A Pilot Evaluation of a Capacitance-Based Automatic Urinometer in a Pediatric Intensive Care Setting. Issue 8 (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Slettengren, Martin; Wetterfall, Hanna; Eklund, Anton; van der Linden, Jan
• Is Part Of: Pediatric critical care medicine. Volume 20:Issue 8(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: humans -- intensive care units -- pediatric -- monitoring -- physiologic/methods -- prospective studies -- urine -- weights and measures/instrumentation; Pediatric intensive care -- Periodicals; Pediatric emergencies -- Periodicals; 618.05
• DOI: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000002000
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1529-7535

Abstract

Abstract : Objectives: To compare a modified capacitance-based automatic urinometer to a manual urinometer, with regard to precision of measurement and to evaluate the staff's opinion regarding the automatic urinometer. Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Setting: PICU at Astrid Lindgren's Children Hospital in Solna, Sweden. Patients: Twelve children weighing up to 10 kg with an indwelling urinary catheter in place before enrollment. Interventions: Measurement of hourly diuresis using either an automatic urinometer or manual urinometer. Measurements and Main Results: Hourly diuresis was measured with an automatic urinometer ( n = 127; Sippi; Observe Medical Nordic AB, Gothenburg, Sweden) or an manual urinometer ( n = 83; Unometer Safeti Plus; Convatec, Lejre, Denmark) and thereafter validated with a measuring cylinder. The absolute mean bias was –1.1 mL for the automatic urinometer (CI, –0.6 to –1.5) and –0.6 mL (CI, ± 0.0 to –1.2) for the manual urinometer ( p = 0.21). The SDs were 2.6 and 2.8 mL, respectively. User evaluation comparing the automatic urinometer with the manual urinometer concerning the ease of use was made with a questionnaire ( n = 18). The majority of staff preferred the automatic urinometer to the manual urinometer in terms of ease of use, learning, and handling. Conclusions: The two urinometers were comparable in performance for children weighing up to 10 kg. Taking into account the overwhelming staff satisfaction with the automatic urinometer and benefits in less well-staffed wards as well as lack of temporal deviation, the modified automatic urinometer may be considered for clinical use in the PICU. Abstract : Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.