Introduction

A patient monitoring system collects information from several transducers connected to a patient. The transducers convert physiologic electromechanical activity into electrical signals which are routed to a data acquisition module for digitization. The digitized data is then processed and displayed on the monitor screen. Additionally, bedside patient information can be relayed to a central nursing station, a hospital information system, or a doctor’s office.

Patient monitors must provide reliable data at all times. For this reason, it is imperative to have an accurate means for calibration and troubleshooting of patient monitoring instrumentation. This function can be accomplished by using a patient simulator which generates electrical signals similar to those produced by the transducers.