Patent ID: 8115101

Claim:
A patient monitoring system comprising: a patient monitor comprising a first port, wherein the patient monitor is configured to process information received via the first port in any of two or more operational modes; and a cable comprising: a connector configured to couple with the first port; an electrical interface configured to communicate with a patient parameter sensor; a circuit configured to provide information regarding any of at least two operational states of the cable, wherein each operational state of the cable corresponds with a separate operational mode of the patient monitor; and an actuator electrically coupled with the circuit, wherein the actuator is configured to transition the circuit among the at least two operational states, wherein, for each operational state, the cable is configured to obtain information regarding a patient parameter from a patient sensor via the electrical interface and is configured to deliver the information to the patient monitor via the first port, and wherein the circuit is configured to communicate an operational state of the cable to the patient monitor, such that selection of an operational state of the circuit via the actuator automatically causes the patient monitor to operate in the corresponding operational mode so as to process the information regarding the patient parameter.