Impact of electronic data monitoring on the incidence of hyperoxia in premature neonates

Background: Episodes of hyperoxia, a known risk factor for bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature neonates, most often are identified manually by care providers. Objective: We sought to determine whether an automated electronic data surveillance tool (DST) would reduce the rate of hyperoxic episodes in premature neonates. Methods: We studied all neonates born at Because our standard clinical data systems collect data at 15 minute intervals, we prospectively defined a hyperoxic episode as three consecutive measurements (at 0, 15 and 30 minutes) of O 2 sat >92%, the upper limit of the RTP. During E1 and E2, O 2 sats >92% were detected manually by the bedside nurses. During E3, the DST analyzed clinical data and automatically notified the charge nurse of a patient9s hyperoxic episode. We retrospectively compared the rate of hyperoxic episodes of each epoch, using the Chi-squared test to determine statistical significance. Results: Neonates treated during E3 experienced fewer hyperoxic episodes than those treated during E2 (17 v. 24 episodes per 1000 O 2 sat measurements; p 2 sat measurements; p Conclusion: Use of a DST was associated with less frequent episodes of hyperoxia among premature neonates and seemed to enhance the efficacy of a respiratory treatment protocol.