Justification of pulse oximeter costs for paramedic prehospital providers.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the potential cost savings of decreasing prehospital oxygen utilization by using pulse oximetry to identify those patients who do not require supplemental oxygen.


METHODS
A prospective, controlled trial was performed comparing rates of oxygen utilization by paramedics with and without access to pulse oximetry. Consecutive patient encounters over a ten-week period were randomized by day of presentation. Pulse oximeters were made available on alternate days. On those days, patients whose oxygen saturations were less than 95% were treated with supplemental oxygen.


RESULTS
The use of pulse oximeters incurred a saving of 0.14 "D"-size oxygen cylinders per call. For the authors' service, this translates to a potential saving of $2,324 (C)/vehicle/year.


CONCLUSIONS
For regions with patient demographics similar to the authors', the initial cost of providing paramedics with pulse oximeters may be offset by savings in oxygen consumption. A formula is provided to allow individual ambulance services to calculate the potential savings for their service.
Howes
D W
DW
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Field
B
B
Leary
T
T
Jones
G R
GR
Brison
R J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010092:Oximetry / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies