# Happy Hypoxia With SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonitis: A Life-Threatening Case of a Medical Doctor

## TL;DR

A doctor with SARS-CoV-2 developed happy hypoxia, showing no breathing issues but dangerously low oxygen levels, nearly leading to death.

## Contribution

Highlights the life-threatening risk of happy hypoxia in SARS-CoV-2 patients without obvious symptoms.

## Key findings

- Happy hypoxia can occur without respiratory distress in SARS-CoV-2 patients.
- A physician's oxygen saturation dropped to 87% at home and 82% at the hospital, nearly fatal.
- Symptoms like sore throat and fever may mask severe oxygen desaturation.

## Abstract

The second wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) had devastating consequences in developing countries like Nepal and India. SARS-CoV-2 affected everyone, encompassing all professions, age brackets, and socioeconomic levels. Symptoms, along with the SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results, were the primary factors used to determine whether patients should be instructed to quarantine at home or be admitted to hospitals immediately. Happy hypoxia refers to a situation where a patient shows no respiratory symptoms yet experiences a decline in oxygen saturation levels. This drop can go unnoticed, potentially resulting in a sudden deterioration of the patient’s condition, with reports of fatalities occurring. We present a case involving a physician who experienced a sore throat and fever as symptoms but had no respiratory distress, along with a decrease in oxygen saturation to 87% at home and 82% at the hospital, resulting in a near-fatal situation.