Physiological monitoring is the practice of assessing a patient’s vital physiological parameters that clinicians can use to know the changes in a patient’s conditions. Physiological monitoring in a hospital setup especially in the Intensive Care Unit department closely assesses the patient’s cardiac and respiratory statuses. Unlike the old days when physiological monitors gave an assessment of one parameter, today’s physiological monitors integrate a wide range of parameters into a small monitoring device. The technology has advanced further and now such a physiological monitor which normally is placed in a patient’s bed can be connected to a central station where clinicians can observe the physiological status of their patients from one point at the same time. The following are the physiological parameters commonly monitored in a hospital setup.
12-Lead Electrocardiogram ECG
This is one of the most important diagnostic tools, 12-lead ECG records the electrical activity of the heart in form of a wave. If it is interpreted accurately, it can monitor and detect a patient’s heart conditions such as coronary heart disease, electrode imbalance, and arrhythmias.
Impedance based respiration
Patient’s respiration monitoring is the most important parameter used by clinicians and healthcare professionals alongside other important vital signs to accurately diagnose a patient’s condition. Thoracic activities are measured with a measuring unit called electrical impedance while breathing, the electrical impedance varies from lows of 0.2 Ω to 20 kΩ. Normal breathing depends upon factors such as body fitness, age, and stress among others. For newborns, the breathing rate ranges from 30 to 60 breaths in one minute and for healthy adults, the rate of respiration ranges between 12 to 20 breaths in a single minute.
Invasive Blood Pressure
This method is commonly used in ICU and in the operation theatre, it involves direct measurement of blood pressure by inserting a cannula in a desirable artery to measure the arterial pressure.
Non-invasive Blood Pressure
This method gives results either by giving intermittent readings or continuous readings. For intermittent non-invasive monitoring, the upper arm is used and the values can be obtained by the use of manual or automatic oscillometers. In the case of automatic and continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, blood pressure values are continuously obtained through the arterial waveform.
Pulse oximetry (SaO2)
This method tests the functionality of the respiratory system. It measures oxygen saturation in the arterial blood. The method uses an oximeter and assesses oxygen saturation non-invasively by the use of photoplethysmography. Generally, there are two wavelengths that are used by this technology to give values of oxygen saturation in patients, which is red and infrared.
Two Temperatures
There are two main temperature scales used in the clinic set up, that is Celsius and Fahrenheit. The temperature readings can be converted from one scale to temperatures on another scale. The temperature quantities are measure using a thermometer. This vital parameter is useful in monitoring patients suffering from bacterial and viral infections.
Thermal dilution cardiac output
This method is used to measure cardiac output in a clinical setup, it is an important physiological monitoring method that measures the flow of blood and this helps the clinicians to make the right decision while caring for patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases such as valvular heart disease.