Active pulse blood constituent monitoring method

A method of actively varying an attenuation of optical radiation due to blood in a fleshy medium in order to determine an indication of a blood constituent, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting optical radiation through a field of view area of said fleshy medium;
• detecting said optical radiation after attenuation through said fleshy medium;
• generating an output signal indicative of an intensity of the attenuated signal;
• actively influencing a change in the volume of blood in said fleshy medium in said field of view area according to a predictable pattern, with the level of influence below a level that causes significant variations in the optical properties in the fleshy medium in the field of view area;
• and
• determining said indication of a blood constituent level.

A method of actively varying an attenuation of optical radiation due to fluid in a fleshy medium comprising the steps of:

• transmitting optical radiation through said fleshy medium;
• detecting said optical radiation after attenuation through a field of view through said fleshy medium;
• generating an output signal indicative of the intensity of the attenuated signal;
• and
• applying pressure to said fleshy medium to influence a change in the volume of fluid in said fleshy medium in said field of view in accordance with a predictable pattern to produce modulation of said attenuated signal of about 1% to about 10%.