Method and system for providing an early risk recognition monitoring

• US 10,342,495 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Melkoniemi, Sami, Campadello, Stefano, Oksala, Niku
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fardanesh, Marjan
• Application Number:
  US14/891,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0223 Magnetic field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0261 using optical means, e.g. infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A system for providing an early risk recognition monitoring by measurement of a peripheral tissue perfusion of a patient instead of clinically significant changes in systemic blood pressure and/or blood flow comprises a wristband device for gathering measurement data of the patient. The device measures a first temperature (t₁) of the patient at the first wrist (or distal antebrachium) point and a second temperature (t₂) of the patient at the second finger point, whereupon the system determines altered peripheral tissue perfusion by determining temperature gradient (Δt) between said first and second points. If the gradient (Δt) exceeds or deceeds a predetermined range, the system construes the exceeding as a peripheral vasoconstriction and the deceeding as a peripheral vasodilatation, and thereby provides a first early risk recognition phase (p1) and transmits it as a warning indication to end devices of health care personnel.

Claims

1. A system for providing an early risk recognition monitoring by measurement of a peripheral tissue perfusion of a patient, wherein the system comprises:

a wristband device for gathering measurement data of the patient; and

a data processing unit for processing said measurement data in order to provide said early risk recognition monitoring, wherein said wristband device and data processing unit are configured to communicated with each other via a two-way data communication link so that said wristband device is configured to send said measurement data to the data processing unit for the monitoring and early risk recognition determination processes,

wherein the wristband device comprises;

a first infrared temperature sensor configured to measure a first temperature of the patient at a first wrist point, said first wrist point being at an area of distal antebrachium, and

a second infrared temperature sensor configured to measure a second temperature of the patient at a second finger point, said second finger point being a root end of a finger,

whereupon the data processing unit is configured to determine altered peripheral tissue perfusion by determining a temperature gradient between said first and second points, and if the determined temperature gradient exceeds a predetermined range, the data processing unit is configured to construe;

the temperature gradient exceeding of the upper limit of the range as a peripheral vasoconstriction or

the temperature gradient below the lower limit of the range as a peripheral vasodilatation,

and thereby configured to provide first early risk recognition phase,

wherein the measurement of the peripheral tissue perfusion is performed without interfering with blood circulation.

2. A system of claim 1, wherein the wristband device further comprises a third temperature sensor configured to measure a third ambient temperature at the third outer rim area of the patient'"'"'s wrist being essentially at the area of distal antebrachium, whereupon, if the temperature gradient is exceeding, the data processing unit is configured to determine said third ambient temperature, and if the third ambient temperature is within a predetermined range, the data processing unit is configured to provide a second early risk recognition phase.

3. A system of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit is configured to determine absolute temperatures of the first and second temperatures in the case, where the temperature gradient is below a predetermined threshold and if the absolute temperatures of the first and second temperatures are within a predetermined range, the data processing unit is configured to construe the case as said peripheral vasodilatation and to provide a third early risk recognition.

4. A system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises also a pulse oximeter configured to measure a heart rate and a blood oxygen saturation of the patient and generate measurement signals representing said heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, and wherein the data processing unit is configured to provide a fourth early risk recognition phase if the heart rate or the blood oxygen saturation based on said measurement signals is not in a second predetermined range.

5. A system of claim 4,

wherein the wristband device further comprises a third temperature sensor configured to measure a third ambient temperature,

wherein the data processing unit is configured to validate the reliability of the measurement signals of the pulse oximeter by taking into account the temperature gradient between said first and second points, and the absolute temperatures of the first, second and third temperatures, and if the temperature gradient as well as also absolute temperatures of the first, second and third temperatures are within their predetermined ranges, the data processing system is configured to validate said reliability of the measurement signals.

6. A system of claim 4, wherein the data processing unit is configured to determine a respiratory rate of the patient based on baseline modulation, amplitude modulation or pulse period variations of the measurement signals generated by the pulse oximeter, and configured to provide a fifth early risk recognition phase if the respiratory rate is not in the predetermined range.

