Whether you're buying for a hospital department, a freestanding ASC or an office-based surgical suite, your vital signs monitor needs are pretty basic: It needs to meet the standards of care for the procedures you perform. If you're doing any sedation, for instance, a monitor that tracks blood pressure, EKG, pulse oximetry, end tidal CO2 and temperature is indispensable. For minor local procedures, on the other hand, you probably don't need end tidal CO2 monitoring or some of the other bells and whistles available.
CAS Medical Systems
750 Monitor
(800) 227-4414
www.casmed.com
Price: $4,350
FYI: The compact, mobile 750 features large digits, brightness control, color-coded fields and direct function keys to better facilitate operation and access to information, says the company. The unit can store up to 480 events and trends for review and documentation; access to information is available for up to 24 hours and can be printed to an optional infrared printer.
|
Criticare Systems, Inc.
nGenuity 8100E
(800) 458-4615
www.csiusa.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: Asserting new accuracy standards and ease of use, Criticare's new nGenuity replaces the popular Scholar III multi-parameter vital sign monitor, says the company. The nGenuity's features include the unique ComfortCuff NIBP, ECG, SpO2, heart rate, temperature, optional plug-and-play external display and software integration into most paperless systems.
|
Datascope Corp.
Accutorr Plus
(800) 288-2121
www.datascope.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: The Accutorr Plus is a simple, intuitive, portable vital signs monitor with large LED displays and dedicated controls for ease of use, says the company. With a host of optional features such as Masimo SET or Nellcor OxiMax SpO2, a recorder module, a temperature module and various mounting schemes, Accutorr Plus provides versatile, basic monitoring.
|
Still, you should consider more than a few factors if you're planning a purchase. Here's how to choose the right monitors for your facility and your staff.
Cost and compatibility
As with any equipment purchase, your budget probably plays a major role in driving your decision, as well it should. While a high-end monitor can easily reach $10,000 or $15,000, I don't see the cost benefit of going all the way up, even if you're in a successful plastic surgery office.
Delphi Medical Systems
VitalPoint
(888) 526-1426
www.delphimedical.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: VitalPoint is a compact, lightweight vital signs monitoring system configured to work seamlessly with a number of peripheral devices, says the company, to measure a patient's heart rate; pulse rate; respiration rate; temperature; systolic, mean and diastolic blood pressure; and functional oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin, automatically issuing visible and audible alarms when vital sign parameters exceed preset limits.
|
Dolphin Medical, Inc.
Dolphin One 2100
Table Top Pulse Oximeter
(866) 588-9539
www.dolphinmedical.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: As opposed to conventional analog pulse oximeters, the Dolphin One 2100 uses light-to-frequency conversion in the sensor to digitize the signal at the source, says the company. Using digital signal processing, the Dolphin One is extraordinarily sensitive in low-perfusion cases without compromising noise and motion immunity, the company says.
|
A monitor that tracks the five parameters listed above can be had for $4,000 to $5,000 on average. You can probably get a stripped-down model or a reconditioned unit for even less. I'm not sure, though, that price alone is something I'd want to lead my decision on this essential device. There's also always the concern that reconditioned equipment will outdate quickly in the face of new technology.
The future of your monitors is certainly something to consider if you're planning on them lasting you more than a couple of years. Make sure they're upgradeable if a new technology - consciousness monitoring, for example - is adopted as a standard of care, or compatible for data networking if your facility is involved in (or is considering) electronic records management.
Be aware, though, that monitor technologies run on software, and it's the conventional wisdom among software users that you never want to buy the first version when it hits the market. Let someone else discover the bugs in the software, they say, and invest in the corrected version.
Draeger Medical
Infinity Gamma Series
(800) 437-2437
www.draegermedical.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: The Infinity Gamma Series is an affordable, portable and feature-rich monitor for the sub- and mid-acuity care settings, says the company. This flexible package provides options for the parameters you expect - ECG, arrhythmia analysis, respiration, SpO2, pulse rate, invasive and non-invasive blood pressure and temperature. In the dedicated OR mode, the Scio multigas module displays anesthetic agent concentration and values for etCO2, N2O and O2.
|
GE Healthcare
Datex-Ohmeda FM
(800) 345-2700
www.gehealthcare.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: The Datex-Ohmeda FM is intended for intra-hospital transport and bedside monitoring, says the company, with application areas in multiple hospital departments where patient ECG and vital signs are monitored, including PACU. Among the unit's features are a 10.4-inch color screen, integrated alarm light, 72-hour numeric and graphical trends, drug and hemo calculations and up to five hours of battery life with two exchangeable batteries.
|
|
Goldway US, Inc.
