ViATOM Checkme O2 Sleep Pulse Oximeter, Blood Oxygen Monitor Finger and Wrist with Bluetooth, Wearable Sleep Monitor with Continuous Monitoring, Professional APP&PC Report

Updated 29/01/2020. Sleep Apnoea is a potential killer. I do know, because this otherwise undiagnosed silent killer almost introduced me to a nice pine box somewhat prematurely.OK, I trust I now have your attention?Firstly, I bought the Checkme O2 with my own money, it was not a Free Review Unit, and I have no links to either the Manufacturer and/or the Amazon Seller.Key Benefits:The bottom line is the Checkme O2 does something very important, and that is to alert you if your Blood Oxygen Saturation level (%SpO2), drops below a configurable warning level. Like when you stop breathing at night for example!Initially I had mine set to 92% because, from what I have read, you are moving into hostile territory at anything below 90%, and the negatives get worse the lower you go (such as when you stop breathing at night because of Sleep Apnoea, get the idea?). I later lowered that to 88%, which I found to be a good compromise between warning me of any deeper Apnoea events, against not buzzing too often so that I got too used to the buzzer and so risked tending to ignore it.What this means is when I am asleep, if I elect to stop breathing (an Apnoea event), then my %SpO2 level will start to drop but, at least now, when it reaches 88%, the CheckMe O2 buzzes my thumb until I wake up, when I know to re-start breathing again, after which my %SpO2 immediately recovers. I just then need to check my sleeping position (such as sleeping on my right side and not on my back), and off to sleep I can go again.I can assure you that waking up to a gentle buzz when I am not effectively starting to suffocate, is far, far better than waiting until my %SpO2 level has dropped to a potentially dangerous level, and I wake up (hopefully), gasping for breath, possibly after a related nightmare, and possibly with a cardiac arrhythmia under way because my system has effectively been semi-suffocated!Right, you may see the potential advantage to this device?I stress this alarm feature is the biggest advantage, and it is something that is potentially worth its weight in gold.In terms of your actual safety when trying to sleep, it's no real use looking at logs AFTER the event, which is something that the Checkme O2 can also do, the key here is to know that this basic protection - the feature that will wake you up - is right there from the outset and is active all through the night.If you snore loudly, or wake up gasping for breath, or your family tell you that you do often seem to stop breathing whilst asleep, then you may have a Sleep Apnoea problem. In which case, do not ignore this, get it checked. It can potentially kill you off, when this can be prevented.During the day, without the Thumb Sensor attached, the CheckMe O2 can tell you the time, and count your Steps but, it is at night when this unit really comes into its own.Other Benefits:Right, now you can relax, and I can run through what else it does. The other features are all very useful indeed, and should allow you to at least get some idea if you have a Sleep Apnoea problem, or not.In terms of looks, the CheckMe O2 looks like a digital Sports/Fitness Watch Band, but has a small Port at the front (i.e. nearest your fingers) which I think is a Micro D Port, so NOT the visually similar Micro-USB nor Mini-USB. The Micro D Port connects to the supplied Grey Thumb Sensor with attached cable.The CheckMe O2 has Bluetooth built-in, and this is always live when ever the Display is illuminated.The Battery seems to last fine for at least two 10 hour Sessions. Re-charge takes at least a couple of hours, I have not timed it, so just allow 2-3 hours to re-charge the unit before bed.The Free Mobile App you need is called ViHealth, and that is FREE via the usual App Stores. The App is slick, and allows you to configure the CheckMe O2 in terms of what level of %SpO2 to buzz you, and how strong the buzz needs to be or, if needed, this can also be disabled (handy when running NHS Tests so the buzz does not skew the number of Apnoea events being logged).The Free O2 Insight PC Software is quite basic in comparison to the ViHealth App but, it does allow you to edit the Reports with your own details, such as: name, date of birth, height, weight etc. The software also calculates BMI for you once it knows your height and weight, and adds that to the Report automatically. You can then Save the Report as a PDF, or you can Export all of the Logging Data to a CSV File. I suspect that CSV Data can then be Imported into other Software, or you can Open that in a Spreadsheet and examine the detailed logs of %SpO2 and Pulse, and see when Drops below 4% were logged.The Reports, be they viewed via the ViHealth App or O2 Insight Software, tells you a few useful things such as your lowest %SpO2 reading, how long you spent below 90% during that Session (so over a maximum of 10 hours), how many drops greater than 4% you had, the average number of 4% drops per hour, your Average Pulse, your Average %SpO2 Level, the lowest %SpO2 level recorded, the Total Recording Time and, finally an O2 Score that gathers these details and presents you with a Score from 0 to 10.The ViHealth App also shows Alarm Buzzer Events (if activated) as