Cardiac Emergency Averted

Jolene Simone (pseudonym) was sitting in her hospital room eating lunch when the Hoana patient vigilance system alerted with a high heart rate, bringing her nurse into the room to assess her condition. The nurse also assessed a  Jolene’s heart rate manually, confirming her high heart rate. However,  Jolene did not have any complaints of chest pain or shortness of breath.  A pulse oximeter check reveled lower oxygen saturation in the 80% range.  The attending physician was called and an EKG was performed.  After an EKG was completed, it was recognized that Jolene was exhibiting signs of a dangerous cardiac condition, and she  was quickly transferred to a telemetry unit for continuous monitoring.

For the hospital, the LifeBed patient vigilance system on this patient’s bed paid for itself many times over with this single event. For the patient, her family, and her caregivers, the savings were beyond any monetary value. Responding to a simple alert, the nurse was able to assess and intervene, potentially saving Jolene’s life.