Patent ID: 7991462

Claim:
Method for monitoring a sedated patient, comprising the following steps, performed by a control unit that includes a processing unit: providing a skin conductance signal measured at an area of the sedated patient's skin through a time interval, processing the skin conductance signal to establish an existence of at least two fluctuation peaks in the skin conductance signal through said time interval, considering if amplitudes of fluctuation peaks in the skin conductance signal through said interval, basal level of the skin conductance signal through said interval and a width of the fluctuation peaks in the skin conductance signal fulfils the following three predetermined criteria: if an average of said amplitudes exceeds a first limit value, said first limit value having a range of 0.05 μS to 0.20 μS, if said basal level has shown an increase of more than a second limit value, said second limit value having a range of 0.05 μS to 0.3 μS during a recently elapsed time interval in a range of 10 seconds to 30 seconds, and if said width of the fluctuation peaks exceeds a third limit value, said third limit value having a range of 1 second to 5 seconds, the method further comprising the steps of activating a first output signal which indicates a state of awakening in the sedated patient if one of said criteria is fulfilled, and activating a second output signal which indicates a state of pain in the sedated patient if none of said criteria is fulfilled.