small White Triangles on the %SpO2 Graph, and below that you have a Graph of your Pulse, and below that, a Graph that tracks Movement, which is useful to cross-check when, say, you went off to the bog for a piddle for example. This means you can rule out any pulse spikes if that is movement related, and not some Apnoea event when in bed that caused your pulse to spike signified by the fact there would not then be any linked movement detected.Which Model to Buy?There seems to be two versions of the CheckMe O2 for sale, the more expensive one mentions coming with PC Software. However, the actual units are the same, and all this really boils down to is you get a different USB cable with each!The lower cost CheckMe O2 unit only seems to come with a WHITE Micro D to USB-A Charging Cable, which does NOT carry Data. By comparison, the higher cost CheckMe O2 unit comes with a BLACK Micro D to USB-A Data & Charging Cable.That seems to be the only difference between the two units being sold.The PC Software, namely O2 Insight, is FREE to Download from the Viatom Web Site, and the BLACK Micro D to USB-A Data & Charging Cable you need is not costly, so I suggest buying the lower cost CheckMe O2 unit, and just buy the cable you need elsewhere. Note my comments above about which type of cable you need, because it's quite hard to identify. I can confirm O2 Insight runs fine on Windows 10 Pro 64 bit.Thus, to link any CheckMe O2 unit to the FREE PC Software (O2 Insight), you will also need a BLACK Micro D to USB-A Data & Charging Cable, not the otherwise visually identical White Cable which does not seem to have a Data Connection. The white one just looks the same, but it can only carry Power and not combined Data & Power.Because I bought the lower cost unit not realising that, I could not initially work out why the Free O2 Insight Software failed to detect the CheckMe O2 Unit. However, the Amazon Seller was very helpful indeed, and sent me a BLACK Micro D to USB-A Data & Charging Cable upon request. After changing over to that cable, the CheckMe O2 then connected straight away, and allowed the O2 Insight Software to Upload the last four Sessions from the CheckMe O2.Before receiving the BLACK Micro D to USB-A Data & Charging Cable, I just emailed the ViHealth App Log from my Mobile to my PC, where I could generate my own PDF from that. The Data on the ViHealth App is very detailed, so that may be all you need.The O2 Insight PDF Reports are a little better in terms of print clarity, so are possibly better if you need to create hard copy reports for GP or the NHS.The Manuals are very basic, mainly the usual Regulatory backside covering, so I suggest you post a question via Amazon if you cannot work out how to do something.CheckMe O2 in Use:At bedtime, after making sure the CheckMe O2 is fully charged, just plug in the Thumb Sensor, fit that to your Thumb, attach the CheckMe O2 to your wrist, and then just press the small button on the side. The Thumb Sensor will then buzz once, and also illuminate its Red Sensor Light, because the CheckMe O2 will know from detecting the Thumb Sensor is attached, that you want to start logging a night in bed.The Display then calculates your %SpO2 and Pulse, and displays both. The Display then stays illuminated for a short while, after which it turns off to conserve power but, so long as the Thumb Sensor is illuminated, the Device is logging your %SpO2 and Pulse. The Red Sensor Light is quite bright, even when seen indirectly via your Thumb, so you can easily tell if it is operating.This then logs for a maximum of 10 hours at a single sitting, and it will buzz your Thumb at the pre-configured %SpO2 level to alert you and/or your wife/husband/partner, that you may well have stopped breathing! The buzz is just about loud enough for someone else to hear.The CheckMe O2 now wakes me up a few times per night but, crucially, I can now see from the Logs that I am no longer straying too deep into a low %SpO2 danger zone and, even when I do, it is not for too long, because I am woken by the buzzer.In the morning, removing the Thumb Sensor stops the logging, and the CheckMe O2 then counts down to confirm that you wish to stop logging. Alternatively, just power down and then remove the Thumb Sensor.I then fire up the ViHealth App on my Samsung S10 Mobile. I then power up the CheckMe O2 and it then immediately communicates with the ViHealth App (via Bluetooth so long as the Display is illuminated), and that night's Logs are then transferred to the App within just a few seconds.I can then examine how I did via the App, and can zoom in on any parts of the Logs to see a detailed picture of what my %SpO2 level was doing, and how that was affecting my heart, i.e. I can see if a dip into lower %SpO2 triggers a rise in pulse.I am now absolutely sure I have OBSTRUCTIVE Sleep Apnoea, because my wife and I, using the CheckMe O2, have worked out that the drops in %SpO2 are directly linked to sleeping position, and the relative position of my airway so, much worse when sleeping on my back for example. Part of my problem involves serious lower limb damage, so I toss and turn all night because of limb pain, which means I tend to move in and out of good sleeping positions for my airway.ERROR 4:My own unit developed a fault, when it would shut down at the outset, flagging up an ERROR 4 Fault