T3’s tech titan gets hearts beating faster with more exciting advice

Who knew plugging the holes in the ozone layer was that easy?

ILLUSTRATIONS: STEPHEN KELLY

Q CHERRY, VIA EMAIL

Do I need a pulse oximeter? What’s the right thing to get?

A  Everyone is talking about pulse oximeters right now. Mama Guru gets on the phone nightly, tediously listing her O2 stats in order that Guru can enter them into a spreadsheet.  GaGu’s postman, wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter, knocks on the door and it’s all “oxygen saturation” this and “please unclamp your dog’s jaws from my shin” that. Frankly, reader, Guru is sick to the point of breathlessness from being asked about them.

Conversely, Doctor Guru loves you and wants you to be well. Pulse Oximeters are the in thing, both because they can (used correctly) suggest to you the early signs of breathing difficulties, and because they are very cheap and readily available. Even if you don’t want to buy something new, it’s entirely feasible to rely on the built-in oxygen-monitoring functions of something like an Apple Watch. If you do, bear in mind that you’ll not be getting medical-grade monitoring, but comparing new readings to a baseline should offer up at least a vague indication of any new lung-based malfeasance.