Abstract
We report our experience with a system for providing a computerized record and evaluation of oxygenation that incorporates the Ohmeda Biox 3700 pulse oximeter, an Apple II microcomputer, and the software "Profox." We used the system in 32 studies on 24 pediatric pulmonary patients with diagnoses of cystic fibrosis (8), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (6), anatomic abnormality (4), sleep apnea (3), and cerebral palsy (3). The studies were done primarily to assess the adequacy of oxygenation, and continuous pulse oximetry saturation measurements were made. The mean age of patients studied was 7 y (range, 2 mo to 31 y). Mean recording time was 7 h 10 min, with a mean valid sampling time of 6 h 40 min. Nine patients were using supplemental oxygen when studied, 2 of those had the oxygen increased, 2 had the oxygen decreased, and 3 were weaned to room air by serial study. Of the 15 patients studied on room air, 7 were started on supplemental oxygen after the study. During seven studies, intermittent nursing observations of the saturation were made; 35 desaturations of greater than 10% were identified by the computerized study of which only one was found in the nursing record. In 2 patients shown by the continuous recording to be experiencing excessive desaturation and thus to need an increase in supplemental oxygen, the desaturations were not observed and reported on the nursing record. We conclude that computerized pulse oximetry can be useful in assessing the adequacy of oxygenation in patients with a variety of pediatric lung diseases and has the advantages of being noninvasive, having sophisticated data sampling and reporting, and being less complex than polysomnography. Furthermore, it may be more accurate and complete than are intermittent human recordings.
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