Code. I would fit the Thumb Sensor, as usual, power up the CheckMe O2, the Thumb Sensor would buzz once, as usual, then the Red Light flashed only once NOT as usual, and the CheckMe O2 would then display the ERROR 4. This looked like a faulty Thumb Sensor, which was confirmed by the UK Supplier. I was quickly sent a replacement Thumb Sensor, and the CheckMe O2 was back up and running within a week or so.Mobile Requirements (Android Based):Initially, I had some issues finding a young enough Mobile to work with the ViHealth App, mainly because my wife and I had managed with two comparatively ancient Smart Phones for some years, so my trusty old Samsung Galaxy SIII could not even download the ViHealth App from the App Store, presumably because it was detected that my Mobile only had Android v4.3, which simply won't run the ViHealth App so I wasn't even allowed to download it.My wife's Samsung J3 with Android v5.1.1 could download the ViHealth App, but then could NOT complete the synch with the CheckMe O2. We now think that was because her Mobile only had Bluetooth 4.0.So, I ended up having to upgrade my Samsung to an S10, which has Android 9 and Bluetooth 5, and that had absolutely no problem both Downloading the ViHealth App, and also communicating with the CheckMe O2 via Bluetooth.My new Samsung S10 linked straight away, after which I could configure the CheckMe O2 to buzz at the desired %SpO2 (initially 92%, now 88%) and at the desired level of buzz. I set mine to the MAXIMUM buzz, because I can sleep like a log, even when apparently suffocating during an Apnoea!Therefore, in terms of Android Smart Phones, just make sure you have at least Android 5 and Bluetooth 5, and you should be fine.The first time you link to the ViHealth App this asks for the last 4 digits of the unit's Serial, which you will either find on a small label on the box it came in or, if you remove the rubber strap, the Serial is repeated on the back of the CheckMe O2 itself. Failing that, a Bluetooth Search from a Mobile should detect a Device that reports as "O2 XXXX" where the "XXXX" are the digits you need. This is only requested once so, after doing this once, the link up is thereafter seamless.I do not have an Apple Phone, so cannot comment on that as an alternative.Sleep Apnoea:This is potentially a very serious issue, not least because of the impact that poor sleep can have upon your system. If really bad, then other complications range from frequent urination, to limited Deep Sleep, to cardiac arrhythmia that can then lead to Atrial Flutter, possible blood clots, Stroke and even sudden night time death.Sleep Apnoea is directly linked to cardiac issues because of the strain a lack of oxygen has upon your ticker.Also, for those interested in weight loss, you will NOT lose weight very easily whilst you have un-diagnosed Sleep Apnoea. This is because your body and heart are effectively under stress the whole night, every night, which causes the Stress Hormone Cortisol to be released, because your body thinks it is in a Fight or Flight situation, so it actively conserves resources!Sleep Apnoea keeps you fat! It's not just the beers and pies!Because of the Cardiac links, Sleep Apnoea also causes the body to release fluid at night, causing a repeated need to urinate.So, another symptom of Sleep Apnoea is regular trips to the toilet! This can often be confused with Prostate issues in men but, if that comes up clear, then you may be wise to suspect Sleep Apnoea instead.At the moment, I can see that because of Sleep Apnoea, I am not getting quality sleep, because even small drops seem to agitate the heart so, for me, Deep Sleep is elusive. I now also have a SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Active 2, that measures my actual sleep, and that breaks my sleep down into Awake, REM Sleep, Light Sleep and Deep Sleep.Deep Sleep is almost zero most nights, so not good.My own logs show a very clear link between Apnoea events, and elevation of my heart rate: the worse the Apnoea, the greater the effect this has upon my heart.I can now see why I had an issue late in 2019 when, at that time I did not have the benefit of a CheckMe O2 to warn me, so I must have strayed deep, deep, deep into depleted Oxygen, and so put my body into such stress that I managed to trigger Atrial Flutter! I was asleep at that time, so had no control over this whatsoever.When I woke up feeling strange, and took my Blood Pressure and Pulse to try and see what was cooking, I noted my pulse was stuck at around 150 bpm, and did not want to come down. After 6 hours of watching that, my wife eventually persuaded me to wander off to Hospital. I was then rushed straight through to RESUS, when it took the A&E Resus Team a further four hours to bring my pulse down from 150 bpm to normal via IV Fluids, IV Magnesium and a Beta Blocker.All caused by Sleep Apnoea!My Experience Seeking Sleep Apnoea Help via the NHS:After an Atrial Flutter episode that we later realised was cause by Sleep Apnoea, and because we then suspected an issue, we decided that I may as well start checking this out, straight away, and not wait for my Doctor's Surgery to get their act together.Thanks to the CheckMe O2 investment, I was able to see all along that I did have a problem, so we were alive to the dangers whilst also working through the NHS procedure.I have no