Wireless Oximetry – Fab or Fad?

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.nonin.com/products/4000.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.nonin.com/products/4000.asp</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20041203-Nonin.jpg" /><br /><br />The world of wireless has a new product using Bluetooth technology: The Nonin Avant 4000! It sounds like something from the future, but it's definitely not a futuristic product. It comes complete with the catchy phrase, "Oximetry Unplugged™, Wireless Wearable Oximetry"! The Avant 4000 oximeter eliminates any use of wires, effectively allowing the patient the freedom of mobility. It is said to provide reliable and secure transfer of data between the wrist-strap and the monitor. In addition to all that, it also has a battery life of 120 hours. So what do you think? Is this the way of the future in patient healthcare?

[Pat Logsdon]

So....what's oximetry? I'm assuming it has nothing to do with measuring large 4 legged bovine-type creatures... :D

[dangerwit]

Measures the amount of oxygen saturation in your blood. I had this done a couple years back when I had bronchitis AND the Norwalk Virus (caused my asthma to flare up). My O2 was around 88% saturated with O2 which is BAD BAD.

I'm not sure I get the convenience, but I suppose stepping towards one less wire...

*Phil

[Sven Johannsen]

Pulse oximetry is also important in high altitude mountaineering. The same company has wrist worn models for medical use, and there are others you can find at places like REI, geared more towards outdoor activities. I have a hard time believing this is the first remote display one used for medical use. My dad had remote heart monitoring back in the early 70's. Wasn't BT though. That seems the only new thing here.

[Pat Logsdon]

Measures the amount of oxygen saturation in your blood.
Thanks! I'll chalk that up as the second new thing I've learned today - right after "Don't poke live eels with metal forks". :mrgreen:

[Don Tolson]

While I like the idea of wireless patient monitoring, I'm not sure how BT, with it's somewhat limited range, is going to be anything but a novelty. Until they can develop a BT with a range of a normal hospital, then it's still going to limit the patient's movement.

It would be cool, however to have a single BT attachment, which would connect the patient to all the monitors, etc. within their room (all centrally connected to the nursing station), so they could wander the corridors. A GPS would also be a big boon in locating those patients should the monitors identify anything requiring immediate attention...

[surur]

It would be cool, however to have a single BT attachment, which would connect the patient to all the monitors, etc. within their room (all centrally connected to the nursing station), so they could wander the corridors.

If you need oximetry, you would not be wandering the corridors. Maybe remote ECG's though...

Surur

[sullivanpt]

I'm no MD so take my opinions and immediately discount them. That said,

the last few times I've been in the hospital, it seemed *everyone* was hooked up to an LED based oximetry device. I suppose it's just cheap liability insurance for the clinic. (I've recently been in to witness births, hip surgery, and heart surgery -- maybe these are all high risk procedures anyway?).

[TheWolfen]

From my times spent in the hospital when they had to monitor my O2 levels all night long, I can see this as a beneficial device. One less wire to worry about getting tangled in the sheets! I do agree that a longer range device would be more beneficial, especially if it meant they could centralize monitoring more, but this is a start!

[Darius Wey]

While I like the idea of wireless patient monitoring, I'm not sure how BT, with it's somewhat limited range, is going to be anything but a novelty. Until they can develop a BT with a range of a normal hospital, then it's still going to limit the patient's movement.

Yeah. Unfortunately, it's only good for a 30 feet 3-dimensional radius. Ultimately, Wi-Fi would definitely be a technology worth considering, if encrypted properly. :)

The Avant 4000 brochure actually makes for a bit of interesting reading: http://www.nonin.com/documents/Avant%204000%20Brochure.pdf

[PDAnurse]

I use pulse oximetry daily in my work as a critical care nurse. The way this "pulseox" unit is set up via BT to a bedside moniter would be usefull "if" the info could also be sent to a hospital information system (HIS) without having to tranfer the data manually from the bedside display. I would like to be able to capture the data on my PPC in the room and then I could move it via WIFI or sync.
I have been working with a programmer and we have created a WIFI nursing documentation system to use in hospitals. With the nursing shortage getting worse, any way to improve the workflow in the hospitals will help.
I look forward to seeing WIFI or BT enabled vital signs monitors, glucometers ( to measure blood sugar ) etc. Also barcoding enabled for med administration. Use the PPC for as many functions to make it as valuable to a nurse as a stethascope 8). As for the low range of BT, 30 feet will work in most patient rooms as a piconet.

Regards,
Ken Stigen RN
www.PDAnurse.com

[mattlamb]

http://www.flashlogger.com/

this company has the right approach I think lots of nifty useful sensors.

Matt

[Darius Wey]

http://www.flashlogger.com/

this company has the right approach I think lots of nifty useful sensors.

Matt

Yep. I was planning on making a news post on this shortly. :)

[141bones141]

The Nonin 4000 is excellent for doing Six Minute Walk Studies as well as Home Oxygen Assessment and Altitude Simulations when used with the EzSat software developed by www.Can-Soft.net.