St. Cloud Hospital Boosts Patient Safety with Expanded Use of Capnography
Respiratory Monitoring Helps to Protect Patients during Procedural Sedation
ST. CLOUD, Minn., April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Cloud Hospital recently strengthened patient safety measures by expanding its use of capnography to monitor patients during moderate sedation. Sedation provides comfort to the patient while maintaining a level of responsiveness (e.g., groggy but will respond to talking or pain), as opposed to general anesthesia where the patient is completely unresponsive. Sedation is commonly used during procedures such as colonoscopies and in some instances can suppress breathing.
Capnography measures how effectively patients are breathing and can alert medical caregivers when life-threatening respiratory depression occurs. By measuring the amount of carbon dioxide the patient is exhaling, capnography provides the earliest indication of evolving respiratory compromise, which can lead to significant morbidity or even cardiopulmonary arrest if undetected. Used with oximetry, which monitors the patient's oxygen level, a complete picture of the patient's respiratory status is continuously monitored.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) now requires the use of capnography monitoring as a part of their Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring.
St. Cloud Hospital is among the nation's leaders in the early implementation of capnography monitoring to protect patients under sedation. Long used in operating rooms to monitor patients under general anesthesia, hospitals committed to patient safety are now deploying capnography during procedural sedation, as well. Early indication of respiratory depression with capnography enables medical staff to intervene before serious adverse events happen.
"St. Cloud Hospital is committed to providing the highest quality of care. Our widespread use of capnography to monitor the breathing of patients who are being sedated is in line with the latest requirements from the ASA and underscores our dedication to patient safety," said Peggy Lange, Director of Respiratory Care at St. Cloud Hospital.
About St. Cloud Hospital
St. Cloud Hospital is the largest entity of CentraCare Health, a not-for-profit health care system that provides comprehensive, high-quality care to people throughout Central Minnesota. CentraCare's collaborative network includes hospitals in St. Cloud, Long Prairie, Melrose, Monticello, Paynesville and Sauk Centre, six nursing homes, senior housing in six communities, 18 clinics, and four pharmacies.
CentraCare also operates numerous specialty services, including the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center, Coborn Cancer Center and the CentraCare Kidney Program. CentraCare serves all who seek care with compassion, dignity and respect, while seeking to enhance individual and community health.
SOURCE St. Cloud Hospital
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