Patent ID: 7300404
Filing Date: 2007-11-27
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method of monitoring the blood pressure of a patient, the method comprising the steps of: providing a non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitor having a selectively inflatable and deflatable blood pressure cuff and at least one pressure transducer for detecting oscillation pulses from the patient; acquiring a plethysmographic waveform of the patient, the plethysmographic waveform having a series of time-spaced plethysmographic pulses each representing a patient heartbeat; inflating the blood pressure cuff to an initial inflation pressure; deflating the pressure cuff through a series of pressure steps; detecting the beginning of an oscillation pulse at each pressure step; determining the amplitude of the detected oscillation pulse from the pressure transducer at each pressure step; determining an expected time differential between the detection of the oscillation pulse and the detection of the plethysmographic pulse resulting from a common patient heartbeat; storing the amplitude of the oscillation pulse; monitoring for the presence of the plethysmographic pulse within the expected time differential following the detection of the oscillation pulse at each pressure step; and discarding the stored amplitude when the plethysmographic pulse is absent within the average time differential.