I used to work in an ICU. The software that controlled the patient's cardiac monitor would not allow us to modify the alarm settings (sensitivity, volume, etc.)

I used to work in an ICU. The software that controlled the patient's cardiac monitor would not allow us to modify the alarm settings (sensitivity, volume, etc.) I'm not sure if the settings were locked as a default by the manufacturer, or a protected setting that no one knew how to change, or simply locked by management. Anyhow, from mild atrial fibrillation to irregular rhythm, the alarm was constantly beeping, which was to be expected, considering the acuity of our patients. Nurses and MD became really annoyed by this. Eventually, one of the staff covered the speaker from inside, to muffle the almost constant warnings. The staff repeatedly asked management to find a solution to this, and the associated risk. One day, a patient had a life threatening cardiac incident. The alarm was muffled enough that no one nearby could hear a thing.