Dolphin Industrial Zone

14/04/2026

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑷𝑼𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑶𝑿𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑹( #2)

In the busy wards of our hospitals, from Lagos to Nairobi,

there is one tiny device we trust to be our "eyes" when a patient is in respiratory distress.

But do we really understand how it speaks to us?

To reduce equipment downtime and improve patient outcomes,

we must move from being "users" to being "stewards" of our technology.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞?

The Pulse Oximeter is designed to provide a non-invasive, real-time measurement of

1. Arterial Oxygen Saturation (SpO_2) and

2. Pulse Rate

Its primary job is to detect "Hypoxia"

➤𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘹𝘺𝘨𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 90% 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦.

It is effectively the Fifth Vital Sign.

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Hey Biomed, It doesn't use "magic"; it uses Photoplethysmography.

The probe contains two tiny LEDs that shoot light through the fingertip:

1. Red Light (660 nm) - Absorbed more by deoxygenated (blue) blood.

2. Infrared Light (940 nm)- Absorbed more by oxygenated (bright red) blood.

The photodetector on the other side measures the ratio of light that passes through.

The microprocessor then converts this ratio into the percentage you see on the screen.

𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬

➤𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘱 𝘖𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
It is a portable and battery-powered. Ideal for rapid rounds and home care.

➤𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥/𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴
It features external probes and internal rechargeable batteries.
Best for continuous monitoring in the ER or ICU.

➤𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴
This is a Specialized "plug-in" units for multi-parameter patient monitors.

Anatomy of this device that you should know

1. LED Emitters
This is the light source.

2. Photodetector
The sensor that "reads" the light.

3. Microprocessor
The "brain" that runs the oxygen-calculation algorithm.

4. Probe Cable
The data highway (and the most fragile part).

5.Display
It shows the numerical value and the Plethysmograph (the pulse wave).

What are its common Faults most especially in the "Nigerian Context"?

The reason oximeters fail in our environment includes:

➤Nail Polish & Henna
Dark colors block the light wavelengths, leading to false low readings.

➤Ambient Light
The presence of strong surgical lamps can "drown out" the sensor.
So, do cover the probe with a dark cloth if the reading is erratic.

➤Low Perfusion

If a patient has cold hands or low BP, the signal is too weak to read.

➤ Broken Cable
This is the #1 technical failure.
When you keep tightly coiling the probe cable, the internal copper filaments snaps/breaks.
So always loop cables loosely!

NB: In cases where downtime still persists, do well to call the Biomedical Engineer in your facility immediately

Healthcare workers, a pulse oximeter doesn't just read blood; it reads light.

➤𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

07/06/2023

The Role of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia in Neurologic Practice
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Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a disorder of TGF-beta signaling inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, with symptoms emerging over several decades of life.

At full expression, affected persons may experience epistaxis, mucocutaneous telangiectasia, and solid-organ vascular malformations—most importantly arteriovenous malformation (AVM)—in the lung, brain, spinal cord, or liver. Unfortunately, in many families with HHT, the disease remains undiagnosed until symptomatic CNS presentation, perhaps from spinal abscess secondary to pulmonary AVM or with intracranial hemorrhage from a ruptured brain AVM.

Patients and families describe, with alarming frequency, extensive epistaxis history, which had either failed to be recognized by a medical provider as a significant outlier or which seemed trivial to the historian in comparison with another family member's bleeding.

Improved disease literacy is a vital component to improving outcomes in HHT.

Definition

Telangiectasia: They are small, widened blood vessels on the skin. They are usually harmless, but may be associated with several diseases.

Epistaxis: This is the medical term for a nosebleed. A nosebleed, meaning a loss of blood from the tissue that lines the inside of your nose.

For more information, click this link: http://n.neurology.org/cgi/content/short/100/23/1077?rss=1

05/06/2023

The Alzheimer Disconnectome
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There has long been a disconnect between the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer disease (AD) and its pathology.

Three pathologic processes define AD:
° Deposition of extracellular and neuritic amyloid-β fibrillar plaques,
°Accumulation of intracellular neurofibrillary hyperphosphorylated tau tangles, and
°Neuronal and synaptic degeneration or neurodegeneration, manifesting both in vivo and ex vivo as brain atrophy.

Amyloid and tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging now means that we can track these depositions over the life time, meaning that we are no longer reliant on postmortem pathologic staging.

Amyloid deposition starts in many people in their fourth decade and progresses until the eighth decade. Regional amyloid deposition does not correspond to the cognitive profile of people presenting with typical or amnestic AD or with atypical presentations, such as logopenic aphasia.

