Pulse and confidence indicator displayed proximate plethysmograph

1. A method of indicating pulse occurrences and signal quality in an electronic patient monitor when a displayed plethysmograph alone may not be a sufficient visual indicator, the method comprising:

detecting at a patient's skin light attenuated by pulsing blood of the patient;

receiving a sensor output signal indicative of said detected light;

determining with a signal processor plethysmographic data responsive to said sensor output signal;

determining with said signal processor a measurement of confidence that displayed data accurately reflects physiological parameters occurring in said patient;

displaying said plethysmographic data on a display of a patient monitoring device at a time substantially proximate said detecting;

displaying at a time of said displaying said plethysmographic data, a visual pulse indicator in proximity to said plethysmographic data to indicate to a caregiver which of said displayed plethysmographic data corresponds to an occurrence of a pulse of said patient; and

modifying said visual pulse indicator, said modification responsive to said measurement of confidence.

2. The method of claim 1 , where said visual pulse indicator comprises a vertical lines coinciding with the peak of arterial pulsations in said plethysmographic data.

3. The method of claim 2 , where said modification comprises modifying a height of said vertical lines.

4. The method of claim 1 , where said modification comprises modifying a presentation attribute of said pulse indicator.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said attribute comprises a color.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising modifying an associated sound.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said attribute comprises a thickness.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein said attribute comprises a height.

9. An electronic patient monitoring system including a patient monitor having a signal processor, said patient monitor communicating with a noninvasive optical sensor and a display device, said display device responsive to measurements and calculation made by said signal processor, said patient monitor configured to indicate pulse occurrences and signal quality when a displayed plethysmograph alone may not be a sufficient visual indicator, the monitor comprising:

a sensor including a detector detecting light at a patient's skin attenuated by pulsing blood of the patient and outputting a sensor output signal responsive to said detected light;

a sensor signal input receiving said sensor output signal;

a signal processor receiving said sensor output signal, determining plethysmographic data responsive to said sensor output signal near a time said sensor outputs said sensor output signal, determining a measurement of confidence that displayed data accurately reflects physiological parameters occurring in said patient; and

a display device displaying said plethysmographic data, displaying a modified visual pulse indicator in proximity to said plethysmographic data to indicate to a caregiver which of said displayed plethysmographic data corresponds to an occurrence of a pulse of said patient, said modification to said visual pulse indicator being responsive to said measurement of confidence.

10. The system of claim 9 , where said visual pulse indicator comprises a vertical lines coinciding with the peak of arterial pulsations in said plethysmographic data.

11. The system of claim 10 , where said modification comprises modifying a height of said vertical lines.

12. The system of claim 9 , where said modification comprises modifying a presentation attribute of said pulse indicator.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein said attribute comprises a color.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising modifying an associated sound.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein said attribute comprises a thickness.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein said attribute comprises a height.