Patent ID: 7962188

Claim:
A method of providing audio or visual alarms for a patient monitor, said method executed on one or more processors of said patient monitor to provide patient monitoring functionality including determining measurements for one or more physiological parameters of a patient and when desired, alerting one or more caregivers that said measurements meet one or more predetermined conditions, said method comprising: outputting a drive signal configured to cause a light source of a noninvasive sensor to emit optical radiation having at least two wavelengths into a tissue site of said patient; receiving a sensor signal from said sensor, said sensor signal responsive to attenuation of said optical radiation by said tissue site; electronically determining a physiological parameter measurement responsive to said sensor signal; generating an alarm trigger responsive to said physiological parameter measurement being beyond a preset limit of said physiological parameter; determining an availability of a first alarm, said determining comprising monitoring an alarm drive circuit associated with said first alarm to verify said circuit's integrity; and activating a second alarm in response to said trigger and a determination that said first alarm is unavailable.