New Workstation Helps Meet COVID-19 Care Demands

An innovative ventilated patient surveillance (VPS) workstation allows centralized remote observation of patients' ventilator data.

The Capsule Technologies (Andover, MA, USA) VPS workstation allows users to view real-time and trended clinical respiratory measurements in a centralized, environmentally safe remote location. Measures include fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO₂), Set Tidal Volume, Exhaled Tidal Volume, Set Respiration Rate, Total Respiration Rate, Peak Inspiratory Pressure, and Positive End Expiratory Pressure. This allows healthcare staff to manage patients closely, but without having to be physically close, and rapidly identify clinically actionable emergent events.

The centralized view of ventilator data reduces bedside visits for non-actionable events, limiting the caregivers' exposure to infection, but also reduces institutional consumption of personal protective equipment (PPE), which saves time, money, and the equipment itself. Care providers also have greater availability to act during clinically actionable events, leading to shortened response times, which can improve patient safety and outcomes.

The VPS workstation is a tailored configuration of the company's Capsule Surveillance solution, which integrates health data, including waveforms, from any medical device or clinical system. The system contextualizes all available data and transforms it into visible, actionable, predictive insight. Clinicians can make timely assessments and react using customized protocols, based on predictive analytics and at-a-glance dashboards. Patient care is also improved with less charting errors, more timely charting, and more modifiers and custom fields.

“For our existing clients, adding ventilated patient surveillance is a simple, yet impactful, way to extend the utility of their Capsule installations,” said Hemant Goel, CEO of Capsule Technologies. “Technology is a key enabler, and we are directing all resources to support our clients' urgent needs to reduce risks, increase efficiencies and extend the reach and availability of resources. Our Ventilated Patient Surveillance workstation offers remote, continuous visibility on critical, respiratory-compromised COVID-19 patients while supporting clinical decisions and helping staff limit their exposure.”

“Implementation went quickly and smoothly, which was helpful during the rush of coronavirus cases. We have used ventilated patient surveillance to identify clinically actionable emergent events,” said Mary Stein-Ferrer, director of clinical informatics at the University of Miami Health System (FL, USA). “Viewing and assessing comprehensive ventilation data on the workstation before entering a patient room reduces the amount of time that our nurses and respiratory therapists spend in that potentially infectious environment.”

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