8
General Description
Audible Alarms and Informational Tones
9847 uses audible alarms and informational tones (along with visible indicators) to alert healthcare
providers to several patient and equipment conditions. A high priority (patient) alarm alerts the healthcare
provider of a patient’s absence of breath, high or low oxygen saturation, pulse rate, or inadequate pulse
quality signal. A medium priority (equipment) alarm indicates the batteries have reached critically low
capacity, or that a sensor alarm condition is occurring. An informational tone (a beep) indicates a non-
alarm event (a breath).
The audible alarms can be silenced or temporarily disabled using the audible alarm disable button.
About Pulse Oximetry
9847 determines functional oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin (SpO
2
) by measuring the absorption
of red and infrared light passed through perfused tissue. Changes in absorption caused by pulsation of
blood in the vascular bed are used to determine arterial saturation and pulse rate.
Oxygen saturation and pulse rate values are indicated on light-emitting diode (LED) digital displays. On
each detected pulse, the pulse quality indicator blinks. Patient pulse quality signals are graded as good,
marginal, or inadequate and are indicated as such by the pulse quality indicator blinking green, yellow,
or red respectively. This simple method gives the user a pulse-by-pulse visual indication of waveform
signal quality without requiring the user to perform complex waveform analysis during critical patient care
situations.
If an inadequate pulse is detected, the pulse quality indicator will blink red and a high priority patient
audible alarm will sound.
If the SpO
2
or the pulse rate meets or exceeds user-defined alarm limits, the corresponding numerical
value will blink on the SpO
2
or pulse rate displays and a high priority patient audible alarm will sound.
If the pulse oximeter sensor is disconnected, malfunctions, or an adequate signal is not detected:
• a dash appears in the leftmost position of the SpO
2
display,
• the displayed SpO
2
and pulse rate values will freeze for 10 seconds, and
• a medium priority equipment alarm will sound (unless the audible alarms are disabled or unless
overridden by a high priority patient alarm).
• 10 seconds after the first dash appears, the SpO
2
and pulse rate values will be replaced by dashes,
if the condition is not corrected, and
• dashes will blink if there was a patient alarm in process.