Ellie is having her pneumogram and acid reflux study today which is enough to prompt a new tech spotlight. Okay, there's a lot of technology in this one so bear with me and I'll try to be as brief as my interest level allows me to be.
During Ellie's pneumogram and acid reflux study they are measuring four things:
1) her heart rate
2) her blood oxygen levels
3) the pH in the lower part of her esophagus
4) her breathing.
So she has a brand new set of sensors to take all that data:
1) A second set of EKG leads measure her heart rate and also obtains a calculated measurement of her breathing.
2) A second pulse oximeter to measure her blood oxygen levels.
3) A pH sensor inserted through her nose to the base of her esophagus.
4) A pair of thermistors, one placed under each nostril, measure her breathing pattern directly.
All of this is in addition to the EKG leads, pulse oximeter and N. G. feeding tube that she always has. So there are two different systems measuring her heart rate and blood oxygen at the same time. (One for the NICU and one for the pneumogram.) And she has three different systems measuring her breathing. Since the thermistor directly measures her breathing it is considered a more reliable reading. (She's got a lot of wires coming from her.)
A thermistor is a simple electronic device that changes resistance as the temperature changes. The temperature change is provided by Ellie's breathing. She breaths in cool air and breaths out warm air. Since the resistance of the thermistor is changing, the voltage across the thermistor changes as it's temperature changes. So the test equipment measures her breathing by measuring how much her breathing heats up the thermistor. Cool!
Ellie is having her pneumogram and acid reflux study today which is enough to prompt a new tech spotlight. Okay, there's a lot of technology in this one so bear with me and I'll try to be as brief as my interest level allows me to be.
During Ellie's pneumogram and acid reflux study they are measuring four things:
1) her heart rate
2) her blood oxygen levels
3) the pH in the lower part of her esophagus
4) her breathing.
So she has a brand new set of sensors to take all that data:
1) A second set of EKG leads measure her heart rate and also obtains a calculated measurement of her breathing.
2) A second pulse oximeter to measure her blood oxygen levels.
3) A pH sensor inserted through her nose to the base of her esophagus.
4) A pair of thermistors, one placed under each nostril, measure her breathing pattern directly.
All of this is in addition to the EKG leads, pulse oximeter and N. G. feeding tube that she always has. So there are two different systems measuring her heart rate and blood oxygen at the same time. (One for the NICU and one for the pneumogram.) And she has three different systems measuring her breathing. Since the thermistor directly measures her breathing it is considered a more reliable reading. (She's got a lot of wires coming from her.)
A thermistor is a simple electronic device that changes resistance as the temperature changes. The temperature change is provided by Ellie's breathing. She breaths in cool air and breaths out warm air. Since the resistance of the thermistor is changing, the voltage across the thermistor changes as it's temperature changes. So the test equipment measures her breathing by measuring how much her breathing heats up the thermistor. Cool!
You can see the pH probe in her right nostril and the thermistors are in the white strip underneath her nostrils.
ReplyDeleteEllie is such a trooper! I think I'd have a cow if someone poked and tested me that much!
ReplyDelete