BCI 3301

WLMD ID: aral

Anesthesiologists are responsible for monitoring their patients' vital signs during surgery, including the amount of oxygen in the patient's blood. Early devices to determine this percentage required withdrawing and testing a blood sample. Modern pulse oximeters pass two or more wavelengths of light through a patient's finger or toe, for example, to measure and calculate what percentage of a patient's hemoglobin is loaded with oxygen (called oxygen saturation, or SpO2.) They also register the patient's pulse rate.

Biochem International of Waukesha, Wisconsin, was manufacturing patient monitors by 1986. The company was acquired by Smiths Industries, Plc, in 1998, and continued to use the "BCI" logo. By 2001 the name had become BCI, Inc., and by 2005, it had changed to Smiths Medical PM, Inc.

The BCI 3301 pulse oximeter was on the market by 1991. With its ergonomic shape and relatively light weight it could be used while held in one hand. Powered by three size-C batteries, it could be taken to any location. The sensor probe could be attached to a finger or a toe. A range of other probes were available to fit patients from newborns to adults. The 3301 could store the pulse and SpO2 readings of multiple patients, or could be connected to a printer for "real time" record-keeping. As of 2018, a later version of the BCI 3301 was still being produced.

Catalog Record: BCI 3301 Contact [email protected] for catalog record.