Auditory alarms for physiological data monitoring

• US 20040193026A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spacelabs Healthcare LLC (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolphin Medical, Inc. (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Scharf, Tom D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,947,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7415 Sound rendering of measured values, e.g. by pitch or volume variation A61B5/741 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and devices for monitoring physiological data such that a health care provider is able to effectively monitor a patient'"'"'s health status, including, for example, blood flow characteristics, without having to maintain constant visual contact. In one embodiment of the present invention, a physiological data monitoring system measures at least one physiological characteristic wherein the physiological data monitoring system comprises a sensor unit and a monitoring unit in data communication with the sensor unit. The monitoring unit has a sonification module that comprises one programmable sound generator module to produce a plurality of signals indicative of a physiological parameter and a memory module for storing a plurality of control parameters for managing the programmable sound generator module, wherein the plurality of signals produced have a plurality of frequencies modified in accordance with at least one physiological data value. More specifically, the present invention provides a pulse oximetry sonification system that generates fixed frequency singular and/or combined amplitude-adjusted dual audio tones corresponding to predetermined transition and/or intermediate points over a range of SpO₂ measurements.

Claims

1. A physiological data monitoring system for measuring at least one physiological characteristic, comprising:

a sensor unit; and

a monitoring unit in data communication with the sensor unit having a sonification module, said sonification module comprising at least one programmable sound generator module to produce a plurality of signals indicative of a physiological parameter and said sonification module being capable of storing a plurality of control parameters for managing the at least one programmable sound generator module wherein the signals produced have a plurality of frequencies, amplitudes, or frequencies in combination with amplitudes modified in accordance with at least one physiological data value.

2. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the monitoring unit is implemented in a general purpose computing platform selected from at least one a personal computer or a portable computing device.

3. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least one programmable sound generator module further comprises a tone generator control that generates tonal signals of the plurality of frequencies by modifying a reference frequency signal generated by an oscillator.

4. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 3 wherein the at least one programmable sound generator further comprises a mixer to combine the plurality of tonal signals.

5. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least one programmable sound generator module further comprises an amplitude control for modifying amplitudes of said signals.

6. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the sonification module generates frequency tones, at a plurality of predetermined transition points, corresponding to a measured physiological parameter.

7. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 6 wherein the physiological parameter is SpO₂ level.

8. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 6 wherein the transition points represent an appreciable change in the measured physiological parameter.

9. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the appreciable change has a value that is programmable by a user.

10. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the waveform of the plurality of signals produced by the at least one programmable sound generator is further modified in shape by mixing the said plurality of signals with a plurality of additional signals.

11. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 10 wherein the plurality of additional signals comprise plethysmographic signals generated by the senor unit.

12. The physiological data monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least one programmable sound generator produces the plurality of signals in the form of a digital waveform by mixing a plurality of signals having frequencies.

13. A pulse oximeter monitoring unit for measuring at least one blood flow characteristic through the application of at least one sensor having a plurality of light sources and at least one photodetector, comprising:

a processor in data communication with the sensor wherein the processor transmits control signals to the light sources;

a data acquisition module in data communication with said processor and said sensor unit wherein the data acquisition module receives input signals from the photodetectors;

a memory module in data communication with said data acquisition module; and

a sonification module in data communication with the memory module wherein the sonification module generates tones, at a plurality of predetermined transition points, corresponding to a measured SpO₂ level.

14. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 13 wherein the monitoring unit is implemented in a general purpose computing platform selected from at least one a personal computer or a portable computing device.

15. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 14 wherein the sonification module comprises at least one programmable sound generator module to produce a plurality of signals indicative of the measured SpO₂ level and to store a plurality of control parameters for managing the programmable sound generator module.

16. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 15 wherein the at least one programmable sound generator module further comprises a tone generator control that generates signals having a plurality of frequencies by modifying a reference frequency signal generated by an oscillator.

17. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 16 wherein the at least one programmable sound generator module further comprises an amplitude control for modifying amplitudes of said signals.

18. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 13 wherein the transition points represent an appreciable change in the measured SpO₂ level.

19. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 18 wherein the appreciable change has a value that is programmable by a user.

20. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 18 wherein the appreciable change is in the range of 2% to 5%.

21. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 15 wherein the waveform of the plurality of signals produced by the at least one programmable sound generator is further modified in shape by mixing the said plurality of signals with a plurality of additional signals.

22. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 21 wherein the plurality of additional signals comprise plethysmographic signals generated by the application of the at least one sensor.

23. The pulse oximeter monitoring unit of claim 15 wherein the at least, one programmable sound generator produces the plurality of signals in the form of a digital waveform by mixing a plurality of signals having frequencies.

24. A method of monitoring a patient'"'"'s physiological status using a monitoring system that measures at least one physiological characteristic, comprising the steps of:

sensing a value for a physiological characteristic;

transmitting the value to a sonification module;

receiving in the sonification module the transmitted value;

comparing the value to a plurality of predetermined transition points;

if the value matches one of said transition points, selecting a corresponding stored frequency value;

based on the frequency value selected, generating signal waveforms having a frequency corresponding to the stored frequency value;

transmitting the waveforms to a digital to analog converter; and

amplifying the converted waveforms.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the physiological characteristic is at least one of pulse rate or SpO₂ level.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

if the value does not match one of said transition points, identifying at least two transition points that approximate the value;

selecting at least two frequency values corresponding to the at least two transition points;

based on the at least two frequency values, generating at least two signal waveforms having frequencies corresponding to the at least two transition points;

modifying amplitudes of the at least two signal waveforms; and

mixing the at least two amplitude adjusted signal waveforms.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of:

shaping the signal waveforms by mixing the said signal waveforms with a plurality of additional signals.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the plurality of additional signals comprise plethysmographic signals.

29. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of:

mixing the signal waveforms with a plurality of frequency signals to generate a digital waveform.