Importance

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Abstract

A patient monitoring apparatus employs transmitter and receiver units. The transmitter unit is typically mounted on the patient and is equipped with an inflatable blood pressure cuff having an associated acoustic stethoscope pickup piece for detecting the systolic and diastolic pressure related sounds which may be selectively and pneumatically coupled to the transmitter unit for radio broadcast to the receiver unit. The transmitter unit may also be selectively coupled to conventional stethoscope ear pieces and sound pickup pieces which can be either chest, esophagus, or otherwise mounted on the patient to detect the sounds generated by and/or associated with respiratory and cardiac functions. Thus, sounds related to either blood pressure determination or cardiorespirtory ausculation can be detected by the transmitter unit and broadcast to the receiver unit. The receiver unit is typically belt or pocket mounted on the attending anesthetist. Two switching systems are illustrated, either of which may be utilized to enable the anesthetist to automatically select which sound, i.e., blood pressure or cardiorespiratory, to monitor. On-off transmitter control as well as battery tests and channel confirmation functions are provided.

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First Claim