Equipment, dressing, and garment wireless connectivity to a patient bed

• US 10,037,674 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ribble, David L., Newkirk, David C., Hood, Michael S., Lingenfelser, Joshua P., Zerhusen, Robert M., Dixon, Steven A., Wildman, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Small, Naomi J
• Application Number:
  US15/617,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20170270766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 3405734
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/20 Color codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0507 Side-rails
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05776 with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system comprises a patient bed having a reader to read wireless signals. In some embodiments a wound dressing has a transmitter that transmits wireless signals to the reader of the patient bed. In other embodiments, a garment has a transmitter that transmits wireless signals to the reader of the patient bed. In still further embodiments, other medical equipment has a transmitter that transmits wireless signals to the reader of the patient bed.

Claims

1. A system comprising

a bed having at least one reader to receive wireless signals, the bed further having circuitry that controls at least one controllable function of the bed,

a first item that is coupled to a patient supported on the bed and that has a first transmitter that emits a first wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader, and

a second item that is coupled to the patient and that has a second transmitter that emits a second wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader, wherein the circuitry controls the at least one controllable function in response to the reader receiving the first wireless signal or the second wireless signal, wherein the first item comprises a wound dressing, wherein the at least one controllable function comprises adjusting inflation of a mattress of the bed in response to receipt of the first wireless signal by the at least one reader from the wound dressing.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting inflation of the mattress comprises deflating a first bladder of the mattress that is located beneath the wound dressing.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein adjusting inflation of the mattress further comprises deflating a second bladder of the mattress that is adjacent to the first bladder.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bed comprises a display screen coupled to the circuitry, the display screen displaying an image showing a location of the wound dressing relative to the patient on the mattress.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second item comprises a patient identification (ID) tag.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the patient ID tag is included as part of a wrist band.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second item comprises a garment worn by a patient.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the garment comprises at least one sock that is worn by a patient.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sock is color coded to indicate that the patient is a falls risk.

10. A system comprising

a bed having at least one reader to receive wireless signals, the bed further having circuitry that controls at least one controllable function of the bed,

a first item that is coupled to a patient supported on the bed and that has a first transmitter that emits a first wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader, and

a second item that is coupled to the patient and that has a second transmitter that emits a second wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader, wherein the circuitry controls the at least one controllable function in response to the reader receiving the first wireless signal or the second wireless signal, wherein the first item comprises a garment worn by a patient, wherein the bed includes a patient position monitoring system, and wherein the at least one controllable function of the bed comprises changing the patient position monitoring system from a disabled state to an enabled state in response to receipt of the first wireless signal by the at least one reader.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the garment comprises at least one sock that is worn by a patient.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sock is color coded to indicate that the patient is a falls risk.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the bed includes a brake sensor to sense whether at least one caster of the bed is braked, wherein the circuitry is configured to implement a fall prevention protocol in response to receipt of the first wireless signal by the at least one reader, and wherein the fall prevention protocol includes initiating an alert if the brake sensor indicates that the at least one caster is not braked.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the bed includes at least one siderail position sensor to sense whether at least one siderail of the bed is in a raised position, wherein the circuitry is configured to implement a fall prevention protocol in response to receipt of the first wireless signal by the at least one reader, and wherein the fall prevention protocol includes initiating an alert if the at least one siderail position sensor indicates that the at least one siderail is not in the raised position.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the bed includes at least one frame position sensor to sense whether an upper frame of the bed is in a lowered position, wherein the circuitry is configured to implement a fall prevention protocol in response to receipt of the first wireless signal by the at least one reader, and wherein the fall prevention protocol includes initiating an alert if the at least one frame position sensor indicates that the upper frame is not in the lowered position.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the second item comprises a wound dressing.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the second item comprises a patient identification (ID) tag.

18. A system comprising a bed having at least one reader to receive wireless signals, the bed further having circuitry that controls at least one controllable function of the bed,

a first item that is coupled to a patient supported on the bed and that has a first transmitter that emits a first wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader, and

a second item that is coupled to the patient and that has a second transmitter that emits a second wireless signal that is read by the at least one reader, wherein the circuitry controls the at least one controllable function in response to the reader receiving the first wireless

signal or the second wireless signal, wherein the first item comprises a patient identification (ID) tag, and

a computer that is remote from the bed, the at least on controllable function of the bed comprises transmitting to the computer patient ID data that is determined from the first wireless signal, the bed transmitting weight data corresponding to a weight of the patient as read by a weigh scale system of the bed, and the computer initiating a first alert if the weight data indicates that the patient weighs more than a weight rating of the bed.