Welch Allyn Acuity Directions For Use Manual page 161

Directions for use
Table 14. Troubleshooting patient alarm indications
Problem
A false alarm occurred for Heart rate,
ECG, ST analysis or arrhythmia analysis.
Alarms are not occurring for some alarm
limit violations.
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting and maintenance
Explanation
WARNING Ensure these things to minimize false HR, Arrhythmia
Analysis and ST Analysis alarms, and to achieve optimal event
detection and analysis:
•ECG cable, lead wires and electrodes are undamaged.
•Patient's skin is properly prepared.
•Electrodes are placed using standard good practices.
•5-wire ECG cable is used. A 3-wire cable limits arrhythmia and
ST-segment analyses to a single lead, and ST analysis is
disabled when a lead failure occurs.
•LL electrode is connected. Otherwise, only one ECG lead is
available and arrhythmia and ST-segment analyses are effected.
•Patient monitor and Virtual Monitor display these things:
-HR numeric and ECG waveform
-Non-noisy signal. If signal is noisy, reduce patient movement
and increase distance from other electrical devices.
-Correct patient mode for the patient
•Virtual Monitor ECG 1 and ECG 2 display these things:
-ECG waveform
-Waveform amplitude at least 160 µV, peak-to-peak
-QRS complex amplitude at least twice the P or T wave
amplitude
WARNING If your system includes arrhythmia analysis, and if you
connect, change or move an electrode, ensure that a RELEARN
alert occurs at the patient monitor and the virtual monitor.
Moving or changing an electrode can change the beat
morphology. If the system does not learn the new morphology, it
might not alarm or it might cause false alarms. The relearn
process establishes the new morphology as the normal ECG
rhythm for arrhythmia and ST-segment analyses.
•If a RELEARN alert occurs after changing or moving an electrode,
carefully evaluate the new ECG rhythm and the current ST
segment for all active leads to make sure that the Acuity System
has learned an appropriate rhythm. For evaluation instructions,
see "Respond to a RELEARN alert" on page
•If a RELEARN alert does not occur after changing or moving an
electrode, initiate a relearn event. For instructions, see
relearn of a patient's ECG rhythm for arrhythmia and ST-segment
analyses" on page 65.
WARNING Minimize patient movement during a RELEARN, as
movement creates noise during the reading. If the system learns
an abnormal rhythm or learns a rhythm during noise, it designates
the learned rhythm as normal. Thereafter, rhythms of this type
might not trigger an alarm. Ensure that the patient remains still for
5 minutes after the RELEARN before allowing them to move.
Check the Alarms Setup window to see if some limits have been turned off.
WARNING Patients for whom alarming has been turned off must
be kept under close physical surveillance. Turning off alarming
disables both audio and visual alarm indicators.
WARNING Do not use Stat Set or Auto Set for a patient in an
alarm state! Use these buttons only when your patient's vital sign
values are in an acceptable range.The buttons adjust alarm limits
based on the patient's current vital-sign values.
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