Journal of clinical engineering
-
A number of simulators have been developed for testing and evaluating oscillometric non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors. These simulators may be used to assist with the routine and corrective maintenance of NIBP monitors; for training clinical staff in the use and limitations of oscillometric NIBP monitors; to complement clinical trials in the process of evaluating new NIBP monitors; and to assist with the development of new NIBP monitors. We assessed three NIBP simulators (Bio-Tek BP-Pump, Dynatech CuffLink, and Metron QA-1280A) in the light of these applications, considering such features as the ability to calibrate NIBP monitors; the range of simulated waveforms; weak and strong pulses and artifact; graphical displays of the cuff pressure and the oscillometric waveform; and the recording of performance measures of each NIBP determination such as determination time, inflation rate and peak cuff inflation pressure.
-
Ongoing controversy regarding the hazards of exposure of healthcare workers to ribavirin aerosol led to the design and evaluation of a ribavirin aerosol evacuation system that scavenges the excess ribavirin. An oxyhood was placed within a croupette oxygen and cool mist tent. ⋯ The ribavirin evacuation system reduced ribavirin ambient air concentrations from 54 ug/m3 (mean) to 11 ug/m3 (mean) without reducing patient exposure concentrations. The results suggest that the system evaluated is an efficient and inexpensive means of reducing incidental employee exposure to ribavirin aerosol.
-
Review Comparative Study
Survey of automated noninvasive blood pressure monitors.
Automated noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors, or automated sphygmomanometers, have been increasingly used both inside and outside clinical environments. An extensive survey of such monitors was carried out over the past five years. ⋯ It includes more than 400 models from suppliers in the United States and many other countries. A review of NIBP measurement methods that have been used in automated NIBP monitors is presented in this paper, along with statistical distributions of their use in the surveyed monitors and a list of the suppliers and monitors.
-
The development of methods and simulators for evaluating noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors has been dynamic during the past few years. As a complement to a previous review paper in this journal, several additional developments are reported in this paper. These include evaluation methods developed in Australia, the United States and Europe, as well as NIBP simulators developed in Germany and the United States.
-
Automated noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors have found widespread use both inside and outside clinical environments in recent years. Present methods for evaluating the measurement accuracy of this class of devices involve population studies that are meticulous, time-consuming and costly. ⋯ NIBP simulators offer an alternative approach to evaluating automated NIBP monitors without directly using human subjects. They enable evaluation to be carried out on demand with little training, providing a safe and convenient way for manufacturers and hospitals to validate the performance of both new and existing monitors.