7. A system of claim 1, wherein the wristband device comprises an accelerometer with or without gyroscopes or magnetometers for determining accelerations of the user, and wherein the wristband device is configured to communicate acceleration data to the data processing unit, whereupon the data processing unit is configured to thereby determine the movements of the user and send a trigger data to the wristband device to perform predetermined act, if the movements of the user is not within predetermined values, wherein the predetermined act comprises an alarm, query, or sound or light indication.

8. A system of claim 1, wherein the wristband device comprises additionally:

a third temperature sensor configured to measure ambient air temperature by a thermistor located in the outer rim of the wristband,

a pulse oximeter, or

a locating device for locating said wristband device;

and wherein the data processing unit is configured to send controlling data to the wristband device for controlling the measurement parameters of the device or triggering a warning indication.

9. A system of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit is configured to send a warning indication to an end device of health care personnel when any early risk phase is recognized for the patient.

10. A method for providing an early risk recognition monitoring by measurement of a peripheral tissue perfusion of a patient, wherein the method comprises:

measuring a first temperature of the patient at a first wrist point with an infrared sensor, said first wrist point being at an area of distal antebrachium;

measuring a second temperature of the patient at a second finger point with an infrared sensor, said second finger point being a root end of a finger; and

determining altered peripheral tissue perfusion by determining a temperature gradient between said first and second points, and if the determined temperature gradient exceeds a predetermined range, construing;

the temperature gradient exceeding of the upper limit of the range as a peripheral vasoconstriction or

the temperature gradient below the lower limit of the range as a peripheral vasodilatation,

wherein the measurement of the peripheral tissue perfusion is performed without interfering with blood circulation.

11. A method of claim 10, further comprising determining a third ambient temperature in the case of the temperature gradient exceeding, where said measurement is done with a thermistor.

12. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining absolute temperatures of the first and second temperatures in the case where the temperature gradient is below a predetermined threshold, and

if the absolute temperatures of the first and second temperatures are within a predetermined range, construing the case as said peripheral vasodilatation.

13. A method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a third ambient temperature with a temperature sensor,

measuring a heart rate and a blood oxygen saturation of the patient by a pulse oximeter and generating measurement signals representing said heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, and

validating the reliability of the measurement signals of the pulse oximeter by taking into account the temperature gradient between said first and second points, and the absolute temperatures of the first, second and third temperatures, wherein if the temperature gradient and the absolute temperatures of the first, second and third temperatures are within their predetermined ranges, said reliability of the measurement signals are validated.

14. A method of claim 13, further comprising determining a respiratory rate of the patient based on baseline modulation, amplitude modulation or pulse period variations of the measurement signals generated by the pulse oximeter.

15. A method of claim 10, further comprising gathering the measurement data of the patient by a wristband device and transferring the gathered measurement data to a data processing unit via a two-way data communication link between said wristband device and data processing unit for the monitoring processes.

16. A method of claim 15, further comprising transferring controlling data from the data processing unit to the wristband device for controlling the measurement parameters of the wristband device or triggering a warning indication in the wristband device.

17. A method of claim 10, further comprising sending a warning indication to an end device of health care personnel when any early risk phase is recognized for the patient.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, which when executed by a data processing unit, performs a method of providing an early risk recognition monitoring by measurement of a peripheral tissue perfusion of a patient, wherein the method comprises:

analyse a first temperature of the patient measured at a first wrist point with a first infrared temperature sensor, said first wrist point being at an area of distal antebrachium and

analyse a second temperature of the patient measured at a second finger point with a first infrared temperature sensor, said second finger point being a root end of a finger,

determine altered peripheral tissue perfusion by determining a temperature gradient between said first and second points, and if the determined temperature gradient exceeds a predetermined range, construe;

the temperature gradient exceeding of the upper limit of the range as a peripheral vasoconstriction or

the temperature gradient below the lower limit of the range as a peripheral vasodilatation,

and thereby provide a first early risk recognition phase

wherein the measurement of the peripheral tissue perfusion is performed without interfering with blood circulation.