Mary Rimbi

Background: heart rates generated by pulse oximeters and electronic sphygmomanometers in acutely ill patients may not be the same as those recorded by ECG

Methods: heart rates recorded by an oximeter and an electronic sphygmomanometer were compared with electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rates measured on acutely ill medical patients.

Results: 1010 ECGs were performed on 217 patients while they were in the hospital. The bias between the oximeter and the ECG measured heart rate was -1.37 beats per minute (limits of agreement -22.6 to 19.9 beats per minute), and the bias between the sphygmomanometer and the ECG measured heart rate was -0.14 beats per minute (limits of agreement -22.2 to 21.9 beats per minute). Both devices failed to identify more than half the ECG recordings that awarded 3 NEWS points for heart rate.

Conclusion: Heart rates of acutely ill patients are not reliably measured by pulse oximeter or electronic sphygmomanometers.