Method of selling a continuous mode blood pressure monitor

• US 20030013975A1
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Inventors: Kiani, Massi E.
• Application Number:
  US09/904,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20030013975A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers

Abstract

A blood pressure monitor has a noninvasive continuous blood pressure measurement mode and a non-continuous blood pressure measurement mode. At the time of a first sale, the noninvasive continuous blood pressure measurement mode is disabled. Thus, the blood pressure monitor operates only in the non-continuous measurement mode. At a later time, a sensor is sold to generate a sensor signal for noninvasive continuous blood pressure measurements, thereby enabling the continuous measurement mode of the blood pressure monitor.

Claims

1. A method of using a continuous multi-mode blood pressure monitor having a sensor input for receiving a sensor signal for continuous blood pressure measurement and a cuff for establishing a baseline blood pressure measurement to be used to calibrate continuous blood pressure measurements, the method comprising:

at a first time, using the blood pressure monitor without a sensor for providing a sensor signal so that the blood pressure monitor operates with the cuff to provide non-continuous measurements of blood pressure; and

at a second time, using a blood pressure monitor with a sensor for providing a sensor signal that enables the continuous measurement mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein pressure is applied to the cuff to occlude blood flow.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a transducer determines when blood flow begins as pressure to the cuff is slowly reduced to provide non-continuous systolic measurements of blood pressure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transducer detects when full blood flow is restored to provide non-continuous diastolic pressure measurements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is attached to the patient'"'"'s forearm above the radial artery.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a noninvasive sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising at the second time:

exciting a perturbation in a patient'"'"'s blood; and

sensing an effect of the perturbation that varies in response to changes in the patient'"'"'s blood pressure.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cuff is a calibration device configured to provide a calibration signal representative of the patient'"'"'s physiological hemoparameter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the cuff comprises an inflatable cuff.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cuff comprises an occlusive cuff.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes an exciter which induces a perturbation in a patient'"'"'s blood, and a transducer which senses an effect of the perturbation that varies in response to changes in the patient'"'"'s blood pressure.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the exciter and the transducer are integrated into one unit.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the exciter and the transducer are integrated into a wristband.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a noninvasive sensor.

19. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein said sensor is sold after the efficacy of the continuous measurement mode of the blood pressure monitor is established.

20. The method as defined in claim 19, wherein the sensor plugs into a connector sold with the blood pressure monitor at the first time.

5. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor includes an exciter, which induces a perturbation along the artery, and includes a transducer, which senses an effect of the perturbation that varies in response to changes in the patient'"'"'s blood pressure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the exciter and the transducer are integrated into one unit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the exciter and the transducer are integrated into a wristband.

14. A method of selling a multi-mode blood pressure monitor, comprising:

at a first time, selling a blood pressure monitor having a continuous measurement mode and a non-continuous measurement mode, the blood pressure monitor having the continuous measurement mode disabled; and

at a later time, selling a sensor to enable the continuous measurement mode.

21. A method of selling a continuous mode blood pressure monitor having a sensor input for receiving a sensor signal for continuous blood pressure measurements and having a cuff for establishing a baseline blood pressure measurement to be used to calibrate continuous blood pressure measurements, the method comprising:

at a first time, selling the blood pressure monitor without a sensor for providing the sensor signal so that the blood pressure monitor is operable only with the cuff to provide non-continuous measurements of blood pressure; and

at a second time, selling a sensor to provide the sensor signal to enable the continuous measurement mode.

22. A method of converting a non-continuous mode blood pressure monitor to a continuous mode blood pressure monitor by generating a sensor signal for continuous blood pressure measurements comprising:

providing a sensor to enable continuous measurement mode for a blood pressure monitor having a continuous measurement mode and a non-continuous measurement mode, said blood pressure monitor initially having the continuous measurement mode disabled.

23. A method of selling a sensor attachable to a multi-mode blood pressure monitor having a cuff for establishing a base line blood pressure measurement to be used to calibrate continuous blood pressure measurements, the method comprising:

at a time after the sale of the multi-mode blood pressure monitor with only a non-continuous measurement mode enabled, selling the sensor to generate a sensor signal for continuous blood pressure measurements so that the blood pressure monitor is operable with the cuff to provide continuous measurements of blood pressure.

24. A method of selling a blood pressure monitor having a non-continuous measurement mode and a continuous measurement mode comprising:

selling the blood pressure monitor with the continuous mode disabled so that the blood pressure monitor operably connected to a cuff can provide non-continuous measurements of blood pressure, and

at a time after the blood pressure monitor is sold, selling a sensor to attach to the blood pressure monitor to provide continuous measurements of blood pressure.

25. A method of using a multi-mode blood pressure monitor, comprising:

at a first time, using a blood pressure monitor having a continuous measurement mode and a non-continuous measurement mode, said blood pressure monitor having the continuous measurement mode disabled; and

at a later time, attaching a sensor to enable the continuous measurement mode.