38 results about "Physiologic monitoring" patented technology

A method of context-based communication of physiological information over a network includes receiving physiological information, preparing a contextual data package, establishing a network connection, and communicating the contextual data package. The physiological information is received with a portable network interface module from at least one physiological monitor coupled to a single medical patient. The physiological information is related to a physiological condition of the medical patient, and the portable network interface module is exclusively assigned to the medical patient. The contextual data package is prepared with the portable network interface module. The contextual data package includes context information related to the medical patient and the physiological information. The network connection is established with a user over a network with the portable network interface module, and the portable network interface module manages the network connection with the user. The contextual data package is communicated to the user over the network with the network connection.

A virtual reality (VR)-based test battery wherein various neurobehavioral performance skills, including motor skills, sensory-perceptual skills, attention, and decision-making can be measured in human subjects. The invention can be used as a screening method within a virtual environment to provide an overall measure of general brain function relating to behavioral ability. In addition, the invention provides comprehensive VR-based neurobehavioral examinations tailored to individual subjects which can automatically self-adjust during operation in accordance with the specific purpose of the assessment, or for forms of cognitive or physical rehabilitation. According to the invention, patients with neurological and psychiatric dysfunctions can be assessed with physiologic monitoring as well as with anatomical and functional neuroimaging to non-invasively map the functional neuroanatomic correlates of VR-based test performance. In a preferred embodiment, the VR-based neurobehavioral testing system is portable allowing computerized tests to be administered in a desk-top or lap-top configuration, or via the Internet for tele-assessment of human subjects who are physically inaccessible to the test administrator. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the method of the invention is used for vocational assessment and training, wherein individual test scores are combined into a final metric useful for assessing a candidate's qualifications for employment, or certification in a particular skill.

The present invention provides apparatuses and methods to safely and economically deliver infusion fluid to a patient during a medical procedure. The infusion fluid may be a sedative, analgesic, amnestic or other pharmaceutical agent (drug) for alleviating a patient's pain and anxiety before, during and / or after a medical or surgical procedure. In general the apparatus comprises a microprocessor-based controller that receives inputs from a plurality of physiological monitors attached to a patient. The system controller processes the data from the physiological monitors and based upon a fluid infusion algorithm delivers infusion fluid to a patient. The physiological monitors monitor the patient throughout the course of the procedure and depending upon the health of the patient, drug delivery may be adjusted to optimize the procedure while ensuring the patient's health is maintained. Functionality detectors such as an occlusion sensor, air-in-line sensor and a fluid detection sensor alert a clinician to such hazards as a pressure build up in the infusion line, air-bubbles in the infusion line, and the absence of fluid in the infusion line.

A life support and monitoring apparatus with malfunction correction guidance is provided. The life support and monitoring apparatus of the present disclosure identifies the root cause or potential cause of a fault / failure and then prompts an operator to take appropriate steps to assure the continuance of life support and critical physiologic monitoring. When multiple faults / failures exist, the apparatus automatically prioritizes them based on risk to the patient and prompts the operator to do the most appropriate intervention to assure patient safety.

A physiologic monitoring system and corresponding methods provide rapid and detailed analysis of data for one or more physiologic parameters to achieve a quick and accurate medical diagnosis. An ambulatory physiological monitoring unit acquires physiologic data, automatically analyzes it to detect an event, and transmits information regarding the event and physiologic data associated with the event across a communications network to a monitoring center, where the event information is analyzed and triaged. The monitoring center can also perform a retrospective analysis based on the physiological data associated with the event to provide an in-depth analysis of the detected event and an accurate diagnosis. The monitoring center can also request additional or different physiological data to refine the analysis. As a result, the physiological monitoring system and corresponding methods can ensure that timely and appropriate intervention is taken to reduce a patient's discomfort, pain, injury, or risk of death.

