Location
Salt Lake Community College Student Center
Start Date
5-6-2013 3:51 PM
Description
The thought process that respiratory depression, also known as hypoventilation, should of detected before the incidence of apnea has yet to considered necessary. The current standard of care is similar to the process used by fire alarms. A fire is started, an alarm is sounded and the fire department arrives to put out the fire and minimize the damage. Yet, damage still occurs. The use of capnometry and pulse oximetry for the detection of hypoventilation performs in the same manner. A patient is struggling to breath; s/he eventually stops breathing, the pulse oximeter continues to average the measurements and finally sounds an alarm. The capnometer continues to register CO2 during the struggling breaths; eventually, it too sounds an alarm. The nursing staff is attending another patient and comes as soon as possible. 90 seconds later the staff arrives and the patient has stopped breathing, developed abnormal cardiac rhythms, and is developing respiratory acidosis. In the last couple of minutes the situation turned from one of prevention to one of crisis. Unfortunately the damage has been done and the nursing staff can only do their best to prevent further damage.
A Pressure Signal Apnea Monitor
Salt Lake Community College Student Center
The thought process that respiratory depression, also known as hypoventilation, should of detected before the incidence of apnea has yet to considered necessary. The current standard of care is similar to the process used by fire alarms. A fire is started, an alarm is sounded and the fire department arrives to put out the fire and minimize the damage. Yet, damage still occurs. The use of capnometry and pulse oximetry for the detection of hypoventilation performs in the same manner. A patient is struggling to breath; s/he eventually stops breathing, the pulse oximeter continues to average the measurements and finally sounds an alarm. The capnometer continues to register CO2 during the struggling breaths; eventually, it too sounds an alarm. The nursing staff is attending another patient and comes as soon as possible. 90 seconds later the staff arrives and the patient has stopped breathing, developed abnormal cardiac rhythms, and is developing respiratory acidosis. In the last couple of minutes the situation turned from one of prevention to one of crisis. Unfortunately the damage has been done and the nursing staff can only do their best to prevent further damage.