Abstract
Alarms in the operating room remain a major source of annoyance and confusion. A previous study by Kestin et al. utilized a specific combination of distinct, separate monitors in 50 pediatric patients. He reported a mean of 10 alarms per case with a mean frequency of one alarm every 4.5 minutes. The alarms were classified as spurious (75%), change outside the alarm limits (22%), or patient risk (3%). We performed a similar study with 50 adult patients under general anesthesia with default alarm settings on an integrated monitor, (Cardiocap™, Datex, Helsinki). In our study, the number of alarms averaged 3 per case with a mean frequency of one every 34 minutes. Spurious alarms (those caused by electrocautery, accidental patient movement, or other non-physiological reasons) represented only 24% of all alarms. Those alarms sounding that were outside the limits occurred at a rate of 53%, and those that were considered patient risks occurred at a rate of 23%. Of the alarms, 67% occurred during the beginning and end of anesthesia. The end-tidal carbon dioxide accounted for 42% of the alarms, mostly during intubation and extubation. Suggestions are made for further improvement in alarm systems.
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Kestin IG, Miller BR, Lockhard CH. Auditory alarms during anesthesia monitoring. Anesthesiology 1988; 69: 106–109.
Schulte GT, Block FE Jr. Comparison of non-invasive blood pressure measurements on the arm and the ankle. Anesthesiology 1989; 71: A408.
Block FE Jr, Detko GJ Jr. Minimizing interference and false alarms from electrocautery in the Nellcor N-100 pulse oximeter. J Clin Monit (1986) 2: 203–205.
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This study was supported in part by a grant from Datex Division. Instrumentarium Corp. Helsinki, Finland.
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Block, F.E., Schaaf, C. Auditory alarms during anesthesia monitoring with an integrated monitoring system. J Clin Monit Comput 13, 81–84 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02915842
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02915842