Impedance respiration12-112 Impedance respirationSafety precautionsWarnings• Make sure that the leadwire set clips or snaps do not touch any electrically conductivematerial including earth.• The monitor may not detect all episodes of inadequate breathing, nor does it distinguishbetween central, obstructive and mixed apnea events.• ELECTRODE CONFIGURATION - Impedance respiration monitoring is not reliable whenECG electrodes are placed on the limbs.• This device is not an apnea monitor system intended to alarm primarily upon thecessation of breathing. In central apnea it indicates an alarm after a pre-determined timesince the last breath detection. Do not attempt to use it for detecting obstructive or mixedapneas, since respiration movements and impedance variations may continue in thesecases.• The impedance respiration measurement is inherently very sensitive as it measures verysmall physiologic signals (changes of impedance of the patient's chest area). ConductedRF current above 1 Vrms may cause erroneous measurements at various frequencies, forexample interference with the signal/waveform leads to respiration rate readingsinconsistent with the patient's true respiration rate. If you notice this, use another form ofrespiration monitoring, for instance the E-miniC module.• Electrical interference - Electrical devices, such as electrosurgery units and infraredheaters, that emit electromagnetic disturbance may cause artifacts or disable therespiration measurement completely.• Movement artifacts - Changing position, moving the head, moving the arms or shiveringmay result in movement artifacts. Also the heart may cause noticeable movement andsometimes this may interfere with the respiration measurement.• Intermittent mechanical ventilation - During spontaneous breathing the ventilator may attimes support the patient’s ventilation with an extra inspiration. If these ventilatorinspirations are substantially larger than the spontaneous breaths, the respirationcalculation may mistakenly count only the inspirations and expirations produced by theventilator.• The impedance respiration measurement may cause rate changes in Minute VentilationRate Responsive Pacemakers. Set the pacemaker rate responsive mode off or turn off theimpedance respiration measurement on the monitor.• APNEA alarm - If you deactivate the Apnea alarm, keep the patient under closesurveillance.Cautions• When using the electrosurgery unit, ensure proper contact of the ESU return electrode tothe patient to avoid burns at measurement sites. Also ensure that the ESU returnelectrode is near the operating area.
