Patent ID: 8903467

Claim:
A method of determining whether a patient is in shock, comprising the steps of: a) attaching at least two oximeters of common design to different areas of the patient, wherein each of said oximeters comprises a patch adaptable to be attached to the patient, the patch having mounted thereto a light emitter and a light detector, an electronic circuit, a transceiver and attachment means, said light detector detecting the light from said light emitter passing through or reflected from the patient and acquiring data relating to at least the blood perfusion rate of the patient at the area of the patient where the patch is attached, the electronic circuit effects the operation of said light emitter and said light detector and calculates from the acquired data at least the blood perfusion rate of the patient at the area where the patch is attached, the transceiver enables the patch to communicate with a remote device or the other oximeter attached to the patient, and the attachment means enables the patch to be removably attachable to the patient; b) determining a differential of the blood perfusion rate of the patient as measured by the at least two oximeters attached to the different areas of the patient; and c) comparing the determined differential with a predetermined condition to decide whether the patient is in shock.