Wireless communication between patient beds and equipment for checking compatibility

• US 10,163,322 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2018
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• 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:
  US16/032,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20180322760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 167 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 patient bed for use with a separate piece of patient care equipment, the patient bed comprising

a frame configured to support a patient,

a weigh scale carried by the frame and configured to weigh a patient supported by the frame,

bed control circuitry including a receiver configured to receive a wireless transmission from the separate piece of patient care equipment, the wireless transmission including an equipment identification (ID), the bed control circuitry including an indicator to provide an alert if a weight of the patient exceeds a weight rating of the separate piece of patient care equipment.

2. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the bed control circuitry is configured to retrieve the weight rating of the separate piece of patient care equipment from a remote computer after receipt of the wireless transmission including the equipment ID.

3. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the bed control circuitry includes a database of weight ratings for various pieces of patient care equipment including the separate piece of patient care equipment.

4. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a graphical user interface.

5. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the separate piece of patient care equipment comprises a patient lift.

6. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the separate piece of patient care equipment comprises a stretcher.

7. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the separate piece of patient care equipment comprises a wheelchair.

8. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the separate piece of patient care equipment comprises a mattress to be supported by the frame.

9. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the alert is also transmitted by the bed control circuitry off of the bed.

10. The patient bed of claim 9, wherein the alert is transmitted from the bed control circuitry for receipt by a wireless communication device carried by one or more caregivers.

11. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the weigh scale also serves as a patient position monitoring system that, when in an enabled state, alarms in response to at least one of the following:

a patient exiting the bed or a patient moving toward exiting the bed by a threshold amount.

12. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises one or more of the following:

an audible alert, a visual alert, or a tactile alert.

13. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the receiver also receives a wireless signal transmitted by an item worn by the patient.

14. The patient bed of claim 13, wherein the item includes a color coded sock worn by the patient to indicate that the patient is a falls risk.

15. The patient bed of claim 14, wherein the bed control circuitry implements a falls prevention protocol in response to the receiver receiving the wireless signal from the color coded sock.

16. The patient bed of claim 13, wherein the item includes a wound dressing.

17. The patient bed of claim 16, further comprising a mattress having a plurality of inflatable bladders and wherein pressure in at least one inflatable bladder is adjusted based on a location of the wound dressing on the patient.

18. The patient bed of claim 17, wherein the bed control circuitry further includes a graphical user interface that is operable to display a location of the wound dressing on the patient.

19. The patient bed of claim 13, wherein the item includes a wrist band.

20. The patient bed of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises multiple receivers.