An anesthesia delivery and monitoring system for use during outpatient surgery performed under sedation level anesthesia that includes a ventilatory system, a system for supplying sedation anesthesia, a respiratory sensor adapted to detect a respiration parameter of such a patient, and a system for supplying a timed back-up breath to such a patient through the ventilatory system. The timed back-up breaths are supplied in response to the respiration parameter falling outside a preset threshold and at a positive pressure exceeding a base operating pressure of the respiratory system. The system for supplying sedation anesthesia is an intravenous supply system for anesthesia, a ventilatory system coupled to the patient, a needle and syringe, or any combination thereof. The respiratory system includes a PC-based physiologic monitor with user modified feedback control signal.

Intense environmental or working conditions can impede an individual's evaporative cooling mechanism normally responsible for thermoregulation during exercise or exertion. Non-invasive physiological monitoring capabilities are needed to more precisely define the cardiovascular responses and identify markers of impending failure of compensatory mechanisms prior to collapse or onset of irreversible pathology. The oxymetry method and system of the present invention provides non-invasive, continuous remote monitoring and analysis of cardiovascular and pulmonary function that overcomes accuracy and monitoring deficiencies of current oximetry systems.

A patient interface in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is configured to be at least partially carried by a patient and to receive gas exhaled by the patient. The patient interface includes first and second cannula tubes each having a first end and a second end, the first ends are configured to be inserted into the nostrils of a patient, the first and second cannula tubes are configured to direct exhaled gas from the patient from the first ends to said second ends. The patient interface also includes first and second sensors positioned near the second ends, and the first and second sensors are configured to provide first and second signals based upon the gas, wherein the first and second signals are indicative of a physiological parameter of the patient. The patient interface also includes a communications link configured to provide the signal to a physiological monitor.

The present invention is a system and method of pre-delivery drug identification. The system and method is implemented where drugs are being administered, such as in a hospital or clinic, and identifies the drug being administered to the patient before the drug reaches the patient. The system and method may utilize a sensor used for other physiologic monitoring to identify the drug. After identification, the system and method is configured to cross-reference the identified drug with the patient's prescription and allergy information, and to prevent delivery to the patient, if necessary. The system and method also utilizes data collected from the patient with a physiological monitor or a ventilator sensor to further determine whether the drug is appropriate for the patient. The method and system may also include an override system for medical personnel. The method described may be carried out by a software application.

The present invention is a system and method of pre-delivery drug identification. The system and method is implemented where drugs are being administered, such as in a hospital or clinic, and identifies the drug being administered to the patient before the drug reaches the patient. The system and method may utilize a sensor used for other physiologic monitoring to identify the drug. After identification, the system and method is configured to cross-reference the identified drug with the patient's prescription and allergy information, and to prevent delivery to the patient, if necessary. The system and method also utilizes data collected from the patient with a physiological monitor or a ventilator sensor to further determine whether the drug is appropriate for the patient. The method and system may also include an override system for medical personnel. The method described may be carried out by a software application.

Physiological monitors are disclosed, as are systems and methods in which they are used. The physiological monitors are generally horseshoe-shaped and are sized and adapted to fit around the base of the neck. They have forward ends that extend downwardly and inwardly in some embodiments. In systems according to embodiments of the invention, monitors may be wirelessly connected to a device that receives, records, analyzes, and displays physiological and environmental information. Monitors may also be controlled by touch and gestures on touch-sensitive areas of the inner and outer surfaces. In some embodiments, the monitors may be used for long-term, stand-alone monitoring of patients in need of medical monitoring, and allow multiple vital signs, including a three-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) to be recorded from a single location near the base of the neck.

Passive physiological monitoring apparatus has a sensor for sensing physiological phenomenon and method converter converts sensed data into electrical signals and a computer receives and computes the signals and output computed data for real-time interactive display. The sensor is a piezoelectric film of polyvinylidene fluoride. Signals detected include mechanical, thermal and acoustic signatures reflecting cardiac output, cardiac function, internal bleeding, respiratory, pulse, apnea and temperature. The sensor may be an array provided in a MEDEVAC litter or other device for measuring acoustic and hydraulic signals from the body of a patient for field monitoring, hospital monitoring, transport monitoring, home, remote monitoring.

