COVID-19: Boehringer Ingelheim Netherlands donates 440 oxygen meters

Due to a lack of oxygen meters (saturation meters) in the Netherlands, the lung specialist Prof. Marjolein Drent - connected to the ILD Expertise Centre, Department of Pulmonology St. Antonius Hospital and Professor of Pulmonology, Maastricht University - started a campaign in which she asks sports trainers, lifestyle coaches, physiotherapists, among others, to donate their oxygen meters. Boehringer-Ingelheim the Netherlands supports her initiative by donating 440 oxygen meters to lung specialists and general practitioners, but also by supporting her campaign on social media.

Home monitoring for corona patients 

In some cases, COVID-19 leads to (severe cases of) pneumonia and patients experience a shortage of oxygen. Corona patients who are not ill enough for hospitalization, however, have to stay at home keep hospital capacities for those who need it most. Oxygen deficiency then might become a risk. With oxygen meters, lung specialists and general practitioners can monitor patients at home. The meters can be used to check the blood oxygen level at home. If the oxygen level is too low, a visit to the doctor or the emergency room may be necessary. Because there is currently an enormous shortage of oxygen meters, Boehringer Ingelheim has decided to donate 440 saturation meters to lung specialists and general practitioners. 

Avoiding unnecessary hospital visits

Unnecessary visits to the doctor or hospital can be avoided by offering home monitoring to corona patients with oxygen deficiency. Home monitoring has several advantages. It not only relieves pressure on the healthcare institutions, but is also a solution for vulnerable patients with an existing pulmonary disease such as pulmonary fibrosis. It can also help them reducing additional hospital visits and - as a result - their risk of infection.