Method for Adjusting an Alarm Based on the Preceding Quantity of Threshold Breaches

A system for adjusting a current AUC limit threshold to reduce the number of false alarms by calculating the number of times a blood oxygen saturation signal breaches the current limit threshold comprising:

• a user interface to configure a saturation limit threshold for a patient's oxygen saturation level and area under the curve (AUC) limit threshold in response to a blood oxygen saturation signal received from a patient blood oxygen saturation monitor, wherein an alarm is emitted when the patient's oxygen saturation level is below the oxygen saturation limit threshold;
• a blood oxygenation saturation sensor to measure a patient's blood oxygen saturation level over time;
• and
• a processor in communication with the blood oxygenation saturation sensor and configured to:
• calculate the difference between the patient's measured blood oxygen saturation and the defined blood saturation limit threshold;
• sum the differences between the patient's measured blood oxygen saturation and the defined blood oxygen saturation limit threshold over a time interval wherein the patient's measured blood oxygen saturation is less than defined blood oxygen saturation limit threshold, wherein the summation defines a measured AUC;
• compare the measured AUC over the time interval against the AUC limit threshold;
• determine regions in which the measured AUC exceeds the defined AUC limit threshold;
• and
• calculate a quantity of occurrences in which the AUC exceeds the defined AUC limit threshold to determine a frequency of occurrence of threshold crossings,
• wherein the processor adjusts the AUC limit threshold in response to the frequency of occurrence of threshold crossings.