Reading Vital Signs and Indicators

Patient tiles include the following indicators for vital signs and other data obtained rom the VitalPatch.

Important: Vital signs will not be displayed for cardiac monitoring patients until the patient intake form has been completed.

See Viewing Patient Tiles for more information on tile features.

Heart Rate

Beats per minute, as measured by the VitalPatch.

Notification Indicators on Vital Signs

Small text on the right of a vital sign indicates notification limits are set for this vital sign (not shown in Mobile View).

  • > indicates an upper threshold on a vital sign.
  • < indicates a lower threshold on a vital sign.
  • c1 or c2 indicates a custom threshold. This can be a single threshold on a vital sign or it can combine upper and/or lower thresholds of up to three different vital signs. Note that in the current release, if there are c3, c4 or c5 thresholds configured, those will not show in the vital sign display.

If the notification conditions are met, the vital sign value turns yellow with a yellow border. If the patient tile turns black with a yellow border, the notification condition is happening now (currently triggered).

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Note: VistaCenter applies a yellow border highlight to a vital sign when it is in a current notification condition. Because notifications are triggered based on an average value over time (averaging duration), there may be instances where a vital sign crosses the threshold, but the yellow highlight is not applied. This is expected behavior.

Invalid Heart Rate

If the heart rate measured by the VitalPatch is outside the measurable range (less than 30 BPM or greater than 200 BPM), the display changes to “- -”. If invalid heart rate is enabled as a notification condition, yellow text and a yellow border will be applied. Note that a vital sign value may be displayed periodically when the average heart rate is near the invalid threshold.

Oxygen Saturation

%SpO2, as measured by pulse oximeter. If using Bluetooth to upload readings automatically, the value may be streaming (constantly updated), or spot check (displayed with a time since the last reading).

To enter manually: click on the value in the Detailed View.

Respiration Rate

Breaths per minute, as measured by the VitalPatch.

Invalid Respiration Rate

If the respiration rate measured by the VitalPatch is outside the measurable range (less than 4 BrPM or greater than 42 BrPM), the display changes to “- -”. If invalid respiration rate is enabled as a notification condition, yellow text and a yellow border will be applied. Note that a respiration value may be displayed periodically when the average rate is near the invalid threshold.

Body or Skin Temperature

Measured by the VitalPatch. Skin temperature is displayed if body temperature is not available. The display units (°C or °F) are set for your organization and cannot be changed.

Invalid Body Temperature

If the temperature measured by the VitalPatch is outside the measurable range (for body temperature, less than 32°C/89°F or greater than 42°C/108°F), the display changes to “- -”. If invalid temperature is enabled as a notification condition, yellow text and a yellow border will be applied. Note that a temperature value may be displayed periodically when the average temperature is near the invalid threshold.

Blood Pressure

mmHG, as measured by blood pressure device. Value may be uploaded automatically using a compatible Bluetooth device. Displays time since last reading.

To enter manually: click on the value in the Detailed View.

Notification Count (Current/Unchecked)

This section of the patient tile displays the number of current (happening now) and unacknowledged notifications.

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To acknowledge notifications: click on the patient tile to open the Detailed View. See Acknowledging Notifications.

Body Posture

Measured by the VitalPatch. If Unknown, the patient’s posture must be recalibrated in VistaPoint.

Activity and Fall Detection

Activity is measured in steps by the VitalPatch. If a fall occurs, “FALL DETECTED” is displayed. If “sms” is displayed on the right side, this indicates that fall detection notification is enabled.

Note: Fall detection requires notification configuration. If fall detection is not configured for the patient, FALL DETECTED will not be displayed when the VitalPatch detects a fall, and no SMS message will be sent.

Weight

Measured by weight scale. Value may be uploaded automatically using a compatible Bluetooth device. Displays time since last reading. The display units (lbs or kg) are set for your organization and cannot be changed.

To enter manually: click on the value in the Detailed View.

Relay Device Battery Life

Optional. Displays the percentage of battery life remaining on the VistaTablet or VistaPhone device (requires a compatible VistaPoint software release).

VitalPatch ID (Patch Icon)

The Bluetooth ID of the VitalPatch. Only the last six digits are shown in Grid and Mobile View. Hover to see activation date. If the icon is yellow, it indicates a problem such as an off-body condition (refer to status alerts).

For cardiac monitoring, the following indicators are shown:

  • CEM indicates that Cardiac Event Monitoring service is enabled for this patient
  • EH indicates that Extended Holter (EH) service is enabled for this patient
  • HLT indicates that Holter (HLT) service is enabled for this patient
  • MCT indicates that Mobile Cardiac Telemetry service is enabled for this patient

VitalPatch Hours Left (Battery Icon)

Displays the number of hours remaining on the VitalPatch. If the battery icon is yellow, it indicates less than 24 hours are remaining.

See Also