Abstract: A hierarchical system for use with a patient monitoring device that controls the amount of display real estate utilized for the navigation system. The system includes a graphical user interface having a navigational interface of a fixed size such that as different menu levels are navigated, the navigational interface does not intrude onto the display for the patient information. The navigational interface includes a plurality of buttons that allow the user to navigate both forward and reverse menu levels without increasing the size of the navigational interface. The graphical user interface including the plurality of navigation buttons is preferably designed for use with a touch screen application.