Remote health monitoring system

• US 10,297,132 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infobionic, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Infobionic, Inc.
• Inventors: Fahey, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlen, Tammie K
• Application Number:
  US13/911,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A data collection system collects and stores physiological data from an ambulatory patient at a high resolution and/or a high data rate (“more detailed data”) and sends a low-resolution and/or downsampled version of the data (“less detailed data”) to a remote server via a wireless network. The server automatically analyzes the less detailed data to detect an anomaly, such as an arrhythmia. A two-tiered analysis scheme is used, where the first tier is more sensitive and less specific than the second tier. If the more sensitive analysis detects or suspects the anomaly, the server signals the data collector to send more detailed data that corresponds to a time period associated with the anomaly. The more specific second tier analyses the more detailed data to verify the anomaly. The server may also store the received data and make it available to a user, such as via a graphical or tabular display.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

a controller configured to receive physiologic data about the patient;

a wireless transceiver provided in communication with the controller; and

a remote server configured for wireless communication with the wireless transceiver, and for executing a health care provider application program;

wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a subset of the received physiologic data to the remote server,

wherein the remote server is configured to analyze the subset of the received physiologic data according to a first analytical technique and send a signal to the wireless transceiver if the analysis indicates a health-related anomaly,

wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a portion of the received physiologic data to the remote server, in response to the signal,

wherein the remote server is configured to analyze the portion of the received physiologic data according to a second analytical technique to detect the health-related anomaly,

wherein the first analytical technique and the second analytical technique include different computational techniques automatically applied to the received physiologic data by the remote server, wherein the second analytical technique consumes more computational resources than the first analytical technique, and

wherein the health care provider application program is configured to permit a user to set control parameters used in at least one of the first analytical technique and the second analytical technique.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second analytical technique has a higher specificity for the health-related anomaly than the first analytical technique, and the control parameters include threshold values used in the first analytical technique and the second analytical technique.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to automatically transmit the subset of the received physiologic data at a duty cycle, wherein the duty cycle is a time interval between data transmissions from the wireless transceiver to the remote server, and the time interval is selected prior to the controller receiving the physiologic data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the duty cycle is seconds.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the health care provider application program is configured to permit the user to change the time interval between the data transmissions from the wireless transceiver to the remote server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care provider application program is configured to permit the user to set operating parameters used to define the subset of the received physiologic data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with at least one sensor coupled to a patient, and the controller is configured to receive the physiologic data from the at least one sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the subset of the received physiologic data regardless of whether the subset is indicative of a health-related anomaly.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the subset of the received physiologic data is characterized by at least one of:

a lower resolution than the received physiologic data, a lower sampling rate than the received physiologic data, and having been received from a different sensor than the received physiologic data for a corresponding time period.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal from the remote server identifies a time period surrounding a time period corresponding to the health-related anomaly.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store the received physiologic data, and wherein the controller, the memory, and the wireless transceiver are contained in one physical assembly.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the physical assembly is a phone.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store the received physiologic data, and wherein the controller, the memory, and the wireless transceiver are contained in more than one physical assembly.

14. A system for monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

a controller configured to receive physiologic data about the patient;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the controller; and

a remote server configured for wireless communication with the wireless transceiver, and for executing a health care provider application program;

wherein (a) the wireless transceiver is configured to automatically transmit a subset of the received physiologic data to the remote server at a duty cycle (b) the remote server is configured to analyze the subset of the received physiologic data according to a first analytical technique and send a signal to the wireless transceiver if the analysis indicates a health-related anomaly, (c) the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a portion of the received physiologic data to the remote server, in response to the signal, (d) the remote server is configured to analyze the portion of the received physiologic data according to a second analytical technique to detect the health-related anomaly, (e) the duty cycle is a time interval between data transmissions from the wireless transceiver to the remote server, and the time interval is selected prior to the controller receiving the physiologic data, and (f) the health care provider application program is configured to permit a user to change the duty cycle used to transmit the subset of the received physiologic data to the remote server.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the health care provider application program is further configured to permit the user to change a resolution or a sampling rate of the subset of data transmitted from the wireless transceiver to the remote server.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the health care provider application program is configured to permit a user to set control parameters used in at least one of the first analytical technique and the second analytical technique.

17. A method for monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

receiving physiologic data about the patient;

transmitting, from a transceiver to a remote server, a subset of the received physiologic data at a duty cycle regardless of whether the data is indicative of a health-related anomaly, wherein the duty cycle is a time interval between data transmissions from the transceiver to the remote server, and the time interval is selected prior to the step of receiving the physiologic data about the patient, and wherein the remote server analyzes the subset of the received physiologic data according to a first analytical technique and sends a signal to the transceiver if the analysis indicates a health-related anomaly; and

transmitting a portion of the received physiologic data from the transceiver to the remote server, in response to the signal from the remote server, wherein the remote server automatically analyzes the portion of the received physiologic data according to a second analytical technique to detect the health-related anomaly,

wherein the first analytical technique and the second analytical technique include different computational techniques automatically applied to the received physiologic data by the remote server, and

wherein a user sets control parameters used in at least one of the first analytical technique and the second analytical technique, via a health care provider application program.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising changing the time interval between data transmissions from the transceiver to the remote server using the health care provider application program.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second analytical technique has a higher specificity for the health-related anomaly than the first analytical technique.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the duty cycle is seconds.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein a controller receives the physiologic data from at least one sensor coupled to the patient, and wherein the controller is provided in communication with the at least one sensor.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a wireless transceiver performs the transmitting steps, and the controller, a memory for storing the physiologic data, and the wireless transceiver are contained in one physical assembly.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the physical assembly is a phone.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein a wireless transceiver performs the transmitting steps, and the controller, a memory for storing the physiologic data, and the wireless transceiver are contained in more than one physical assembly.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the subset of the received physiologic data is characterized by at least one of:

a lower resolution than the received physiologic data, a lower sampling rate than the received physiologic data, and having been received from a different sensor than the received physiologic data.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal from the remote server identifies a time period surrounding a time period corresponding to the health-related anomaly.