Patent ID: 8626528

Claim:
Apparatus for use in an intensive care unit of a medical care facility for monitoring a patient, comprising: a plurality of groups of sensors, each group of the plurality of groups of sensors including at least three sensors connected to the patient, wherein each of the at least three sensors of a particular group of sensors monitors a different corresponding physiological condition of the same organ of the patient that can fail is such a way that it threatens the life of the patient; said apparatus further comprising: a computer that has a plurality of inputs, each input is connected to a different one of the at least three sensors for each of the plurality of groups of sensors; and wherein, each of the at least three sensors for each of the plurality of groups of sensors has an output that is representative of the corresponding physiological condition, and wherein the computer generates a sensor failure output for a particular sensor when the corresponding physiological condition of the patient is outside of a selected range, above or below a selected limit, or when a particular sensors is no longer connected to either the patient, the computer, or both; and wherein, said computer is configured to operate a visual alarm when one or more of, but not all of, said sensors in one or more of the plurality of groups of sensors has a corresponding sensor failure output generated; and wherein, said computer is further configured to operate a sound alarm only when all of the at least three sensors for at least one of the plurality of groups of sensors has a corresponding sensor failure output generated.