NB: Some people can have a brain full of amyloid and no detectable cognitive impairment on testing.

Conversely, regional cortical tau corresponds to cortical atrophy and to domain-specific cognitive impairments.
Tau deposition also predicts and covaries with neurodegeneration patterns in AD

For more information, click this link: http://n.neurology.org/cgi/content/short/100/22/1037?rss=1

Key point:
PlaqueandTau Tangles
-aphasia (PET)

13/05/2023

High frequencies (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) increase motor coordination performances in volleyball players
____________________________________________

It is widely demonstrated that high frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has facilitative effects and is therefore capable to inducing changes in motor responses.

One of the most investigated areas is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as it plays a special executive attention role in actively preserving access to stimulus representations and objectives in environments with plenty of distraction such as those of team sports.

Volleyball is a team sport in which the attention and coordination components are essential for achieving performance.

Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate if HF rTMS at DLPFC in volleyball players can improve homolateral motor coordination and cortical excitability.

To access this study, Click this link: https://bmcneurosci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12868-023-00796-2

13/05/2023

Congratulations to Dr Yasmin Nouri and Dr Andrew Wilson on successfully defending their PhDs! It's truly impressive to see two young researchers who were lab partners at Whangaparāoa College, come so far and achieve such great success.

As part of our CAR T-cell research team, Yasmin and Andrew have made significant contributions to our understanding of CAR T-cells. Yasmin's PhD research focused on the Malaghan's unique third-generation CAR T-cell construct, where she identified its safety profile, efficacy and potential future applications. Andrew’s PhD research investigated genomic technology to better understand the process of turning patient's T-cells into CAR T-cells, which fight cancer by pinpointing how many modified genes are being inserted.

Yasmin and Andrew’s achievements are well deserved and we're all proud of you.

19/02/2023

THE NEURO-EAGLE YAFF LANDED🥵
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Innovation in biomedical imaging has opened up a world of possibilities in the field of medicine, revolutionizing the way we diagnose and treat illnesses.

From identifying cancer at an early stage to guiding surgeons during complex procedures, Biomedical imaging has transformed patient care and improved outcomes across the globe .

The Neuroworld Biomedical Research Neuroworld Biomedical Research Institute is proud to host a seminar on "Innovation in Biomedical Imaging: Improving Patient Outcomes".

This seminar will bring together leading experts from Pakistan🇵🇰 and Nigeria🇳🇬 to share their latest insights, techniques, and best practices in the field.

Here's what you can expect from the seminar:

🧬Gain insights into the latest advancements in biomedical imaging and how they are being used to improve patient outcomes.
🧬Learn from leading experts in the field who will share their knowledge, experiences, and techniques.
🧬Get practical knowledge and insights that you can apply to your practice right away.
🧬Network with fellow professionals and expand your skillset.
🧬Be awarded a certificate of attendance.

Whether you are a healthcare professional, researcher, or industry leader, this seminar is an exceptional opportunity to deepen your understanding of the latest innovations in biomedical imaging and the impact it has on patient care.

Join us for two days of learning, networking, and knowledge-sharing that promises to elevate your practice and shape the future of healthcare.

Don't miss out on this rare opportunity to be part of the future of medicine.

For more information, join us on the IABES whatsapp group

https://chat.whatsapp.com/GkC7aY1OpGN29O42Ym30PE

We look forward to seeing you there🚀

🥵

13/02/2023

Genetic mutation and Neurological disease 😑

Researchers from NHGRI and the Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) have discovered a new neurological condition characterized by issues with motor coordination and speech.

13/02/2023

💎💎

13/02/2023

Well done Doctor

QIMR Berghofer researchers are working on an early detection test for ovarian cancer, which is notoriously difficult to detect until it is advanced.
The development of a quick early detection test would be a game changer for women with ovarian cancer who have to undergo an invasive and time-consuming MRI and PET imaging.
February is ovarian cancer awareness month, the deadly disease affecting 1 in every 70 Australian women.
Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) has awarded Associate Professor Jason Lee and his team more than $850,000 for his research on circular RNAs, which will be the foundation of an early detection test for ovarian cancer.
The research will also provide an early indication if a person in remission is likely to experience a cancer recurrence.
Associate Professor Lee hopes his work will eventually increase the survival rate of women with ovarian cancer.
“If you detect ovarian cancer early, the survival rate can increase dramatically.” Associate Professor Lee

06/01/2023

💎

National Institutes of Health researchers have published an assessment of 13 studies that took a genotype-first approach to patient care.

14/12/2022

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