Patient monitoring and alarm processing system and user interface

1. A method for processing physiological parameters acquired from a particular patient using one or more patient monitoring devices for monitoring a patient, comprising the activities of:

receiving a signal including data representing a value of a physiological parameter of the particular patient, the value having triggered an alarm associated with the physiological parameter;

determining a notification indicative of a medical condition of the particular patient based at least on the received signal triggering an alarm and on a second signal representing a value of a second physiological parameter of the particular patient;

determining a probability associated with the notification, the probability expressing a likelihood that the notification is accurate;

suppressing a notification determined solely responsive to said triggered alarm in the absence of receiving said second signal representing the second physiological parameter of the particular patient; and

presenting data representing the notification and the probability to an operator.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the activity of determining a probability associated with the notification includes the activity of:

determining a probability associated with the notification in response to characteristics associated with at least one of said received and said second signals.

3. A method according to claim 2 , further comprising the activities of

determining a second notification based at least on the received signal

determining a probability associated with the second notification; and

presenting the second notification in conjunction with the respective probability with the second notification.

4. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the activities of:

receiving an instruction to suppress the notification;

determining the notification based at least on a third received signal; and

determining that the notification should not be presented based on the received instruction.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the notification is determined using a probabilistic network.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the probabilistic network is a Bayesian network.

7. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the probabilistic network is a predictive network.

8. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the activity of:

issuing an instruction to suppress the alarm.

9. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the activities of:

receiving an instruction to suppress the notification;

determining a second notification based at least on a third received signal and on an assumption that the notification is not indicative of the particular patient's condition.

10. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the activity of:

suppressing the notification when the probability associated with the notification is below a threshold value.

11. A method for managing patient monitoring alarms based on physiological parameters acquired from a particular patient using one or more patient monitoring devices, comprising the activities of:

receiving an instruction to suppress a particular notification;

receiving a signal including data representing a value of a physiological parameter of the particular patient, the value having triggered an alarm associated with the physiological parameter;

determining a notification indicative of a medical condition of the particular patient based at least on the received signal, on a second signal representing a value of a second physiological parameter of the particular patient, and on the instruction to suppress the particular notification;

determining a probability associated with the notification, the probability expressing a likelihood that the notification is accurate; and

presenting data representing the determined notification and probability to an operator.

12. A method according to claim 11 , further comprising the activities of:

receiving an instruction to discontinue suppression of the particular notification;

receiving a second signal representing a second value of the physiological parameter of the particular patient, the value having triggered an alarm associated with the physiological parameter;

determining the particular data representing the notification based at least on the received second signal; and

presenting the particular data representing the notification and probability to an operator.

13. A method according to claim 11 , further comprising the activity of:

issuing an instruction to suppress the alarm.

14. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the determining step comprises the activity of:

determining the notification based at least on an assumption that the particular notification is not indicative of the patient's condition.

15. A system for processing physiological parameters acquired from a particular patient and monitoring the particular patient, comprising:

a plurality of monitoring devices, each of the plurality of monitoring devices for monitoring values of one or more respective physiological parameters of the particular patient, for determining that a value of one of the one or more respective physiological parameters violates an associated alarm threshold, and for issuing an alarm indicating that the value violates the associated alarm threshold; and

a notification system for receiving a signal representing the value that violates the associated alarm threshold and one or more signals representing other monitored values, for determining a notification indicative of a medical condition of the particular patient based at least on the received signal violating the alarm threshold and on the one or more signals, for determining a probability associated with the notification, the probability expressing a likelihood that the notification is accurate; and for presenting data representing the notification and probability to an operator and for suppressing a notification solely responsive to the triggered alarm in the absence of receiving the one or more signals representing other monitored values.

16. A system according to claim 15 , wherein the notification system further comprises:

an input device for receiving an instruction to suppress a particular notification.

17. A system according to claim 16 , the notification system for determining the notification based at least on an assumption that the particular notification is not indicative of the particular patient's condition.

18. A system according to claim 15 , the notification system for issuing an instruction to suppress the alarm.

19. A user interface employed in processing physiological parameters acquired from a particular patient using one or more patient monitoring devices, comprising:

a display image area to present a notification indicative of a medical condition of a particular patient based at least on a signal including data representing a value of a physiological parameter of the particular patient, the value having triggered an alarm associated with the physiological parameter, and on a second signal representing a value of a second physiological parameter of the particular patient and to present a probability associated with the notification, said probability expressing a likelihood that the notification is accurate, and suppressing any notification solely responsive to said triggered alarm, absent said second signal representing the second physiological parameter of the particular patient.

20. A user interface according to claim 19 , further comprising:

a displayed image area to present a second notification and a second probability associated with the second notification.

21. The user interface of claim 19 , further comprising:

an interface to receive an instruction to suppress the notification.

22. The user interface of claim 21 , wherein the displayed image area presents a second notification based at least on the received signal, on the second signal, and on the instruction to suppress the particular notification.

23. The user interface of claim 22 , further comprising:

a displayed image area to present a probability associated with the second notification.