Saturation Monitor

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SpiritWarrior

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I have been told by a Paramedic NEVER to use any portable saturation monitor as they are highly innacurate while other Paramedics have advised that I do use one. What are your opinions about this ?
 
Talk with one of your supervisors and make sure your O2Sat monitor is accurate, im sure they will explain to you how to check it or inform you that its accurate.
 
Your equipment is only as good as the operator!
 
If it says everything is good and your patient is blue you might have a problem. If it says your patient is good and the patient is dead you definitely have a problem. :P

Tools are just items to help you, they are not a replacement for actually looking at, touching, listening to, etc your patient.
 
So if you take a portable one and screw it into a wall (thus no longer portable), would it make it more accurate? Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe the same technology thats in the portable one's is within the stationary ones, just a different power source.

As always, treat the pt, keep the numbers in mind, but do not base a treatment solely on the SPo2 reading.
 
Use it but do not rely upon it, if your patient is smurf blue but SPO2 is 100% or the SPO2 is like 0% and he's not smurf blue then you'd be a bit silly to take it at face value.
 
Its an aid to, not a replacement of, your assessment.
 
Why would he say to NEVER use one? Obviously you dont want to rely exclusively on them and you should keep in mind they can give you inaccurate readings, but I dont think it hurts to use one keeping all that in mind.

Most of the time I would think they'd at least be in the ballpark of what the actual reading is if you use them right and are aware of things that can affect their accuracy.
 
I have been told by a Paramedic NEVER to use any portable saturation monitor as they are highly innacurate while other Paramedics have advised that I do use one. What are your opinions about this ?
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That paramedic is beyond being a raging moron.

All FDA (in the US, don't know the South African equivalent) approved pulse oximeters are accurate within a specified range of readings (usually between 100% and roughly 70%). This is assuming they are functioning properly (read as "not broken"). Most inaccurate readings are due to either operator error or the patient not having good perfusion to the finger, ear, etc. If you get a reading that does not jive with what you are seeing clinically otherwise, always trust what the patient is showing you (treat the patient and not the numbers).
 
Treat the patient not the monitor....

SpiritWarrior said:
I have been told by a Paramedic NEVER to use any portable saturation monitor as they are highly innacurate while other Paramedics have advised that I do use one. What are your opinions about this ?
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Perhaps that Paramedic was referring to the heart rate? You should always take a manual pulse and not rely on the HR from the pulse oximeter.
 
wyoskibum said:
Perhaps that Paramedic was referring to the heart rate? You should always take a manual pulse and not rely on the HR from the pulse oximeter.
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Could have fooled some I have worked with, bloody hell some Officers are so lazy! I think its terrible
 
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