by liloncrn

I am new to the NICU and I am having a hard time understanding the monitors. I dont understand how to know when it is a TRUE apnea episode on the monitor? Help...please.

Re: Help understanding monitors and apnea?

Originally Posted by liloncrn

I am new to the NICU and I am having a hard time understanding the monitors. I dont understand how to know when it is a TRUE apnea episode on the monitor? Help...please.

At my facility, we set our alarms to alarm for apnea after 20 seconds. Now if a baby is apneic and doesn't self correct, the bradycardia alarm pretty much goes off before the apnea alarm ever does. Most of the time that the apnea alarm goes off is due to the leads not picking up, not true apnea. Either way, don't go completely by what the monitor is telling you...you MUST look at your patient!

Re: Help understanding monitors and apnea?

Look to see if the baby is breathing.

Re: Help understanding monitors and apnea?

The way our monitors work the respiration piece is not terribly accurate. It takes the baby's respirations and averages them-so they are not true to the second. So we don't use apnea alarms-only spO2 alarms and heartrate alarms. The way to tell if you are having a 'true' bradycardic episode is to look at the monitor and see if the heartbeats are widespaced on the screen. When that happens I go to look at my patient to see if they are apneic and/or have any color change. Sometiems-after the event-you can look back and see a break in breathing on the monitor prior to a brady, but not always.
Hope this helps!

Re: Help understanding monitors and apnea?

Treat the patient and not the alarm. If you can see the baby isn't breathing, stimulate them.