Automated control of oxygen supply by O2matic increases time with proper oxygenation.

What is it about?

Patients in need of oxygen supply often have variable need of oxygen, due to changes in the condition, such as exacerbation in Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD). During hospital admission the oxygen need varies from minute to minute, but oxygen supply is normally fixed and only controlled and adjusted with several hours interval by nurses who monitor oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry. By continuously monitoring of oxygen saturation, which is done by sending light through a fingertip (pulse oximetry) oxygen supply can automatically be adjusted every second to fit individual needs. O2matic is an oxygen robot which measures oxygen saturation every second and adjusts oxygen flow accordingly. We tested if O2matic was better than manual control by nurses to secure adequate and precise oxygen saturation.

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is well known that especially for patients with COPD it is important to secure adequate and precise oxygenation of the blood. Too low oxygenation causes damage to organs and delayed healing, whereas too high oxygenation impedes ventilation and increases the risk of carbondioxide retention in the blood, which in turn increases the risk of respiratory failure and need of mechanical ventilation. In this study we showed that automatic oxygen control by O2matic kept oxygenation in the right interval for 85 % of the time, whereas manual control by nurses only kept oxygenation in the right interval for 47 % of the time. Especially time with to little oxygen in the blood could almost be eliminated with O2matic.

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