Someone who is injured or ill is likely to have a higher resting pulse rate than normal, but this is usually no cause for alarm. The monitor will issue an alert if the number gets too high. Athletes who do a lot of cardiovascular training, such as cyclists or long-distance runners, might have a normal resting pulse rate of around 40 beats per minute. [2] X Research source

It’s normal for a patient’s body temperature to go up a degree or so if they’re eating or active. Their temperature might also go down a degree or two if they’re sleeping.

Oxygen saturation is typically monitored using a pulse oximeter, a small clip on the patient’s finger or toe. The SpO2 number isn’t always displayed on a patient monitor, but you’ll usually see it if the patient is experiencing a respiratory condition, such as pneumonia or COVID-19.

If the patient seems to be having trouble breathing, such as if they’re gasping for breath or breathing very shallowly, press the call button to have a nurse come and evaluate their condition.

A patient’s systolic blood pressure is read together with their diastolic blood pressure—even though the numbers might appear separately, they’re expressed as a single unit.

When you read a patient’s blood pressure, express it as a ratio with the systolic blood pressure over the diastolic blood pressure. For example, if the monitor showed systolic blood pressure of 110 and diastolic blood pressure of 75, you’d say the patient’s blood pressure is “110 over 75. "

The ECG on a patient’s hospital monitor typically comes from lead II, electrodes attached to the patient’s right arm and left leg. If the ECG shows any irregularities, doctors or nurses will confirm the issue by attaching additional leads.

Like the ECG, healthcare professionals undergo a lot of training to learn how to interpret these waveforms. It helps them see how well the heart is pumping blood, particularly to the patient’s extremities.

Doctors and nurses use this waveform to identify apnea (when the patient suddenly stops breathing) or dyspnea (when the patient has difficulty breathing).