Product Manual

Principles of Operation
N-560 Operator’s Manual 95
accuracy of the SpO
2
measurements requires, at a minimum,
accommodating the wavelength characteristics of the sensor and
reproducing the complex optical interaction of the sensor and the
patient’s tissue. These capabilities are beyond the scope of known
bench top testers. SpO
2
measurement accuracy can only be evaluated
in vivo by comparing pulse oximeter readings with values traceable to
SaO
2
measurements obtained from simultaneously sampled arterial
blood made using a laboratory CO-oximeter.
Many functional testers and patient simulators have been designed
to
interface with the pulse oximeter’s expected calibration curves and
may be suitable for use with Nellcor monitors and/or sensors. Not all
such devices, however, are adapted for use with the Nellcor O
XIMAX
digital calibration system. While this will not affect use of the
simulator for verifying system functionality, displayed SpO
2
measurement values may differ from the setting of the test device.
For a properly functioning monitor, this difference will be
reproducible over time and from monitor to monitor within the
performance specifications of the test device.