Pulse oximetry in a pediatric medical-surgical population.

Abstract

P ULSE OXIMETRY has been shown to be a valuable monitoring tool in the operating room and critical care setting (Eichorn et al., 1986). Recently, this technology has been increasingly used in general care areas of many hospitals. However, standards of practice for pulse oximetry in this patient population have not been established or evaluated, allowing for the potential of underutilization or overutilization of pulse oximetry monitoring. The investigators are not aware of existing reports in the literature that critically examine the use of pulse oximetry in a hospitalized pediatric medicalsurgical population. Many studies have focused on the accuracy of the instruments themselves rather than on their clinical usefulness and effect on patient care (Fanconi, Doherty, Edmonds, Barker, & Bohn, 1985; Henderson, 1988). Those clinical reports that do exist often present conflicting information on the usefulness of pulse oximetry in decision making (Anderson, Zwerdling, & Dewitt, 1991; Karem et al., 1990; Stoney & Chakrabarti, 1991). The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the use of pulse oximetry in a pediatric medical-surgical population. Specific research questions were addressed: What are the characteristics of the patient population monitored with pulse oximetry? What is the impact of pulse oximetry data on nurse-directed and physician-directed respiratory care? What is the frequency of desaturations in the population monitored with pulse oximetry?