Patent ID: 8781546

Claim:
A method for classifying a condition causing a change in oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in a target area of a body of a person or animal as either a systemic condition or a local condition, comprising: identifying a target area and a reference area on the body of a human or animal, where said target area is chosen from the group consisting of tissue and organs and wherein said reference area includes shallow tissue located above the target area such that the tissue or organ chosen for said target area is different from the shallow tissue of said reference area; periodically measuring oxygen saturation in the target area and an oxygen saturation in the reference area; periodically comparing the oxygen saturation in the target area to the oxygen saturation in the reference area; classifying the condition causing the change in oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the target area as systemic or local based upon said comparison; and identifying an impending shock state of the target area based at least in part on the oxygen saturation in the target area relative to the oxygen saturation in the reference area.