Alarm activated acoustic measuring signals for patient monitoring

• US 20040249296A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Greiner, Harald, Romeyn, Jan, Ellscheid, Klaus, Meier, Wilhelm
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/514
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02455 provided with high/low alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/33 specially adapted for cooperation with other devices
• 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

A system and a method for monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient providing a measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) after/when a measurement value of the monitored physiological parameter exceeds an alarm limit.

Claims

1. A patient monitoring system for monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient, the system provides a measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) characterizing the present measurement value of the monitored physiological parameter after/when the measurement value of the monitored physiological parameter exceeds an alarm limit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is provided at a pre-defined acoustic volume independent of previous settings for the volume before the alarm limit has been exceeded.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is switched off or significantly reduced in volume as soon as the measurement values return to normal condition, i.e. the measurement values do not exceed one or more given alarm limits.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is only provided as long as alarm limits are exceeded, and is switched off otherwise.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is provided at a pre-defined high acoustic volume as long as and as soon as the measurement values are at an alarm condition, i.e. the measurement values do exceed one ore more given alarm limits, and wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is switched off or is provided at a pre-defined low acoustic volume as long as and as soon as the measurement values are at a normal condition, i.e. the measurement values do not exceed one or more given alarm limits.

6. A method for monitoring a physiological parameter of a patient providing a measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) after/when a measurement value of the monitored physiological parameter exceeds an alarm limit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is provided at a pre-defined acoustic volume independent of previous settings for the volume before the alarm limit has been exceeded.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is switched off or significantly reduced in volume as soon as the measurement values return to normal condition, i.e. the measurement values do not exceed one or more given alarm limits.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is only provided as long as alarm limits are exceeded, and is switched off otherwise.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is provided at a pre-defined high acoustic volume as long as and as soon as the measurement values are at an alarm condition, i.e. the measurement values do exceed one ore more given alarm limits, and wherein the measurement-modulated acoustic signal (7) is switched off or is provided at a pre-defined low acoustic volume as long as and as soon as the measurement values are at a normal condition, i.e. the measurement values do not exceed one ore more given alarm limits.

11. A software program or product, preferably stored on a data carrier, for executing the method of claim 6 when run on a data processing system such as a computer.