Birth defects original article series
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Birth Defects Orig. Artic. Ser. · Jan 1979
Evaluation of tcPO2, beat-to-beat heart rate and respiration in neonates with episodes of cyanosis, bradycardia, or apnea.
Episodes of cyanosis, bradycardia, or apnea were studied in 26 newborns and prematures by continuous recording of tcPO2, beat-to-beat heart rate, and impedance pneumography. Hypoxemia related to therapeutic, diagnostic, or care procedures is very common and often is not accompanied by bradycardia or apnea. ⋯ However, idiopathic bradycardia of more than 30 seconds' duration can lead to hypoxemia. Beat-to-beat cardiograms and transcutaneous oxygen measurement appear to be the most reliable methods for routine monitoring of these patients.
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Birth Defects Orig. Artic. Ser. · Jan 1979
Comparative StudyFailure of conventional monitoring to detect apnea resulting in hypoxemia.
In summary, our findings support and confirm the concerns of many investigators that present methods of cardiorespiratory monitoring are inadequate for the detection of many forms of apnea. Nurses underrecord both the frequency and duration of apneic episodes. ⋯ Finally, ineffective breathing patterns such as disorganized breathing, obstructive apnea, and paradoxical breathing are undetectable by thoracic impedance monitoring. We warn against the reliance on heart rate and thoracic impedance monitoring alone for infants with recurrent apnea.
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Birth Defects Orig. Artic. Ser. · Jan 1979
Comparative StudyThe importance of an elevated skin temperature in transcutaneous oxygen tension measurement.
The oxygen tension as measured by a heated transcutaneous polarographic electrode has been shown by a number of workers to correlate closely with the arterial blood oxygen tension as measured by accepted invasive methods. The present paper presents a study of the dependence of the measured skin oxygen tension values on the temperature of the sensor. A graph is included that emphasizes that the skin sensor temperature should be greater than 43 degrees C if the device is to be operated in the platequ region. ⋯ In these studies three gases were used. Oxygen and argon are transported by the blood, but carbon dioxide tends to be generated within the tissues, and its skin tension is less affected by the blood content. Between 36 degrees C and 45 degrees C it is possible to relate changes in the oxygen and argon skin tensions to changes in capillary blood flow.