Physiological measurement communications adapter

1. A communications adapter configured to wirelessly communicate a first signal from a patient site to a remote site and to adapt the first signal to a particular patient monitor at the remote site, the communications adapter comprising:

a first processor configured to generate said first signal responsive to a sensor signal received from a noninvasive sensor attached to a tissue portion of a patient, wherein said sensor signal is indicative of at least one physiological parameter of a patient;

a communications link configured to wirelessly transmit the first signal from a first site proximate the patient and to receive the first signal at a second site; and

a second processor that adapts the first signal to a usually incompatible particular patient monitor at the second site so that the particular patient monitor derives physiological measurements from the adapted first signal that are generally equivalent to measurements derivable from the first signal by a monitor compatible with the noninvasive sensor.

2. The communications adapter according to claim 1 wherein the second processor utilizes (i) measurement data representing a physiological measurement made at the first site, said measurement data transmitted to the second site and (ii) characterization information corresponding to said particular patient monitor that relates predetermined aspects of said first signal to predetermined physiological measurement values that said particular patient monitor would determine when provided with said aspects to generate said adapted first signal adapted to the particular patient monitor.

3. The communications adapter according to claim 2 further comprising: a monitor module housing at least a portion of the communications link and the second processor, the monitor module configured to communicate with a sensor port of the monitor; and a memory associated with the monitor module configured to store the characterization information.

4. The communications adapter according to claim 2 further comprising: a monitor module housing at least a portion of the communications link and the second processor; a cable configured to provide wired communications between the monitor module and a sensor port of the patient monitor; and a memory associated with the cable and configured to store the characterization information.

5. The communications adapter according to claim 2 wherein said second processor adapts said first signal so that said particular patient monitor derives said physiological measurements comprising at least one of oxygen saturation, blood pressure, EKG, respiration rate, body temperature and blood glucose.

6. The communications adapter according to claim 2 wherein said second processor adapts said first signal so that said particular patient monitor derives said physiological measurements comprising at least two of oxygen saturation, blood pressure, EKG, respiration rate, body temperature and blood glucose.

7. The communications adapter according to claim 5 wherein the physiological measurement is oxygen saturation and the first signal is a plethysmograph responsive to at least one of red and IR wavelengths emitted by the noninvasive sensor.

8. A physiological measurement method comprising:

inputting a sensor signal at a patient location;

generating a physiological waveform responsive to the sensor signal;

reducing the sample rate of the physiological waveform;

wirelessly communicating the reduced sample rate physiological waveform from the patient location to a monitor location;

adapting the reduced sample rate physiological waveform to a particular patient monitor at the monitor location; and

outputting the adapted physiological waveform to a sensor port of the patient monitor so that the patient monitor derives physiological measurements from the adapted physiological waveform that are generally equivalent to measurements derivable from the physiological waveform by a monitor compatible with the sensor signal.

9. A communications adapter comprising:

a means for inputting a sensor signal from a noninvasive sensor attached to a patient tissue site;

a means for generating a physiological waveform responsive to the sensor signal;

a means for communicating the physiological waveform from a patient location to a monitor location;

a means for adapting the physiological waveform to a particular monitor at the monitor location; and

a means for outputting the adapted physiological waveform to a sensor port of the monitor.

10. The communications adapter according to claim 9 further comprising: a means for relating the adapted physiological waveform and physiological parameter measurements according to the particular monitor.

11. The communications adapter according to claim 10 further comprising a means for reducing the sampling rate of the physiological waveform prior to the wireless communications of the physiological waveform to the monitor location.