Cleveland Family Study

19.3 In-Home Explanation of Monitor Use

Explain the following instructions to the participants and show them the instruction sheet in their monitor bag:

• 1. Remove the monitor from the bag.
• 2. Remove the power cord and attach to the back of the monitor.
• 3. Hold down the black button on the power cord while attaching.
• 4. Place the monitor next to the bed on the floor or on a table that is next to the bed. Be sure that the monitor is not near a heat register and can’t be easily knocked over.
• 5. Put the multisensory cable belt around your midsection with the Edentec logo facing out and with all leads pointing towards the head. The belt should be snug, but not restricting, two fingers should fit between the belt and skin as a standard.
• 1. Connect the end of the Multisensor cable into the monitor in the right side near the front. There is a small clip on the connector that needs to be aligned properly. DO NOT force the cable connection.
  • Chest: The two EKG pads should be removed from their backing and placed directly on the skin. Place each EKG pad directly below the armpits, across the nipple line. Obese or large-chested people should put EKG pads about 2 finger widths’ down from collarbone, one on each side above breast area. The white EKG pad should always be placed on the right side and the black EKG pad is to be placed on the left side.
  • Lip: Remove the airflow sensor from the plastic backing. Place it on the upper lip, with the two sensors directly below the nostrils and the single sensor just above the lip. Secure the sensor on both sides with tape. Drape the cord behind the left ear and tape the wire to the neck. This will allow easy movement with minimal discomfort to the patient.
  • Finger: Attach the finger probe cable to the side of the monitor, just above the Multisensor cable connection. Remove nail polish and/or acrylic nails from index finger on non-dominant hand. Remove the plastic backing from the oximeter and place the index finger directly on top of the dark circle. Fold the oximeter over the finger so that the red light is directly on the nail bed, aligned with the dark circle on the other side. Securely fasten the probe and secure the wire to the back of the hand in a tension loop and tape to the back of the hand.
• 1. Wait 1-2 minutes for the monitor to check all connections. When the monitor window reads ‘Sensors OK, recording data,’ the patient can go to sleep. If the window reads:
  • Check airflow – check thermistor attachment and cable
  • Check finger – check finger probe connection and cable
  • Check electrodes – check EKG connection and cables
  • Wait 1-2 minutes again for monitor to check connections. If problems persist, check all cables again (including power connection to the wall), then call technician (number on instruction sheet in bag).
• 1. If the patient needs to get up during the night: have them unplug both sensor cables from the side of the monitor. Leave all sensors attached to their body. Tell them, “Do not turn off the power switch”. When they return, simply reconnect the sensor cables, wait for the ‘Sensors OK, recording data’ message, and resume sleeping.
• 1. Tell the patient in the morning (or their normal wakeup time), disconnect all sensors and switch off the power of the monitor. Return the monitor and all cable and sensors etc. to the monitor bag and return it to the lab or make arrangements to have it picked up.