Patent ID: 8506481

Claim:
A patient monitoring apparatus for measuring medical parameters of a patient initially at a site remote from a medical facility and during transport of a patient to the medical facility, said apparatus including a sensing-recording device, a probe and communication means for establishing communications between said sensing-recording device and said probe wherein: A) said probe comprises: i) a probe memory, ii) sensor means for generating at least one parameter signal representing at least one medical parameter for the patient, iii) means for processing said at least one parameter signal for storage in the memory, and iv) a probe controller for generating commands to said sensing-recording device to initiate measurement functions therein and to store data in said probe memory from a sensing-recording device over the communications means, and B) said sensing-recording device comprises: i) a housing, ii) a clip arm extending from said housing for non-invasively attaching said sensing recording device to a patient during examination at the remote site and during transport to the medical facility, iii) at least one sensor carried by said clip arm for generating at least one parameter signal that represents at least one medical parameter for the patient, one of said sensors being a sensor for pulse oximetry and including a photocell in said clip arm and a light emitting diode carried in said housing, iv) a memory in said housing, and v) a control in said housing that stores samples of the parameter output for each of the at least one sensor in said sensing-recording device memory and responds to a first command from said probe by transferring data in said sensing-recording device memory to said probe memory and to a second command from said probe by transferring data from said probe memory to said sensing-recording device memory whereby said sensing-recording device contains all the information obtained at the remote site and continues to record information independently of said probe during the transport of the patient to the medical facility.