Pulse Ox Probes Make Me Gag!!

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Specializes in NICU.

Oh my goodness Y'all!!!!

I just started about 3 weeks ago in a Level III NICU...part of our assessment is changing the pulse ox site every 8hrs....this sometimes makes me gag and always makes me hold my breath! Those things harbor funk! Does your hospital re-use the probes or do you use new ones each time???

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

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We change our pulse ox probes as needed. I agree they do start to smell, but my experience with the smell is that the infants are not getting bathed as often as the should or the site is not rotated. If there is a smell to the probe, we get a new one and recycle the probe we have.

What brand are you using?

Christine, RNC, BSN

Oh my goodness Y'all!!!!

I just started about 3 weeks ago in a Level III NICU...part of our assessment is changing the pulse ox site every 8hrs....this sometimes makes me gag and always makes me hold my breath! Those things harbor funk! Does your hospital re-use the probes or do you use new ones each time???

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

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Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

Gotta just love that good old probe funk huh? NOT

We always used the nellcors just about everywhere that I have worked. We would change them out and toss the old one in a bucket to be recycled by the company.

I did work one place as a traveler and they had re-usable probes that had washable covers that velcro closured.

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We rotate our pulse ox probes Q3 or Q4 and I have never noticed any smell associated with our sites or probes. Perhaps it's the eight hours??

Rainbows

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We rotate every 3-4 too, but I have noticed the smell. The best way to get rid of it is to rub the wrap part with a little alcohol. I also sometimes cut the wrap part short since that seems to be the stinky part and we keep ours on with another wrap over the pulse ox.

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We rotate every 3-4 too, but I have noticed the smell. The best way to get rid of it is to rub the wrap part with a little alcohol. I also sometimes cut the wrap part short since that seems to be the stinky part and we keep ours on with another wrap over the pulse ox.

We don't use any pre-fab wrap pieces - we just use Coban - and a fresh piece whenever it get's old looking.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

OH yeah...nothing like good old pulseox foot stench LOL! Some kids are worse than others too! We change our sites qs and we scrub the heck out of them! ewwww :p

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