UT4000F Multi-parameter Patient Monitor
(631) 393-5023
www.goldwayus.com
Price: $4,000 to $6,000
FYI: Goldway's UT4000F Multi-parameter Patient Monitor features a 10.4-inch color TFT display, up to 200 set vital signs storage and recall, 48-hour trend information and six-minute real time waveform history review, says the company. It offers applications for patients from neonatal to adult ages and networking capability.
|
Invivo
Escort M8
(800) 331-3220
www.invivocorp.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: Small, lightweight and easy to use, the Escort M8 provides a simple, cost-effective monitoring solution for your complex patient monitoring needs, says the company. M8 features one-touch dedicated function keys and intuitive menus along with a bright color display and large parameter numerics, all designed to provide clear and accurate vital signs information for the patient at his bedside or in transit.
|
Mindray Co., Ltd.
PM-8000 Patient Monitor
(800) 656-9088
www.mindray.com.cn
Price: not disclosed
FYI: The Mindray PM-8000 Patient Monitor features an 8.4-inch TFT display that shows up to five waveforms, says the company. The unit offers a 40-second full-disclosure waveform review, 72-hour graphic and tabular trends of all parameters, an alarm light indicator and a built-in recorder and battery, and is suitable for adult, pediatric and neonatal patients.
|
Nellcor
OxiMax Pulse Oximetry System
(N-600 Pulse Oximeter shown)
(800) NELLCOR
www.nellcor.com
Price: $4,500 for N-600, $995 for N-65 Handheld Pulse Oximeter
FYI: OxiMax incorporates Nellcor's latest signal processing technology for improved monitoring performance, says the company. Available in most vital signs monitors, OxiMax comes in several standalone and handheld units. OxiMax's selection of adhesive, reusable and specialty sensors includes the Max-Fast forehead sensor designed for low-perfusion conditions.
|
PaceTech, Inc.
Pace Tech VitalMax 4000CL Patient Monitor
(800) 627-3215 for distribut
or
Venture Medical ReQuip
www.venturemedical.com
Price: $4,450
FYI: The 12.1-inch, full-color LCD screen and large characters on this multi-parameter patient monitor make for highly visible readings, while user-friendly menus and hot keys let the operator easily configure monitoring options, says the company. Advanced trending capabilities let the clinician review 72 hours of history. A backup battery and two-year warranty come standard.
|
Philips Medical Systems
SureSigns VS1 Vital Signs Monitor
(800) 453-6860
www.medical.philips.com
Price: $2,200 to $4,450
FYI: The Philips SureSigns VS1 vital signs monitor provides reliable, automated vital signs information in seconds, says the company. It can measure systolic, mean and diastolic blood pressure; pulse rate; oxygen saturation (SpO2) and temperature. The VS1 is versatile enough for use in both hospital and outpatient care settings, and in service of a variety of adult, pediatric and neonatal applications.
|
Simplicity saves time
Everybody likes simplicity in medical equipment. One sure way to simplify monitor use is to purchase the same kind of monitor for pre-op holding, the OR and recovery, instead of supplying different types to each. If the monitors are interchangeable, cross-trained nurses as well as anesthesia providers can move seamlessly between the stages, knowing how to operate the monitors instead of asking, "How do you start the blood pressure on this thing?" Uniformity is also helpful when one monitor's sent out for service and replaced with a backup from another room.
In a busy facility with a large case and patient load, your staff will depend on monitors to assess and track several patients' conditions quickly. A monitor that's simple to operate lends efficiency to the task. Dedicated function keys that set blood pressure intervals, silence alarms, control volume and enable a between-cases standby mode with one touch are valuable indeed, especially since everybody in the OR hates you if an alarm starts and keeps going long after it's been noticed. (The appeal of a more pleasant alarm sound or variable alarms for increasing urgency, by the way, cannot be understated.)
Simplicity is, of course, a double-edged sword. When alarms are silenced, terrible things can happen. Safeguards, such as an alarm that gives staff a minute or so to get the condition corrected before it sounds again, can help make sure that a monitor that's easy to operate isn't so easy that it compromises patient care.
The importance of input
How long does it take the monitors you're considering to register a patient's blood pressure? Are the monitors' menus easy to understand and easy to use? Can their screens be read under different lighting conditions and angles of vision? Can a new staff member start monitoring patients without extensive equipment training?
Your case starts and patient flow depend on the answers to these questions, so you'll want a monitor that your staff gets along with, without the hassle factor of long waits or technical difficulties. There's only one way to find out these answers. Thorough trialing - at least a day's work - and listening to your staff.
That's critical to your buying decision. Ask your anesthesia provider and pre-op and recovery nurses what they want and don't want in a monitor. As the saying goes, if they ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. So many administrators still seem to forget this key point. They look at the price, cut the best deal, have the product delivered and hope their staff likes it. If the staff doesn't, though, patient care suffers.
