Rad-57 Signal Extraction Pulse CO-Oximeter Operator’s Manual
1-9
1
Overview
Functional vs. Fractional Saturation
The Rad-57 is calibrated to measure and display functional saturation (SpO
2
): the amount of
oxyhemoglobin expressed as a percentage of the hemoglobin that is available to transport oxygen.
Note that carboxyhemoglobin is not capable of transporting oxygen, but is recognized as oxygenated
hemoglobin by conventional pulse oximetry.
Rad-57 vs. Drawn Whole Blood Measurements
When SpO
2
, SpCO, and SpMet measurements obtained from the Rad-57 (noninvasive) are compared to
drawn whole blood (invasive) measurements by blood gas and/or laboratory CO-Oximetry methods, caution
should be taken when evaluating and interpreting the results. The blood gas and/or laboratory CO-Oximetry
measurements may differ from the SpO
2
, SpCO, and SpMet measurements of the Rad-57 Pulse CO-
Oximeter. In the case of SpO
2
, different results are usually obtained from the arterial blood gas sample if the
calculated measurement is not appropriately corrected for the effects of variables that shift the relationship
between the partial pressure of oxygen (PO
2
) and saturation, such as: pH, temperature, the partial pressure
of carbon dioxide (PCO
2
), 2,3-DPG, and fetal hemoglobin. In the case of SpCO, different results are also
expected if concentration of methemoglobin in the blood gas sample is elevated. High levels of bilirubin may
cause erroneous SpO
2
, SpMet, and SpCO readings. As blood samples are usually taken over a period of
20 seconds (the time it takes to draw the blood) a meaningful comparison can only be achieved if the oxygen
saturation, carboxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin concentration of the patient are stable and not changing
over the period of time that the blood gas sample is taken. Subsequently, blood gas and laboratory CO-
Oximetry measurements of SpO
2
, SpCO, and SpMet may vary with the rapid administration of uids and
in procedures such as dialysis. Additionally, drawn, whole-blood testing can be affected by sample handling
methods and time elapsed between blood draw and sample testing.
Masimo SET Signal Extraction Technology For SpO
2
Measurements
Masimo Signal Extraction Technology’s signal processing differs from conventional pulse oximeters.
Conventional pulse oximeters assume that arterial blood is the only blood moving (pulsating) in the
measurement site. During patient motion, however, the non-arterial blood also moves, causing
conventional pulse oximeters to read low values, because they cannot distinguish between the arterial
and venous blood movement (sometimes referred to as noise). Masimo SET pulse oximetry utilizes
parallel engines and adaptive digital filtering. Adaptive filters are powerful because they are able to
adapt to the varying physiologic signals and/or noise and separate them by looking at the whole signal
and breaking it down to its fundamental components. The Masimo SET signal processing algorithm,
Discrete Saturation Transform
®
(DST)
®
, reliably identifies the noise, isolates it and, using adaptive
filters, cancels it. It then reports the true arterial oxygen saturation for display on the monitor.
SpMet, and SpCO Measurements During Patient Motion
The Rad-57 displays measurements of SpCO* and SpMet* during patient motion. However, because
of the changes in the physiological parameters such as blood volume, arterial-venous coupling, etc.
that occur during patient motion, the accuracy of such measurements may not be reliable during
excessive motion. When the Rad-57 does not have confidence in the value of a parameter due to
poor signal quality caused by excessive motion or other signal interference, the Low Signal IQ (Low
SIQ) LED will flash.
*available in upgraded Instrument