The invention provides a neck-worn sensor (referred to herein as the ‘necklace’) that is a single, body-worn system that measures the following parameters from an ambulatory patient: heart rate, pulse rate, pulse oximetry, respiratory rate, temperature, thoracic fluid levels, stroke volume, cardiac output, and a parameter sensitive to blood pressure called pulse transit time. From stroke volume, a first algorithm employing a linear model can estimate the patient's pulse pressure. And from pulse pressure and pulse transit time, a second algorithm, also employing a linear algorithm, can estimate systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Thus, the necklace can measure all five vital signs along with hemodynamic parameters. It also includes a motion-detecting accelerometer, from which it can determine motion-related parameters such as posture, degree of motion, activity level, respiratory-induced heaving of the chest, and falls.

Systems and methods assist with managing a chronic disease of a user such as a chronic respiratory or cardiac disease. The system may include a physiological monitor adapted to be carried by the user and operative to sense a physiological parameter of the user. The system may include a management device operatively coupled with the physiological monitor to receive the sensed physiological parameter of the user. The management device, such as with an included processor, may be configured to analyze the physiological and / or environmental parameters to detect a trigger pattern of the parameters, the trigger pattern indicative of a probable event of exacerbation of the chronic respiratory and / or cardiac condition. The management device may then generate automated responses based on the trigger pattern such as by providing instructions for activities and / or treatment for the chronic condition.

The invention relates to a method for managing alarm events in a physiological monitoring system. The method includes validating the accuracy of alarm events by checking if the alarm events are noise events. The method further includes identifying a pattern in alarm sequence or an alarm rate of at least one alarm type associated with the alarm events. The alarm rate is the frequency of the occurrence of alarm events for the particular alarm type. Based on the identified pattern in the alarm sequence and the alarm rate and patient data, an alarm level associated with the alarm type is adjusted. The hospital staff is notified depending on the criticality of the adjusted alarm level. Further, the alarm signals are suppressed when either a patient intervention or a pause signal is detected by the physiological monitoring system.

A graphical user interface provides a system and method for representing patient risks and other clinical information. The risks correspond to the probabilities that the patient exhibits particular conditions and respective etiologies. In addition the graphical user interface provides a method for representing the utility of different possibly harmful modes of physiologic monitoring in estimating these risks.

A hypoxia, or other bioactive gas, chamber is provided for use in animal research conducted on non-anesthetized small animals with direct physiologic monitoring.

The invention relates to a multi distribution-typed physiologic monitoring and analytic system, which comprises a multi physiologic monitoring aggregate, a plurality of physiologic monitoring units which carry out physiologic monitoring independently and a processing device which is provided with a processor and a wireless module; after the monitoring is finished, the processing device can receive the physiologic information that is extracted by a plurality of sensing elements and stored in the storage and can further integrate synchronous multi physiologic information; before integrating a plurality of physiologic information into the synchronous multi physiologic information, the processing device and a plurality of physiologic monitoring units carry out time comparison operation which is the base of data synchronization. The purpose of the invention is to utilize distribution-typed structure, collocation of the storage and the innovated data synchronization mechanism while various shortcomings of the known technology are solved.

The invention provides a system for characterizing a patient undergoing hemodialysis, featuring: 1) a body-worn biometric sensor, worn on a single location of the patient, and featuring: i) sensing elements for measuring electrocardiogram (ECG), thoracic bio-impedance (TBI), photoplethysmogram (PPG), and phonocardiogram (PCG) waveforms; ii) a processor for collectively analyzing the ECG, TBI, PPG, and PCG waveforms to determine a set of physiological parameters; and iii) a first wireless transceiver configured to transmit the set of physiological parameters; 2) a gateway system comprising a second wireless transceiver configured to receive the set of physiological parameters; and 3) a data-analytics system configured to analyze the set of physiological parameters to determine the patient's status.

