thanks for this link.

Now there is enough evidence that the onboard light and camera lens “Pulse Oximeter” of smartwatches are not usable to detect hypoxia.

The report says: "Sensitivities for detecting hypoxia were 69%, 0%, and 7% for iOx, POx, and Ox, respectively. (Where the somewhat better alternative iOx is using an external device that plugged into the iphone)

I guess Fitbit is not better than IPhone and we can stop begging Fitbit to open their API for PulseOx reading.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @scirahul, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to track breathe difficulties using Sp02 on the Fitbit app. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request.  A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.

[bryngylf]

In latest news, COVID-19 patients suffer from so-called silent hypoxia, which means that the blood oxygen levels are death threatingly low but the person can still do normal tasks. Instead, the symptoms may be more subtle, like fatigue. A real SpO2 reading can detect cronic low blood oxygen concentrations, the ”variation” we have today cannot.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @bryngylf, thanks for explaining why you would like to have the option to use Sp02 feature to warn about breathe difficulties. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I've moved it into a similar request.  A lot of users are asking for this option, I hope we receive updates soon.

[Sheeps]

If you incorporated a oximeter into a fitbit you would gain a whole new group of users. The severe asthmatics and those with long term respiratory issues would love something that gave oxygen sats on a regular basis would help so much and would enable us to effectively share the information with doctors. It is particularly relevant now with Covid but would be a valuable tool on a long term basis and hence if advertised about a new feature I am convinced you would get a whole new group of users. Come on fitbit you can do it!