Wireless ECG system

• US 20040073127A1
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LifeSync Corporation
• Original Assignee: GMP Company Limited
• Inventors: Solovay, Kenneth, Gundlach, John David, Williams, Daniel L., Istvan, Rud, Lodato, Franco, Hopman, Nicholas C., Gregory, Bill, Chastain, David Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/513
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/17 Comprising radiolucent components
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/259 using conductive adhesive means, e.g. gels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/274 using snap or button fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/276 Protection against electrode failure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6841 by using templates
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period

Abstract

A wireless monitoring system and, more particularly, a wireless monitoring system for detecting and transmitting physiological data. The present invention detects physiological data relating to a patients cardiac activity and respiration rate and transmits the data to a remote base station via telemetry. The base station processes the data so that the data can be displayed by an ECG monitor.

Claims

11. A system for transmitting data comprising:

chest assembly comprising at least a first electrode connector and a second electrode connector configured to be coupled to electrodes;

.

a body electronics unit for acquiring physiological data from the chest assembly and for wirelessly transmitting the physiological data;

a base station for receiving the physiological data transmitted from the body electronics unit, the base station comprising a plurality of terminals for transmitting the physiological data to a monitor.

1. A system for transmitting data comprising:

a body electronics unit for acquiring physiological data from a chest assembly and for wirelessly transmitting the physiological data to a base station, the base station a having a plurality of terminals for transmitting the physiological data to a monitor.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive located on at least one side of the chest assembly.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the adhesive comprises a polymer having isotropic electrical conductive properties.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the adhesive comprises a polymer having anisotropic electrical conductive properties.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the adhesive comprises a polymer having isotropic electrical conductive properties and anisotropic electrical conductive properties.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one electrode connector is positioned between the chest assembly and the adhesive.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one electrode conductor is positioned between the chest assembly and the adhesive.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the adhesive is an adhesive sheet that partially covers at least one side of the chest assembly.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the adhesive is an adhesive sheet that completely covers at least one side of the chest assembly.

10. The system of claim 2 further comprising at least one electrode wherein the adhesive is located on the side of the least one electrode that is configured to contact a patient.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the body electronics unit comprises:

a current source for generating an electrical signal;

a current source detection assembly coupled to the current source and configured to measure the voltage amplitude of the electrical signal across two electrodes coupled to the chest assembly.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the electrical signal is a sinusoidal signal.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the current source detection assembly comprises a detection amplifier and a demodulator for processing a respiration impedance signal from the voltage amplitude measured across two electrodes coupled to the chest assembly.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the body electronics unit transmits the respiration impedance signal to the base station.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the body electronics unit comprises a current source for outputting an electrical signal that passes through a first electrode, through a patient, and back through a second electrode, wherein the system is capable of detecting the respiration rate of the patient by measuring the voltage amplitude of the electrical signal across the first and second electrodes.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the physiological data corresponds to a patient'"'"'s respiration rate and cardiac activity.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the physiological data is transmitted from the body electronics unit pursuant to the Bluetooth specification for two-way communication.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the physiological signals pertain to information selected from the group consisting of pulse data, respiration rate data, heart rate data, temperature data, blood pressure data, EEG signal data, and pulse oximeter signal data.

21. The system of claim 11 wherein the body electronics unit is configured to transmit non-physiological data to the base station.

22. The system of claim 11 wherein the base station is configured to transmit non-physiological signals to the body electronics unit.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the physiological data corresponds to a patient'"'"'s respiration rate and cardiac activity and the non-physiological data corresponds to pacemaker pulse data.

45. The system of claim 1 wherein the body electronics unit and the base station are paired before the chest assembly transmits the physiological data to the base station.

46. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one battery configured for use with the body electronics unit and the base station;

47. The system of claim 46 further comprising a second battery configured to be interchangeable with the first battery.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein the battery contains an indicator for monitoring the charge of the battery.

49. The system of claim 1 wherein the base station is contained within the monitor.

50. The system of claim 1 wherein the body electronics unit comprises a port for receiving the chest assembly and at least one resistor connected to the port for defibrillation protection.

51. The system of claim 1 wherein an alarm signal is transmitted from the body electronics unit to the base station upon the detection of a fault condition.

52. The system of claim 1 wherein an alarm signal is transmitted from the base station to the body electronics unit upon the detection of a fault condition.

24. A system for transmitting data comprising:

chest assembly comprising at least a first electrode connector and a second electrode connector configured to be coupled to electrodes;

a body electronics unit for acquiring physiological data from the chest assembly and for wirelessly transmitting the physiological data;

a plurality of base stations for receiving the physiological data transmitted from the body electronics unit, each base station comprising a plurality of terminals for transmitting the physiological data to a monitor.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the physiological data is transmitted from the body electronics unit to the plurality of base stations pursuant to the Bluetooth specification for two-way communication.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the physiological data corresponds to a patient'"'"'s respiration rate and cardiac activity.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the physiological signals pertain to information selected from the group consisting of pulse data, respiration rate data, heart rate data, temperature data, blood pressure data, EEG signal data, and pulse oximeter signal data.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the body electronics unit is configured to transmit non-physiological data to each base station.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the physiological data corresponds to a patient'"'"'s respiration rate and cardiac activity and the non-physiological data corresponds to pacemaker pulse data.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein each base station is configured to transmit non-physiological signals to the body electronics unit.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the body electronics unit is configured to continuously transmit physiological data to a first base station and temporarily transmit physiological data to a second base station.

32. A chest assembly for collecting data comprising:

a base layer having a first side and a second side, the first side attached to a plurality of electrically conductive elements, the electrically conductive elements configured to be coupled to electrodes, the base layer positioned between a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer.

33. The chest assembly of claim 32 further comprising a shielding layer.

39. The chest assembly of claim 32 further comprising a plurality of electrode housings, each electrode housing positioned over an aperture formed in the chest assembly and containing an elastomeric portion defining a female void for receiving a portion of an electrode.

40. The chest assembly of claim 39 wherein the aperture forms at least one flap for engaging an electrode positioned though the aperture.

41. The chest assembly of claim 32 further comprising a plurality of electrode housings, each electrode housing positioned over an aperture formed in the chest assembly and containing an elastomeric portion defining a female void for receiving a conductive member configured to be coupled to an electrode.

42. The chest assembly of claim 41 wherein the aperture forms at least one flap for engaging an electrode positioned though the aperture.

43. The chest assembly of claim 32 further comprising a plurality of electrode housings, each electrode housing positioned over an aperture formed in the chest assembly and containing a male conductive connector configured to be coupled to an electrode.

44. The chest assembly of claim 43 wherein the aperture forms at least one flap for engaging an electrode positioned though the aperture.

34. A system for transmitting data comprising:

a body electronics unit for acquiring data from a chest assembly and for wirelessly transmitting to a base station, the chest assembly having a plurality of conductive elements coupled to electrode conductors, each electrode conductor configured to be coupled to an electrode via an adhesive.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the adhesive comprises a polymer having isotropic electrical conductive properties.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the adhesive comprises a polymer having anisotropic electrical conductive properties.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein the adhesive comprises a polymer having isotropic electrical conductive properties and anisotropic electrical conductive properties.

38. The system of claim 34 wherein each electrode conductor has a generally flat conductive surface for contacting an electrode.

48-1. The system of claim 11 wherein the electrodes are conductive adhesives.