Ohmeda Biox 3700 - Page 41

SIGNAL AND DATA VALIDITY
The Signal. Strength Indicator- Bar-Graph should be close to full *
scale. Full scale is the desired height of the bar graph assuring a
strong signal. Very dark pigmentation or a large distance between
the emitter and the detector can reduce the signal strength an!
or leL VT !l8nah In CH8e the 8i8nal Stren*th *• 1»" scale
or less, a test site with a shorter distance between the emitter and
t„L h^fT i ^W P088lble solution' ** the bar graph Is less
than half scale, the Alarm Message "LO QUALITY SGNL" appears above
the waveform on the Graphic Display and the data Is questionable.
Check the patient and the oximeter set up.
The stability of the Sa02 readings can also be used as an indicator
of signal validity. Although stability is a relative term, with a
small amount of practice one can get a good feeling for changes that
are artifactual or physiological and the speed of each. The stabil
ity of the readings over time is affected by whether the instrument
is in the fast or slow mode. In the slow mode, the readings have a
tendency to be more stable than in the fast mode since the signal
averaging is done over a longer period of time (three seconds in the
fast mode and six seconds in the slow mode).
*^\
1118-301 - 34 - 01/27/86