Bedside monitors are designed to continuously monitor various patient parameters such as ECG, heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiration rate. The advent of microcomputers has allowed bedside monitors to become single, general purpose units that can process different physiological signals. The hardware and firmware of modern bedside monitors are based on a microcomputer program, replacing switches and buttons with a touchscreen display. The system displays ECG waveforms, heart rate, alarms, and trend data on vital signs over several hours. It consists of preamplifier, logic, and display circuits to process signals from the patient and present the data.