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Anyone who has visited a hospital would have come across a monitor placed next to the patient, which comprises many numerical values and colourful waveforms. That is what is a Patient Monitor.
Patient monitors are medical devices that are used in hospitals to measure a patient’s physiological parameters. They are used in getting a comprehensive interpretation of vital parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and blood pressure. It is an essential device for patients who need continuous monitoring.
What is the importance of a Patient Monitor?
Access to critical information from the vitals helps the Doctors to detect problems in the early stages and take corrective and preventive actions. thereby preventing life-threatening scenarios. Patient monitors are used in a variety of ways to assist in the monitoring of a patient’s vital signs and other health information.
It can be used to:
- Observe a patient’s response to medical treatments.
- Monitor during and post-surgery.
- Detect any complications.
- Continuously monitor those who have complications, especially patients suffering from heart disease or diabetes.
Getting the right clinical information is crucial in monitoring patients and Patient Monitors assist doctors in identifying such problems early and help stabilise the patient, thereby preventing life-threatening situations.
What are the various types of Patient Monitors available?
Patient monitors are used across various departments in medical facilities and depending on the requirement and location, below are the few commonly used monitors:
- Vital Sign Monitors: These are useful to measure basic parameters like Pulse rate, Blood Pressure, SpO2 and temperature. These monitors are ideal for Doctor’s cabins and clinics and are usually found as 2 or 3-parameter monitors.
- Multi-Para Patient Monitors: These are the most commonly found monitors in a healthcare facility. These show 5 or 7 parameters depending on the critical nature of the room they are purchased for and have the provision to add extra modules for future upgrading.
- Operating Room Monitors: Monitors used in operation theatres are the most high-end advanced models and can monitor almost all the needed parameters. Along with the 5 vital parameters they also have features such as EtCo2 for Co2 measurement and IBP for invasive Blood Pressure monitoring.
- Transport Patient Monitors: These are portable and compact monitors which are used for the patient during transport to the hospital. The latest monitors are being included with IoT technology which helps transmit data of the vitals to the facility before arrival to keep them prepared.
Parameters Of A Patient Monitor
A typical monitor as seen in the image below has vital signs in numerical on the right side and waveforms on the left.
Going by the order, the parameters measured are:
- ECG: ECG which is a short form of Electrocardiogram is the waveform denoting the electrical activity and functioning of the heart. Next to it is the pulse rate represented as a number. The normal pulse rate of a person is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. The monitor alerts the staff in case there are any irregularities or abnormal increase or fall beyond this range. ECG is typically derived from electrodes attached to the patient. The ECG wave shown on the monitor is from Lead II. Any irregularities caused due to cardiac conditions like arrhythmias or coronary artery disease are further diagnosed with the help of a 12-lead ECG Machine.
- RESPIRATION: The normal respiration rate for an adult is 12-15 breaths per minute. This range gets affected if there is a rise in the temperature or while sleeping. Once the monitor diagnoses any increase or fall in the range, or if the patient is facing any trouble while breathing, an alarm is triggered to alert the medical staff. The respiration waveform is used by doctors to identify conditions like Apnea.
- TEMPERATURE: Adults have a normal temperature range of 36.4 °C to 37.2 °C. This value might increase when they eat and drop by a degree while they are sleeping. Any changes in temperature ranges are immediately signalled with an alarm.
- SpO2: SpO2 is detected through a probe which is attached to the patient’s finger or earlobe. It is the level of oxygen in the patient’s red blood cells and is denoted as a percentage. The normal range is from 95-100. SpO2 helps in diagnosing lung issues like cases of asthma, pneumonia and especially in Covid diagnosis where low levels of oxygen in the blood were key indicators of a positive diagnosis.
- BLOOD PRESSURE: Blood pressure is a ratio of Systolic and Diastolic blood pressures and is usually displayed on the bottom right corner of a patient monitor screen. This pressure is acquired by placing a blood pressure cuff on the patient’s arm over the Brachial artery.
- SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE : Systolic blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on the arteries during a heartbeat and is usually between 90-120 mm Hg. Diastolic Blood pressure is the force exerted on arteries between heartbeats and is usually between 60-80 mm Hg. When the systolic and diastolic ranges go beyond 140 and 90 respectively, it is diagnosed as Hypertension.
- IBP: Invasive Blood Pressure monitoring is done by inserting a cannula which is connected to an electronic pressure detector module into a peripheral artery. This is useful to monitor pressure fluctuations during critical procedures like vascular surgeries, haemorrhages and head injuries.
- EtCo2: This is an abbreviation for End-tidal Carbon Dioxide. This module helps to track and monitor the concentration of Carbon dioxide present in the respiratory gases. This is usually used by Anaesthesiologists to ensure that patients under anaesthesia can receive sufficient oxygen during the procedure or when intubated with endotracheal tube placement.
Parts Of A Patient Monitor And Accessories
Parts of a Monitor consist of:
- LED Screen: A LED display with high-resolution, touch screen and backlight. The screen has modules in-built enabling it to be detached along with the cables from the main unit to be transported intra-hospital along with the patient.
