Step 1 : Introduction to the question "4. Each patient in a Critical Care Unit is usually attached to a bedside monitor. This monitor allows for display of all of the following EXCEPT:-"
...1. respiration 2. blood pressure 3. level of consciousness ( LOC ) 4. heart rate and rhythm The bedside monitor looks like a TV screen but it displays various body functions. Several sensing devices/electrodes are placed on the patient's body. These are attached to wires and cables leading to the monitor which in turn displays the body functions. Continuous monitoring of vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, respiration) allows for early detection of changes in a patient's condition which may become fatal if allowed to go unattended. The monitors have alarms which are set to activate when there's danger or impending danger. To determine a patient's level of consciousness, a neurological assessment has to be done whereby one evaluates the patient's level of alertness, orientation to person, place and time, (for example ability to state name, where he/she is and current month), ability to follow simple commands, response to painful stimuli, etcetera. It's possible for a patient to have normal vital signs and be unconscious.
