Pulse Oximetry
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1. Pulse Oximeter Equipment
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1.1 Equipment Manuals for pulse oximeters are kept in the Laboratory.
Refer to them for details on
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use of the equipment specific to make and model.
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1.2 The pulse oximeter is used as an oxygen measuring device.
It provides a continuous
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measurement of oxygen saturation and pulse rate.
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2. Procedure:
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2.1. Obtain proper equipment.
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2.1.1 pulse oximeter
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2.1.2 oximeter probe
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2.2 Plug the pulse oximeter into an electrical outlet.
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2.2.1 The oximeter has an internal battery that will operate the
oximeter from 1-2 hours fully charged.. This is used mainly for transports.
Recharge time is 4-8 hrs. 0
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2.3. Plug the oximeter probe into the patient module cable.
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2.3.1 Make sure that the prongs are aligned correctly.
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2.4. Select an appropriate site on the infant
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2.4.1 The probe must be wrapped around a foot, toe or hand, so that
the dots on the probe are aligned.
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Ambient light may effect the sensor. Cover the sensor with opaque material
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2.5. Turn the ON/STBY switch to the ON position.
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2.6. Observe the pulse amplitude indicator
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2.6.1 It will begin to follow the pulse of the infant. If the
indicator shows less than 2-3 bars with each pulse beat, the perfusion
at the site is inadequate and/or the site needs to be changed.
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2.7. Once a good pulse amplitude is observed, watch for a close correlation
between the pulse on
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the oximeter, and the pulse on the EKG monitor.
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2.7.1 If the two pulses do not correlate, look for a cause:
excessive patient movement or poor site
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location.
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2.8. The pulse oximeter is not only affected by inadequate perfusion,
but also by excessive light sources
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as warming lights and bilirubin lights.
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2.8.1 The probe can be covered with a 2x2 gauze or some other opaque
material. You should see an
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immediate response if the light source is the problem.
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2.9. Set your alarm limits accordingly.
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2.9.1 To set each alarm limit, hold the specific button (High Sat,
Low Sat, High Rate, Low
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Rate) while turning the control knob until the desired value is displayed.
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2.9.2 Low saturation alarms should not be set lower than 87
unless otherwise ordered by MD
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2.9.3 High saturation alarms should be set no higher than 97
unless the patient excees that
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saturation on low (<25%) O2 supplement and or cannot be weaned further.
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2.9.4. If the oximeter is turned off and on again, the alarm
limits return to their default values
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and so must be reset per 2.9.2, 2.9.3
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2.9.5. To disable the alarm, press the Audio Alarm Button off. This
silences the audio alarm for 60 seconds
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2.9.7 The Audio Alarm delay can be set from 30 seconds to 120 seconds
or OFF.
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2.9.7.1 To change the 60 second delay, press and hold the Audio Alarm
button off and turn the
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control knob until the desired period of time appears on the O2 sat display.
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2.10 The site of the oximeter probe should to be checked
and changed each shift to insure good
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skin integrity.
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