Pulse ox

[Kramer]

ive heard to use them, and ive heard not to...whats the consensus among you guys?

[thelurker]

It's a nice and quick way to get a pulse, and see how much O2 the patient is perfusing on room air, but you need to not always rely on them. Even if you clip a puulse ox to the patient, you still need to manually feel, and maybe even count the patient's pulse manually. Remember, checking distal pulses tells you more than just a number. It gives you further clues to the status of that patient's health. Also, remember that if you are going to use a pulse ox, the Oxygen Saturation BEFORE adding supplemental O2 is important, and the ALS and hospital providers find it important.

[hp4l]

I agree with Dean. They are work great when you need apulse fast but always feel for the pulse with it. I've heard that nail polish can affect it but have not seen that. Same with cold fingers. Any thoughts?

[Kramer]

i have been on calls where nail polish and fake nails do affect the reading...it told us they each should have been dead...

[1900]

The Pulse Ox is just another tool...but like any other tool cannot be solely relied on...

Yes nail polish, fake nails and cold extremities can affect the performance of same.

Always recheck all your findings...that is on truely sick Pt.'s...if something doesnt look or feel right to you it pry isnt double check...

[opsoverkill]

Every truck in the Mount Laurel has one and Like Chad said it is a tool in the toolbox. The old models had issues with nail polish etc. Do not see that much anymore.

Just remember the pulse ox does NOT measure the oxygen in the body on room air. The pulse Ox measures the gas levels in the hemaglobin. It does not matter what type of gas. So you can have a CO alarm and the Pt. have a 100% reading and still be near death. Meaning it could be a 40%CO2 and 60% O2. etc. :oSo like everything else let the body talk to you. Not the equipment.

[actanonverba]

There is nothing that a pulse ox can do that you cannot do in less time than it takes to pull it out of the bag. Simple capillary refill, distal pulses, color, and temperature can be taken and are reliable as well as critical for underlying pathophys mechanisms. This is not to say that pulse ox does not have its place in the field,while sometimes unreliable, it can be a valuable tool; Especially on the monitoring of extrema injuries with impaired perfusion. They are also convenient, getting an "accurate" assessment of perfusion and pulse in a matter of seconds. BLS interventions are exactly that. Basic. Nice, Simple, and across the board. Oxygen therapy is given without the regard to pulse ox. In summary, it's "just another assessment tool" like a really expensive penlight; and while can give some valuable information, should not take the place of solid assessment skills.

[thelurker]

opsoverkill said:

Every truck in the Mount Laurel has one and Like Chad said it is a tool in the toolbox. The old models had issues with nail polish etc. Do not see that much anymore.

Just remember the pulse ox does NOT measure the oxygen in the body on room air. The pulse Ox measures the gas levels in the hemaglobin. It does not matter what type of gas. So you can have a CO alarm and the Pt. have a 100% reading and still be near death. Meaning it could be a 40%CO2 and 60% O2. etc. :oSo like everything else let the body talk to you. Not the equipment.

I didn't know that Sean, thanks. I guess, the ALS needs to determine the breakdown of the gasses then?

[opsoverkill]

That is done by ABG usually in the ER. I remember years ago ALS was doing them in the street but do not know what came of them.

I have a request for RAD 57 for Rescue 3699 which is a Pulse Ox and is able to measure the levels of CO

[thelurker]

what kind of cost is associated with one of those?

[Kramer]

yea, any webpage or anything you have on that ops? were in the market for a new one.

[opsoverkill]

I priced them two years ago when they first came out. The price if I remember was about $4000.00 a unit.

Here is a web site
www.masimo.com/rad-57/index.htm

[RngrVnc33]

Pulse ox is just like ALS..... an adjunct to my care!

-Knott-

[cheeseunit31]

i would have to agree with sean and chad on this, in westampton we have them and i use it, in pennsauken we don't have them. You have to fall back on you emt training here, if someone is tripoding, diaphertic, pale, crappy lung sounds, and can't speak in full sentences, then they are truely have trouble breathing, then its O2 and rapid transport. You don't need a pulse OX to tell ya that. But it is usefull as others stated for a quick pulse, backed up by a manual reading to determine its strength.

[gotothelight]

I've also been told that to get a TRUE pulse ox reading, you have to have it on the patient for around 2 minutes. As others stated, it's a tool to use but not soley rely on for treatment.