- Battery: The monitors are fitted with lithium batteries which act as backup during power outage or during intra-hospital transport and usually last for at least 3 hours.
- Power Cable: A 3-pin AC voltage power supply cord to power up the machine.
- Printer: A built in thermal printer used for printing ECG waveforms for records and clinical reviews.
- Modules: Modules are cartridge attachments behind the monitor to which the cables are connected for various monitoring. These modules are plug and play models and can be detached and added back according to the monitoring requirements.
- Speaker : A speaker to amplify conditions such as low-battery, probe detachment, sensor failure are usually beeping alarms and can be paused and corrected. Vast changes in vitals, fluctuation in parameters which are indications of life-threatening conditions are continuous loud alarms.
- Accessories: Different accessories and probes are used to monitor parameters such as:
- A finger probe to monitor SpO2.
- 3 or 5 sensor ECG lead set for Respiration, Heart rate and Pulse rate.
- A temperature monitoring probe with a sensor to attach to the skin.
- EtCo2 Sensor for Carbon dioxide monitoring.
- Cuff for Blood pressure monitoring.
8. Software: Software plays a major role in the proper functioning of the monitor like visualising numerical and waveform data, storing records, configuring function keys, printing, triggering the alarms when parameters are out of range and processing vitals to give out accurate information about the patient.
Conclusion
More healthcare providers are investing in better ways to monitor patients and improve their quality of care. Demand has driven growth in the Patient Monitors market. As competition increases, more companies are producing new versions of Patient Monitors or creating new devices. Read Part 2 of this article to learn more about what these monitors are, how much they cost, what to consider before buying them and more.
Patient Monitors Today’s Advancements and Tomorrow’s Possibilities : Part 2
FAQs
What is the importance of a Patient Monitor?
A Patient Monitor is an important device that is used in hospitals to measure a patient’s physiological parameters. They are used in getting a comprehensive interpretation of vital parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and blood pressure.
What are the physiological parameters that can be monitored using a Patient Monitor?
The physiological parameters that can be monitored using a Patient Monitor include heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and blood pressure.
What are the different types of monitors used to monitor patients?
There are a variety of different types of monitors used to monitor patients. The most common are monitors that use sensors to measure heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and other vital signs.
What is the difference between a patient monitor and a vital sign monitor?
A patient monitor is designed to record vital signs (heart rate, oxygen levels, etc.) and other health information about a patient. A vital sign monitor is usually smaller and is used to monitor a single health variable.
What are the various types of Patient Monitors available?
There are several types of patient monitors available, including vital sign monitors, which measure basic parameters like pulse rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation (SpO2), and temperature.
What are the various types of vital sign monitors available?
There are several types of vital sign monitors, including pulse rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, oxygen saturation monitors, and temperature monitors.
What are the differences between Multi-Para Patient Monitors and Operating Room Monitors?
Multi-Para Patient Monitors are commonly found in healthcare facilities and are designed to show 5 or 7 parameters depending on the critical nature of the room. They have the provision to add extra modules for future upgrading. Operating Room Monitors are the most high-end advanced models and can monitor almost all the needed parameters. Along with the 5 vital parameters they also have features such as EtCo2 for Co2 measurement and IBP for invasive Blood Pressure monitoring.
What are the most common types of monitors used in healthcare facilities?
Multi-Para Patient Monitors and Operating Room Monitors are the most common types of monitors used in healthcare facilities.
What are the ECG parameters measured by a patient monitor?
The ECG parameters measured by a patient monitor includes the heart rate, rhythm, QT interval, and voltage.
What is an ECG?
An ECG is an electrocardiogram, a type of heart tracing.
What is an ECG and what does it show?
An ECG is a short form of Electrocardiogram and shows the electrical activity and functioning of the heart. The normal pulse rate of a person is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. The monitor alerts the staff in case there are any irregularities or abnormal increase or fall beyond this range.
What is the normal temperature range for a patient?
The normal temperature range for a patient is 37-39 degrees Celsius. This range gets affected if there is a rise in the temperature or while sleeping. Once the monitor diagnoses any increase or fall in the range, or if the patient is facing any trouble while breathing, an alarm is triggered to alert the medical staff.
What is the normal temperature range for adults?
Adults have a normal temperature range of 36.4 °C to 37.2 °C. This value might increase when they eat and drop by a degree while they are sleeping. Any changes in temperature ranges are immediately signalled with an alarm.
What is the normal range for SpO2?
The normal range is from 95-100.
What is the normal blood pressure?
The normal blood pressure range varies depending on a person’s age and sex, but on average, it ranges from 120/80 mm Hg to 130/80 mm Hg.
What is IBP?
IBP is an invasive blood pressure monitoring procedure which uses a cannula inserted into a peripheral artery to monitor pressure fluctuations during critical procedures like vascular surgeries, haemorrhages and head injuries.
