Group Members
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- Krystle Gaco
- Patrick Fenningham
- Phuong DiepLam
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Clinical Experience
The study of pulse oximetry has occurred since its development, and its clinical effectiveness has been explored in a number of trials. The pulse oximeter has been investigated past its use in the operating room to include diagnosis of certain disorders, and monitoring after events such as stroke or Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Here are some of the clinical studies:
1991: Screening for Sleep Apnea using Pulse Oximetry and a Clinical Score (Williams)
- This study evaluates the usefulness of pulse oximetry together with a clinical score in identifying obstructive sleep apnea.
- 40 patients were awarded a clinical score based on presence or absence of loud snoring, daytime sleepiness, interrupted breathing, obesity, and hypertension.
- Each patient underwent a night of domiciliary pulse oximetry followed by nocturnal polysomnography
- OSA (sleep apnea) was confirmed in 26 patients
- 15 with positive pulse oximetry tracings had significant OSA
- Confirms usefulness of nocturnal pulse oximetry in diagnosis of OSA and highlights the value of a clinical score in improving sensitivity.
1991: A Single Blind Study of Combined Pulse Oximetry and Capnography in Children (Cote)
- The purpose was to compare pulse oximetry to capnography in detecting early desaturation events
- Examined four levels of monitoring in 402 pediatric patients.
- The four groups were: oximeter and capnograph, only capnograph, only oximeter, neither capnograph nor oximeter
- 260 problems were documented in 153 patients
- Blinding oximeter data increased the number of of patients experiencing major desaturation events and blinding the capnograph data did not alter the frequency of desaturation events, nor incidence of major capnograph events.
- Blinding the capnograph data increased the number of patients with minor capnograph events
- More patients experience multiple problems when both the capnograph and oximeter were not used.
- Conclusion: The pulse oximeter was far superior to either capnography or clinical judgment in providing the earliest warning of desaturation events
- Examined the value of the pulse oximetry in the diagnosis of aspiration by comparing it with videofluoroscopy, by use of a prospective, controlled, single blind study
- Pulse oximetry was performed with videofluoroscopy simultaneously in 54 consecutive dysphagic stroke patients.
- Oxygen saturation level measurements were taken before videofluoroscopic examinations on swallowing, 2 minutes after swallowing, and 10 minutes later.
- Result: The pulse oximeter predicted aspiration, or lack of it, in 81% of the cases
- Pulse oximetry is a reliable method of diagnosis in most dysphagic patients. Though, careful interpretation is necessary in older patients.
1998: Pulse Oximetry in Severe Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (Hampson)
- Evaluated the accuracy and quantitative the error of pulse oximetry measurements of arterial oxygenation in patients with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Arterial oxygenation from pulse oximetry, AGB analysis, and laboratory carbon monoxide were compared
- Found that the presently available pulse oximeters overestimated arterial oxygenation in patients with severe CO poisoning.
- Accurate assessment of arterial oxygen content in patients with carbon monoxide poisoning can only be confirmed by a lab CO-oximetry.
1999: Clinical Investigation of a New Combined Pulse Oximetry and Carbon Dioxide Tension Sensor in Adult Anaesthesia (Rohling)
- Tested the accuracy of a new combined oxygen saturation and cutaneous carbon dioxide tension sensor
- Intended to measure both relevant respiration/ventilation in a single probe
- Carbon dioxide tension and oxygen saturation measurements were obtained simultaneously taken from different sites on the body
- The sensor proved to be a reliable tool for continuous noninvasive monitoring of oxygenation and ventilation
- Found that during anesthesia, post-operative recovery, and intensive care treatment, measuring oxygenation and ventilation is important
- Period blood sampling is still necessary because pulse oximeter only measures arterial blood oxygenation