The invention provides a neck-worn sensor (referred to herein as the ‘necklace’) that is a single, body-worn system that measures the following parameters from an ambulatory patient: heart rate, pulse rate, pulse oximetry, respiratory rate, temperature, thoracic fluid levels, stroke volume, cardiac output, and a parameter sensitive to blood pressure called pulse transit time. From stroke volume, a first algorithm employing a linear model can estimate the patient's pulse pressure. And from pulse pressure and pulse transit time, a second algorithm, also employing a linear algorithm, can estimate systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Thus, the necklace can measure all five vital signs along with hemodynamic parameters. It also includes a motion-detecting accelerometer, from which it can determine motion-related parameters such as posture, degree of motion, activity level, respiratory-induced heaving of the chest, and falls.

Devices and methods including wearable monitoring devices for a user's wrist that may be configured to intelligently and automatically decide when to monitor a user without requiring direct user input.

A life support and monitoring apparatus with malfunction correction guidance is provided. The life support and monitoring apparatus of the present disclosure identifies the root cause or potential cause of a fault / failure and then prompts an operator to take appropriate steps to assure the continuance of life support and critical physiologic monitoring. When multiple faults / failures exist, the apparatus automatically prioritizes them based on risk to the patient and prompts the operator to do the most appropriate intervention to assure patient safety.

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for adaptive physiological monitoring systems (10). The physiological monitoring system includes sensors (110) responsive to physical activity of a patient wearing the monitor. The system monitors one or more body parameters of the user to distinguish stationary rest from normal walking activity, and only communicates non-emergency information about system errors to the user or an external system when one or more body parameters of the user exceeds predetermined threshold criteria or Information about the physical parameters being measured. The system also suppresses alarms regarding physiological states that are inconsistent with normal patient activity if one or more of the user's body parameters exceed a predetermined threshold. The physiological monitoring system (10) includes a sensor (110) responsive to a user's physical activity level for directly detecting or indirectly measuring the user's physical activity level.

The invention provides a neck-worn sensor (referred to herein as the ‘necklace’) that is a single, body-worn system that measures the following parameters from an ambulatory patient: heart rate, pulse rate, pulse oximetry, respiratory rate, temperature, thoracic fluid levels, stroke volume, cardiac output, and a parameter sensitive to blood pressure called pulse transit time. From stroke volume, a first algorithm employing a linear model can estimate the patient's pulse pressure. And from pulse pressure and pulse transit time, a second algorithm, also employing a linear algorithm, can estimate systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Thus, the necklace can measure all five vital signs along with hemodynamic parameters. It also includes a motion-detecting accelerometer, from which it can determine motion-related parameters such as posture, degree of motion, activity level, respiratory-induced heaving of the chest, and falls.

A patient monitoring device includes a capnograph device (10) and a pulse oximeter (70). An electronic processor (84) is programmed to generate a capnography index (50) indicative of patient well-being from a capnogram measured by the capnograph device, and to generate an arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) index (90) indicative of patient well-being from SpO2 (72) measured by the pulse oximeter. A patient safety index (92) is computed from the capnography index and the SpO2 index. One or more clinical warnings are determined based at least in part on the patient safety index. A display component (82) is configured to display at least one of the computed one or more clinical warnings.

Wearable devices (100) capable of measuring a core body temperature and other vital signs of a user in a range of situations are described herein. The wearable device is arranged to be retained within the ear canal of the ear, in order to prevent the wearable device from inadvertently removing itself from the ear. Providing an infrared thermopile (101) at the innermost end of the ear insert ensures that the infrared thermopile is provided as close as possible to the tympanic membrane which will be used to provide an indication of the core body temperature. The device has an audio conduction channel (111) at least partly defined within an ear canal extending member (114), the audio conduction channel configured as a waveguide to conduct sound through a blocking member (212) to a distal portion of the ear insert.