Resp Heart Monitor

[Idara Viengxay]

Ifyou or a loved one is in the hospital, you might find yourself paying closer attention to it, wondering what the numbers and beeps mean. Though there are many different makes and models of vital sign monitors, most generally work the same way.

Small sensors attached to your body carry information to the monitor. Some sensors are patches that stick to your skin, while others may be clipped on one of your fingers. The devices have changed a lot since the first electronic heart monitor was invented in 1949. Many today have touch-screen technology and get information wirelessly.

Oxygen saturation: This number measures how much oxygen is in your blood, on a scale up to 100. The number is normally 95 or higher, and anything below 90 means your body may not be getting enough oxygen.

If one of your vital signs rises or falls outside healthy levels, the monitor will sound a warning. This usually involves a beeping noise and a flashing color. Many will highlight the problem reading in some way.

If one or more vital signs spikes or drops sharply, the alarm may get louder, faster, or change in pitch. This is designed to let a caregiver know to check on you, so the alarm may also show up on a monitor in another room. Nurses are often the first to respond, but alarms that warn of a life-threatening problem can bring several people rushing to help.

SpO2 Waveform: The SpO2 waveform allows clinicians to determine whether there are any issues with circulation or peripheral perfusion. Each peak of the SpO2 waveform should correlate with a heartbeat on the ECG waveform at the same intervals, since oxygenated blood is being pumped out of the heart with each heartbeat.

I have a love/hate relationship with the monitor. I remember as a junior medical student my first day on pediatrics when I was caring for a 6 month old boy. During my rounds, the monitor suddenly started alarming. His heart rate was 140! My expression frightened his mom and she and I rushed outside to grab the nurses and a pediatrician. Turns out 140 is only the upper limit of characters for tweets and is perfectly normal for that age range. I was led astray by that monitor and it spawned a decade long feud.

One pro tip I learned from my nursing colleagues is that you can adjust the EKG monitor to slow down the rate, this stretches out your EKG and can help distinguish faster rhythms - it can help pull out the sawtooths of atrial flutter. It can help distinguish SVT vs Sinus tach. Spend time with the monitor and it will give you its secrets.

Heart Rate: Also known as HR, is typically on display using green numbers. The heart rate is in the right corner of the screen. The number identifies with HR, RR, or ECG next to or above it. In addition, the number is shown in beats per minute, or BPM.

SpO2 Waveform: The SpO2 Waveform can help in determining if there are any issues with circulation or peripheral perfusion. In addition, every peak on the SpO2 Waveform should correlate with the heartbeat on the ECG Waveform at close intervals. Further, because oxygenated blood is pumping out of the heart with every single heartbeat.

IBP (1,2) Waveform: The IBP Waveform helps visualize the invasive blood pressure. Some patient monitors will show multiple waveforms. For example, in our case ART (Arterial Blood Pressure) and CVP (Central Venous Blood Pressure) is on display.

The normal body temperature of a person varies depending on gender, recent activity, food and fluid consumption, time of day, and, in women, the stage of the menstrual cycle. Normal body temperature can range from 97.8 degrees F (or Fahrenheit, equivalent to 36.5 degrees C, or Celsius) to 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C) for a healthy adult. A person's body temperature can be taken in any of the following ways:

Orally. Temperature can be taken by mouth using either the classic glass thermometer, or the more modern digital thermometers that use an electronic probe to measure body temperature.

Axillary. Temperatures can be taken under the arm using a glass or digital thermometer. Temperatures taken by this route tend to be 0.3 to 0.4 degrees F lower than those temperatures taken by mouth.

Body temperature may be abnormal due to fever (high temperature) or hypothermia (low temperature). A fever is indicated when body temperature rises about one degree or more over the normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Hypothermia is defined as a drop in body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mercury is a toxic substance that poses a threat to the health of humans, as well as to the environment. Because of the risk of breaking, glass thermometers containing mercury should be removed from use and disposed of properly in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Contact your local health department, waste disposal authority, or fire department for information on how to properly dispose of mercury thermometers.

The pulse rate is a measurement of the heart rate, or the number of times the heart beats per minute. As the heart pushes blood through the arteries, the arteries expand and contract with the flow of the blood. Taking a pulse not only measures the heart rate, but also can indicate the following:

The normal pulse for healthy adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. The pulse rate may fluctuate and increase with exercise, illness, injury, and emotions. Females ages 12 and older, in general, tend to have faster heart rates than do males. Athletes, such as runners, who do a lot of cardiovascular conditioning, may have heart rates near 40 beats per minute and experience no problems.

As the heart forces blood through the arteries, you feel the beats by firmly pressing on the arteries, which are located close to the surface of the skin at certain points of the body. The pulse can be found on the side of the neck, on the inside of the elbow, or at the wrist. For most people, it is easiest to take the pulse at the wrist. If you use the lower neck, be sure not to press too hard, and never press on the pulses on both sides of the lower neck at the same time to prevent blocking blood flow to the brain. When taking your pulse:

The respiration rate is the number of breaths a person takes per minute. The rate is usually measured when a person is at rest and simply involves counting the number of breaths for one minute by counting how many times the chest rises. Respiration rates may increase with fever, illness, and other medical conditions. When checking respiration, it is important to also note whether a person has any difficulty breathing.

Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls during contraction and relaxation of the heart. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, resulting in the highest blood pressure as the heart contracts. When the heart relaxes, the blood pressure falls.

Two numbers are recorded when measuring blood pressure. The higher number, or systolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body. The lower number, or diastolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are recorded as "mm Hg" (millimeters of mercury). This recording represents how high the mercury column in an old-fashioned manual blood pressure device (called a mercury manometer or sphygmomanometer) is raised by the pressure of the blood. Today, your doctor's office is more likely to use a simple dial for this measurement.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. With high blood pressure, the arteries may have an increased resistance against the flow of blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood.

These numbers should be used as a guide only. A single blood pressure measurement that is higher than normal is not necessarily an indication of a problem. Your doctor will want to see multiple blood pressure measurements over several days or weeks before making a diagnosis of high blood pressure and starting treatment. Ask your provider when to contact him or her if your blood pressure readings are not within the normal range.

For people with hypertension, home monitoring allows your doctor to monitor how much your blood pressure changes during the day, and from day to day. This may also help your doctor determine how effectively your blood pressure medication is working.

Either an aneroid monitor, which has a dial gauge and is read by looking at a pointer, or a digital monitor, in which the blood pressure reading flashes on a small screen, can be used to measure blood pressure.

The aneroid monitor is less expensive than the digital monitor. The cuff is inflated by hand by squeezing a rubber bulb. Some units even have a special feature to make it easier to put the cuff on with one hand. However, the unit can be easily damaged and become less accurate. Because the person using it must listen for heartbeats with the stethoscope, it may not be appropriate for the hearing-impaired.

The digital monitor is automatic, with the measurements appearing on a small screen. Because the recordings are easy to read, this is the most popular blood pressure measuring device. It is also easier to use than the aneroid unit, and since there is no need to listen to heartbeats through the stethoscope, this is a good device for hearing-impaired patients. One disadvantage is that body movement or an irregular heart rate can change the accuracy. These units are also more expensive than the aneroid monitors.

Sit with your back supported (don't sit on a couch or soft chair). Keep your feet on the floor uncrossed. Place your arm on a solid flat surface (like a table) with the upper part of the arm at heart level. Place the middle of the cuff directly above the bend of the elbow. Check the monitor's instruction manual for an illustration.

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