Reputation for reliability
Let's be honest. When you're in the market to purchase almost any kind of equipment, it's possible to be swayed by a sales representative. Hopefully you know better than to be sold on the rep's personality alone. You ought to be careful, too, about buying because the rep was knowledgeable, honest and responsive. Reps do change jobs, and your decision may dissapoint if a "good rep" is replaced by one who doesn't return your calls. A rep's assistance is important, but the company's reliability and service is even more so in the long run.
Maybe you can get honest answers on that subject from your rep, but you might do better to call someone who's owned and used the type of monitor you're looking at for at least a year, not just a month. Because by then the honeymoon's over. Ask them about its reliability track record. How often does it have to be returned to the manufacturer for service? What's the average repair charge?
You might also get some valuable insights by finding out whom you'll call for repairs and ringing them up before you buy, in order to judge the kind of service response you'll get. First and foremost, can you get through to a live person? I've gotten fed up by companies that sell me products and then won't take my phone calls. If it's an 800 number in a distant time zone, are they going to be able to answer the phone if you call before surgery one morning? Lastly, have a chat with a repair technician. Is he easy to talk to and do business with, ready to send service to your door, or is he all technical-speak and frustration? For the amount of money you're planning to spend, there's nothing worse than buying an indifferent response.
Respironics, Inc.
CO2SMO Capnograph and Pulse Oximeter Monitor
(800) 345-6443
www.respironics.com
Price: $4,500
FYI: The lightweight and portable bedside CO2SMO monitor verifies critical ventilation and oxygenation information in any clinical setting by providing reliable mainstream CO2 monitoring and digital pulse oximetry technology, says the company. Utilizing the capnostat solid-state mainstream CO2 sensor with sidestream capabilities, CO2SMO monitors are ideal for both intubated and non-intubated patients.
|
Sentec AG
Sentec Digital Monitoring System with V-Sign Sensor
(952) 892-6919
www.sentec.ch
Price: $8,995
FYI: Sentec's Digital Monitoring System features an earlobe-mounted sensor for continuous monitoring of real time tcPCO2, SpO2 and pulse rate, says the company. The sensor warms the earlobe to a maximum of 42'C, allowing for a local increase in blood flow, an increase in gas activity and an enhanced pulse signal, and uses electrochemical lab standards for CO2 determination and twin wavelength infrared reflectance standards to measure and trend the data.
|
Smiths Medical PM, Inc.
Advisor Vital Signs Monitor
(800) 558-2345
www.smiths-medical.com
Price: $4,850
FYI: The Advisor, designed for patient monitoring in PACU, special procedure areas and office-based procedures, includes three- or five-lead ECG, impedance respiration, pulse oximetry and non-invasive blood pressure parameters, says the company. Options include two-channel invasive pressure and temperature, capnography, an internal rechargeable battery and strip printer. Four user-selectable waveforms can be viewed on the bright, color TFT display.
|
|
Spacelabs Medical
Ultraview SL Patient Monitor
(800) 522-7025
www.spacelabs.com
Price: $10,000 to $35,000
FYI: The Ultraview SL Patient Monitoring System can provide complete monitoring, as well as a wireless networking option; USB bar code scanning; charting, lab results and access to HIS applications; and alarms and waveforms from ventilators and other standalone devices, says the company. Its Data Shuttle provides a seamless transfer of patient data between monitors, even during transport, without re-cabling the patient.
|
Tensys Medical, Inc.
TL-150
(888) 722-7800
www.tensysmedical.com
Price: not disclosed
FYI: The TL-150 provides beat-to-beat, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, says the company. It is clinically proven to give timely, accurate measurements and a real-time waveform equivalent to the accuracy of an arterial cannula. The TL-150 enables rapid detection of hemodynamic changes that signal serious complications, as compared to the delayed recognition of an intermittent oscillometric cuff, allowing the physician to immediately respond to unanticipated events.
|
Welch Allyn
Spot Vital Signs LXi
(800) 535-6663
www.welchallyn.com/spotlxi
Price: $1,700 to $3,025
FYI: Spot Vital Signs LXi is the industry's fastest multi-parameter spot-check device, says the company, due to its proprietary SureBP technology. Measuring on inflation, it provides accurate blood pressure readings in about 15 seconds - half the time of other spot-check devices. Spot Vital Signs LXi also offers manually entered patient weight, height, respiration rate, and pain level; connection to select digital weight scales; BMI calculation and connectivity to electronic medical records.
|
.svg?sfvrsn=be606e78_3)
.svg?sfvrsn=56b2f850_5)