Despite advances in medical technology and patient treatment, it is approximated that 200,000 to 350,000 inpatient cardiac arrests occur annually with only 15-20% surviving to discharge1. A cardiac arrest is “the abrupt loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness”2 and can result in death if not appropriately treated with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or other life-saving techniques.
Of the 20% that survive these events and make it to discharge, only 59% survive past 1 year1. It has been determined through research that “cardiac arrests are often preceded by 8-12 hours of physiological deterioration [and are] detectable by measurements of patients’ vital signs”3.
This detectable deterioration provides an opportunity to intervene prior to a significant cardiac event by continuously monitoring vital signs through surveillance monitoring. In the event that the deterioration occurs more rapidly, having a system that can also identify lethal dysrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or asystole would be useful in alerting clinicians earlier so that appropriate team members can be notified and quickly intervene with CPR (“which can double or triple the chances of survival”4 ) and other life-saving techniques included in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) protocols in order to improve overall post-cardiac arrest survival rates.
The ViSi Mobile system is designed to provide continuous vital sign surveillance monitoring for patients in general care settings, bridging the gap between intermittent spot-checking and ICU intensive monitoring. With continuous surveillance monitoring of key vital signs, early recognition and detection of patient deterioration enable clinicians to make timely and effective interventions. The ViSi Mobile monitors the following:
Our goal is to help hospitals improve patient safety across the enterprise with minimum impact on the alarm burden and clinical workflow. If we can help nurses detect patient deterioration early enough, further complications can be avoided.