Patent · US Expired

Method of producing an audible alarm in a blood pressure and pulse oximeter monitor

US5253645A · kind A · utility

160Cited by
2References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 13, 1991
Grant dateOct 19, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 13, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B5/7405
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A patient monitoring system includes a pulse oximeter sensor and an audible alarm which is not produced when a blood pressure module is taking measurements, but only during that portion of the cycle that affects the pulse oximeter reading. During such measurements, the pulses detected by the oximeter decrease below a threshold T.sub.oxim. An audible alarm is caused to receive a logic level of zero by an AND gate through the detection of measurements exceeding a minimum pressure P.sub.min on the blood pressure module. The audible alarm continues to receive such a logic level until the measurements exceed a threshold P.sub.thr. After that time, the audible alarm AND gate logic level is reset to one, so as to permit reporting of pulses missing at the oximeter. None of the other alarms, such as the actual SpO.sub.2 reading, are affected by the AND gate. Accordingly, the present invention does not affect the taking of important SpO.sub.2 readings during cuff inflation/deflation and, moreover, only prevents a pulse missing audible alarm from being heard for a short period of time.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.