Zeroing the transducer...help?!

1) Turn stopcock off to patient

2) Remove cap

3) Press "Zero"

4) Replace cap

5) Turn stopcock back to neutral

1) Turn stopcock off to patient

2) Remove cap

3) Press "Zero"

4) Replace cap

5) Turn stopcock back to neutral

I always throw in a good flush to look for a plateau in my wave form too.

Thanks for the help!!! Really appreciate it!

"1) Turn stopcock off to patient

2) Remove cap

3) Press "Zero"

4) Replace cap

5) Turn stopcock back to neutral"

excellent:redbeathe

simple and clear

but some types of caps contain a hole in side it, so no need to remove it

:idea:remember:

if arterial line the pressure in cuff to be 300 mmHg

the flush is very important and some times if you interface a problem reinsure there is no air bubbles inside tube to give accurate reading.

above is correct, but always give a decent flush to the open to air 3 way port before you re-cap and turn the stop cock open to pt. its also a good time to re-level your transducer if needed before you hit the zero button.

Check you're square wave and make sure you're not over/underdampened

Also, wait for the '0' on the screen before putting the cap back on :)

1) Turn stopcock off to patient

2) Remove cap

3) Press "Zero"

4) Replace cap

5) Turn stopcock back to neutral

Yes, that exactly.

at what step in the procedure do you flush?

Before you zero it. You flush it to make sure it is nice and patent. Assess everything is working properly or there's no point in zeroing it if you can't use it. Then, you can flush after zeroing and check for a square wave as mentioned above.

Before the five steps given, make sure your transducer is level with the patient's phlebostatic axis (4th intercostal space and half the diameter of the chest). You want the cap that you will remove to be level with that.

Next, if your waveform doesn't look right (ask some nurses you work with to show you dampened waveforms), I would flush then to see if your waveform changes to a better one. If your waveform is fine, you do not need this step.

After those two steps, then proceed with the other steps.

Advanced tips after zeroing CVP: Look at the differences between the waveforms of ventilated and non-vented patients. The place where you read the CVP and record it will be different depending.

This is so me! Lol I hate the zeroing!!