JN>-> Just another case of looking at a device, and not the patient.
JN>-> Especially in failure, the patient can and often does just "look"
JN>-> a lot worse than the equipment tells you they are.
JN>       It works both ways. I had a baby at work, (Cook Children's
JN>Hospital, F.W., Tx.) with "normal" skin color. In fact, I just asked
JN>the nurse if she needed any help. She wanted me to "fix" the oximeter
JN>because it was only reading 43%. About that time we both noticed that
JN>the baby wasn't breathing.
To get a sat that low, the kid must have been pretty sick. Where there 
no other signs?
N> Point is: you should use your tools to help you but don't overlook
JN>the patient. Oximeters can be great if you let them.
Which for some reason people seem not to be able to do. A lot of good 
medics, nurses, and even, or maybe especially, MDs seem to have this 
fixation on the O2 sat monitor.
Gary
þ CMPQwk 1.42 129 þHelp stamp out and abolish redundancy!
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