Glendale Adventist Medical Center Boosts Patient Safety with Expanded Use of Capnography

GLENDALE, Calif., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Glendale Adventist Medical Center 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. 

Glendale Adventist Medical Center 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.

"Glendale Adventist Medical Center 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 Michael O'Connor, Director of Respiratory Therapy.

Glendale Adventist Medical Center chose capnography equipment from Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products and recognized innovator in patient monitoring and respiratory care devices.

"Monitoring patients outside of the operating room is becoming the standard of care at the nation's leading hospitals," said Matt Anderson, Vice President and General Manager, Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions, Covidien. "We are pleased to help the clinical team deliver the best possible care for their patients."

About Glendale Adventist Medical Center

Glendale Adventist Medical Center (GAMC), a non-profit, 515-bed acute care facility in Glendale, CA, has been a part of the greater Los Angeles community for more than 109 years. Throughout the last century, the hospital has stayed on the cutting edge of the latest advancements in health care. Its mission is to share God's love in the community by promoting healing and wellness for the whole person. GAMC has been able to do so with numerous certifications and awards from many organizations.  In a recently published Modern Healthcare survey, which published a list of hospitals with the highest and lowest 30-day risk adjusted mortality rates in the U.S., GAMC was listed number 5 as determined by data to have the lowest mortality rate in the country. The hospital was recently named by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions. For more information, call (818) 408-8100 or visit www.GlendaleAdventist.com

SOURCE Glendale Adventist Medical Center