Affinity Health System adopts Capnography monitoring
01 / 15 / 2010
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Maria Nelson, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
MENASHA, Wis. - Affinity Health System announced the adoption of Oridion Microstream® Capnography, bringing its patients the highest standard of safety for ventilation monitoring. Breathing takes oxygen into the body and eliminates carbon dioxide (CO2) from the body. When the body fails to eliminate carbon dioxide from the blood, it can lead to respiratory distress, failure, and even death. Capnography, the continuous monitoring of exhaled carbon dioxide, can detect changes in ventilation, alerting clinicians to potential breathing problems before they become a serious threat. These alarms alert the clinician to check the patient’s breathing and remind the patient to breathe.
Capnography is widely recognized as the standard of care in ventilation monitoring of patients receiving “opioid” pain medications, particularly when administered using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. Most initial post operative pain medications are now administered intravenously, producing a quicker, more pronounced effect, but also increasing the risk of complications. Monitoring patients using PCA analgesia with Capnography provides the early clinical indicators of respiratory depression. It provides immediate information about the effectiveness of ventilation and provides the earliest alarm in a total absence of breathing.
“We know that with Microstream® Capnography, we are providing a higher standard of care for our patients,” said Mark Kehrberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Affinity Health System. “The use of PCA pumps allows patients to more effectively manage their pain, but there is a respiratory risk associated with the opioid pain medication. Microstream® technology allows us to become aware of risk much earlier, before a patient is in respiratory distress – even when oxygen levels indicate that the patient is well oxygenated.”
Recognition is growing that Capnography is the safest, most effective method to monitor ventilation. Today, virtually every hospital in the country is using Capnography in the operating room, where it is the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) standard of care to prevent respiratory distress for patients under anesthesia.
At Affinity’s Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh and St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, clinicians will be using the Capnostream™20 for post-surgical patients and medical patients receiving medication through a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. The Capnostream™20 is a new state-of-the-art bedside monitor that works for neonatal through adult patients, as well as intubated and non-intubated patients. Continuous monitoring offers an additional level of patient safety to provide the caregiver with vital information in order to make accurate assessments and timely interventions with the patient.
Mercy Health Foundation provided funding for three of the Capnography machines at Mercy Medical Center. St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation provided funding for five Capnography machines at St. Elizabeth Hospital.
About Oridion
Oridion Systems Ltd. (www.oridion.com) is a global medical device company specializing in patient safety monitoring. The Company operates through wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Oridion develops proprietary medical devices and patient interfaces, based on its patented Microstream® technologies, for the enhancement of patient safety through the monitoring of the carbon dioxide (CO2) in a patient’s breath. These products provide effective, proven airway management and are used in various clinical environments, including procedural sedation, pain management, operating rooms, critical care units, post-anesthesia care units, emergency medical services, transport, alternate care and other settings where patients’ ventilation may be compromised and at risk.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a faith-based regional health care network, is the Fox Valley’s second-largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry. For the fourth consecutive year, Affinity has been named one of the nation’s top 64 health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. For ten consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 25 family practice and specialty clinics – 22 of which are recognized as NCQA Level III medical homes, the highest level of recognition – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; and Affinity Occupational Health.