complaints about the NHS, because I am aware of the practical issues the NHS faces trying to process many referrals.Initially, the way this works in the United Kingom via the NHS, is you must first book a visit to see your Doctor/General Practitioner (GP). After this initial consultation with your Doctor, he/she should refer you for Sleep Tests at your choice of Hospital within range that has a Sleep Clinic.The first stage once referred, is that you will be sent a letter from the Sleep Clinic, asking you to come in to be issued with a very similar device to the CheckMe O2, in my case it was a Konica Minolta Pulsox-300i (which for reference seems to cost around £500, but it is built like a tank).Once issued, you wander off home for an overnight DIY Test, using the NHS device above. For that test I also wore my CheckMe O2, but on my other wrist, when I also switched off the Buzzer Alarm so that it did not influence the results by waking me up and lowering the number of Apnoeas.I had this first NHS DIY test towards the end of 2019 but, unfortunately, it was a bad night on lower limb pain, and I was up/down so often that my average Sleep Apnoea readings were too infrequent to measure what usually happens, which was very frustrating when my own CheckMe O2 had already built up a log of almost 2 Months of tests that showed I do suffer from pretty severe Sleep Apnoea. I can generate up to 140 %SpO2 drops greater than 4%, with a very high average per hour. I gather that the NHS employs the following scale to assess the level of Sleep Apnoea severity:Normal = 0-5 Apnoea events per hour.Mild = 5-14 Apnoea events per hour.Moderate = 14-29 Apnoea events per hour.Severe = 30+ Apnoea events per hour!On the night, when I did get to sleep, I qualified, but I was awake so often, that my overall average for the night was low, which is sadly what the NHS Consultant must have concentrated upon, and did not read my accompanying explanatory notes, so it was decided that I was absolutely fine, and did not have Sleep Apnoea!After that, getting anyone to listen was then hard work so, be warned that the initial Sleep Test, at least via the NHS, is a single night at home and, if it's a good night, you will be deemed not to have Sleep Apnoea!Since then, and armed with my now 3+ Months of Data from the CheckMe O2, I managed to persuade the NHS Sleep Apnoea Clinic to re-test me. The second test was a more extensive test, and included a Chest Strap, a Finger Tip Probe and a Nasal Device to more fully check what goes on.Oddly, although it was a bad session and, arguably life-threatening, because we called off the test after 1.5 hours when my wife (who was observing me for safety), said I was really struggling, my own CheckMe O2 unit logged 74 Drops in that time, with an average per hour of 48.5. That puts me well over the 30+ needed to be diagnosed as having Severe Sleep Apnoea. All being well, I should next be called in to discuss the issue of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Unit.I am now awaiting the letter to call me in to discuss the above results.

Useful for spotting patterns and verifying results from a smartwatch. I find that it under-reads a few % but follows the same patterns as other devices - so don't be too alarmed if your spo2 seems to sit at like 92% if other devices are saying 98. The actual up and down patterns seem to match up so you can always lower the threshold at which it wakes you up to make sure it only does it when you're genuinely dropping to a dangerous level. Or, the seller has good support so maybe exchange if your unit is too far out.Its primary purpose isn't heart rate monitoring and indeed the heart rate sensor can glitch sometimes. I've seen 200bpm spikes overnignt which would be crazy but having worn a chest strap at the same time, confirmed these as just glitches. Just don't be too alarmed if you see sudden spikes overnight unless you wake up with your heart pounding out of your chest!I found I was mildly allergic to the plastic it's made from and need to move it to different fingers if wearing every night. It's advisable to check if you're allergic (wear it every night for a week on the same finger) within the returns window.Remember it's not an NHS endorsed medical device. Use it to spot patterns and verify against smartwatches etc before speaking to your doctor.I thought the accuracy of my unit could use improvement honestly but the seller worked with me to find a very fair resolution.

This pulse oximeter is accurate and comfortable to wear. Works well with phone app and provides many hours of pulse and oxygen monitoring. Can recommend.Accuracy:Good accuracyFunctionality:App and duration of monitoring excellent.

I have been using this device successfully since I bought it in April 2020 and have found it useful in interpreting sleep (and sleeplessness) patterns. Then, a few weeks ago, the software changed completely, requiring me to set up an account with the company and allowing them to record all my personal data. No explanation was given (the website is in Chinese) and all my previous data was lost. The software is hard to understand and no real explanation of its function is given. No response was received from the company. The device is now useless to me. This review replaces the earlier, positive, one that I wrote. I cannot now recommend it to anyone.