Centralized patient monitoring system with directed audio alerting

A centralized patient monitoring system configured to enable each of a plurality of technicians to generally simultaneously monitor multiple patients comprising:

• a computer adapted to receive patient data from a plurality of monitored patients, and to analyze the patient data in order to identify any of said plurality of monitored patients that require attention;
• a display connected to the computer, said monitor configured to visually convey the patient data;
• and
• a directional speaker connected to the computer, said directional speaker being configured to selectively to generate a localized alarm in response to said patient data analysis;
• wherein said localized alarm comprises a narrow beam of audible sound waves directed at one of the plurality of technicians.

A method for enabling each of a plurality of technicians to generally simultaneously monitor multiple patients comprising:

• collecting patient data from a plurality of monitored patients;
• implementing a computer to analyze the patient data;
• implementing a directional speaker to selectively generate a localized alarm in response to said patient data analysis, wherein the localized alarm comprises a narrow beam of audible sound waves;
• and
• directing the narrow beam of audible sound waves at one of the plurality of technicians such that said one of the plurality o f technicians can be audibly alerted in a manner that is generally imperceptible to the other of the plurality of technicians.