Automatic defibrillator module for integration with standard patient monitoring equipment

A composite monitoring system comprising:

• a patient monitor disposed in a monitor housing and including a sensor arranged to sense a physiological characteristic of a patient and a signal processor coupled to said sensor and adapted to process the signal from said sensor and an output member;
• and
• a defibrillator module disposed in a defibrillator housing and adapted to be selectively coupled to said patient monitor, said defibrillator module including a pulse generator responsive to commands to generate therapeutic pulses for the patient, and a data generator arranged to generate indication signals indicative of an operation of said defibrillator module;
• said patient monitor and said defibrillator module cooperating when coupled to transfer said indication signal to said output member wherein said output member generates output signals corresponding to one of said patient characteristic and said indication signals.

A method of providing patient treatment comprising:

• providing a patient monitor adjacent to a patient, said patient monitor being adapted to measure a patient characteristic;
• providing a defibrillator adapted to selectively provide shock therapy to the patient, said patient monitor and said defibrillator being adapted to operate independently of each other;
• and
• associating said defibrillator and said patient monitor to allow said defibrillator and said patient monitor to receive data to or from each other.

A method of combining a patient monitoring network and an external defibrillator comprising:

• providing a patient monitoring network;
• providing an external defibrillator, wherein said patient monitoring network is operational independently of said external defibrillator and said external defibrillator is operational independently of said external defibrillator;
• and
• coupling said patient monitoring network and said external defibrillator to couple to each other for exchanging information.