A patient monitoring system is a system or device that helps healthcare providers to monitor physiological signals of a patient's health. It is used for observation and measurement of patient's health parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood-oxygen saturation, and many other parameters of critically ill patients. Such accurate and immediate information are useful for making crucial decision for effective patient care.
The sensors connected to the patient's body carry the information that is displayed on the patient monitor. You can read the parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, oxygen saturation displayed on the machine. Here's how you can interpret the numbers shown in the display -
Heart Rate: Typically, the resting heart rate of a healthy adult is between 60-100 beats per minute.
Blood Pressure: Blood pressure numbers in the range 120/80 are considered to be normal.
Body Temperature: Temperature is reported in degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius. It can be anywhere from just under 98 degrees F to a little over 99.
Oxygen Saturation (SpO2): It is the measure of the amount of oxygen in the patient's blood. The SpO2 is normally 95 or higher.
Respiratory Rate (RR): A resting adult typically breathes 12 to 16 times a minute. It is reported in breaths per minute.