Utilization of a small computer for real-time continuous patient monitoring

Abstract

The general goals of a patient monitoring system are described and discussed, particular emphasis being placed on the necessity for extensive user-system interactions. The design of an executive program based on these goals is presented. The executive controls the execution of multiple, independent tasks and provides certain functions which are most frequently used in real-time monitoring. The executive structure and control algorithms are described. Several applications which use the executive are described including a four patient, multiple-signal, continuous monitoring system and a paging control program.