Biomaterial Database

The Keeler Pulsair air impulse tonometer. Comparison with the Perkins hand-held applanation tonometer for peri-operative measurement of intra-ocular pressure. 1990

S R Bricker, and J N McGalliard, and S M Mostafa

St Paul's Eye Hospital, Liverpool.

The Keeler Pulsair is a noncontact tonometer which can be used by those without specialist ophthalmic training. The instrument was compared, in a series of 30 patients in whom a total of 150 readings were taken, in respect of accuracy, ease and speed of use, and acceptability to patients, with the Perkins hand-held applanation tonometer. There was good correlation between measurements obtained with the two instruments: r = 0.92, (p less than 0.001); the Pulsair was described as easy to use in 87% of subjects, and no patient found the procedure unpleasant. The median times taken for Pulsair measurements were 7 (range 4-14) seconds for a single reading in conscious patients, and 11 (range 4-29) seconds for four readings in anaesthetised patients. These times were significantly quicker than those recorded with the Perkins tonometer which were 83 (range 66-138) seconds and 20 (range 8-45) seconds respectively (p less than 0.001). We conclude that the Pulsair is suitable for use by those who are not ophthalmologists for the rapid measurement of intra-ocular pressure changes during anaesthesia.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007429	Intraocular Pressure	The pressure of the fluids in the eye.	Ocular Tension,Intraocular Pressures,Ocular Tensions,Pressure, Intraocular,Pressures, Intraocular,Tension, Ocular,Tensions, Ocular
D007432	Intraoperative Period	The period during a surgical operation.	Intraoperative Periods,Period, Intraoperative,Periods, Intraoperative
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D004867	Equipment Design	Methods and patterns of fabricating machines and related hardware.	Design, Equipment,Device Design,Medical Device Design,Design, Medical Device,Designs, Medical Device,Device Design, Medical,Device Designs, Medical,Medical Device Designs,Design, Device,Designs, Device,Designs, Equipment,Device Designs,Equipment Designs
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000758	Anesthesia	A state characterized by loss of feeling or sensation. This depression of nerve function is usually the result of pharmacologic action and is induced to allow performance of surgery or other painful procedures.
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor