Wrist-worn System for Measuring Blood Pressure

• US 20050228297A1
• Filed: 04/07/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Triage Data Networks
• Original Assignee: Triage Data Networks
• Inventors: Banet, Matthew J., Visser, Henk, Murad, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/709,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228297A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02116 of pulse wave amplitude A61B5/02225 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The invention provides a device that measures a patient'"'"'s blood pressure without using an inflatable cuff. The device includes an optical module featuring an optical source and an optical detector; a flexible, thin-film pressure sensor; and a processing module, configured to receive and process information to calculate time-dependent blood pressure data and send the data to a web site using wireless data transmission techniques.

Claims

1. A blood-pressure monitoring device, comprising:

a thin-film, pressure-monitoring module comprising a pressure-sensitive region;

an optical module comprising an optical source that generates both red and infrared radiation and an optical transmission detector; and

a microprocessor configured to receive and process information from the thin-film, pressure-monitoring module and the optical module to determine blood pressure.

2. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the pressure-sensitive region comprises a material characterized by pressure-dependent electrical properties.

3. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the pressure-monitoring module comprises a plastic film that encases the pressure-sensitive region.

4. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the optical source comprises a laser or a light-emitting diode.

5. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the optical detector is comprises a photodiode.

6. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a finger-mounted component that comprises the optical module.

7. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 6, wherein the finger-mounted component is an annular ring.

8. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a wrist-mounted component that comprises the thin-film pressure-monitoring module.

9. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a short-range wireless transmitter.

10. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the short-range wireless transmitter is a radio-frequency transmitter operating a peer-to-peer, part-15, or 802.11 wireless protocol.

11. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising an external, secondary wireless component.

12. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the external, secondary wireless component comprises a short-range wireless receiver.

13. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 12, wherein the short-range wireless receiver is a radio-frequency receiver operating a peer-to-peer, part-15, or 802.11 wireless protocol.

14. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the external, secondary wireless component further comprises a long-range wireless transmitter.

15. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the long-range wireless transmitter is configured to transmit information over a terrestrial, satellite, or 802.11-based wireless network.

16. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 15, wherein the long-range wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data over a wireless network operating on at least one of the following protocols:

CDMA, GPRS, and analogs and derivatives thereof.

17. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the pressure-monitoring module is configured to generate a pressure waveform.

18. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 17, wherein the optical module is configured to generate an optical waveform.

19. The blood-pressure monitoring device of claim 18, wherein the microprocessor comprises computer-readable code that processes both the optical and pressure waveforms to determine blood pressure.

20. A blood pressure monitoring device, comprising:

an optical sensor for measuring the transmission of light at two different wavelengths through a person'"'"'s finger;

a thin-film pressure sensor for measuring pressure above an underlying artery in a person'"'"'s wrist;

a microprocessor configured to receive and process information from the thin-film pressure sensor and the optical sensor for determining blood pressure; and

,

a short-range wireless transmitter for transmitting blood pressure information to a wireless hub.