Alarm Categories - GE Healthcare B30 User's Reference Manual

Alarm categories

The alarms are classified into three categories according to the priority: HIGH PRIORITY/RED
ALARM, MEDIUM PRIORITY/YELLOW ALARM, and LOW PRIORITY/WHITE NOTE (white color).
NOTE: Asystole and ventricular fibrillation alarms are always high priority alarms.
The priority of an alarm depends primarily on the cause and the duration (generally minimum
20 seconds) of the alarm condition, the priority increasing with the duration and according to
the physiological significance. Thus, for example, brady advances rapidly to high priority,
whereas apnea is allowed a slightly longer duration.
The monitor has three options for alarm tones and patterns: ISO, ISO2, and General. The ISO2
and ISO patterns are very similar. The difference is the rising sound of the tone pattern. The
following frame colors and tones identify the alarm categories:
Table 4-1
Visual Tone pattern
Red
Yellow
White
Table 4-2
Visual
Red
Yellow
White
ISO pattern
Rising triple + double
beep every 5 seconds
(except the second tone
pattern which is
produced 1 second
after the first one)
-- 5 -- 5 --
Triple beep every 19
seconds
-- 19 -- 19 --
Single beep
-
ISO2 pattern
Tone pattern
Rising triple + double beep every 5
seconds (except the second tone
pattern which is produced 1
second after the first one)
5
Triple beep every 19.5 seconds
19,5 19,5
Single beep
-
Meaning Side panel
LEDs
For life threatening red LED
situations. High flashing
priority alarm.
For serious but not yellow LED
life threatening flashing
problems. Medium
priority alarm.
Advisory note. It yellow LED lit
may be equipment
related like 'Leads
off'. Low priority
alarm.
Meaning
For life threatening situations. High priority
alarm.
5
For serious but not life threatening problems.
Medium priority alarm.
Advisory note. It may be equipment related
like 'Leads off'. Low priority alarm.
Alarms
Alarm light
(if enable)
flashing red
flashing
yellow
lit
yellow
4-3