Apparatus and method for intelligent electronic peak flow meters

• US 20060253045A1
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert E. Coifman
• Original Assignee: Robert E. Coifman
• Inventors: Coifman, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,034,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/538
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0871 Peak expiratory flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An enhanced electronic peak flow meter is provided that combines some of the enhanced electronic features found in other electronic peak flow meters with software for executing a stochastic process control and evaluating the digital respiratory data collected by the meter. The programmed stochastic process control is capable of selecting and calculating any one of a number of pulmonary function parameters including at least one statistical process control variable to determine a pulmonary threshold. Information systems linking doctor'"'"'s offices and patient'"'"'s meters are further provided to transmit warning data in cases where the pulmonary threshold is exceeded.

Claims

1. An electronic peak flow meter comprising:

a sensor for measuring a respiratory airflow;

a transducer for converting said respiratory air flow into an electronic value;

a processor for storing said electronic value in a memory;

a respiratory data section of said memory for storing a set of said converted electronic values;

a program stored within said memory for execution by said processor, said processor executing said program to calculate at least one pulmonary function parameter from said set of electronic values and at least one statistical process control variable to determine a pulmonary threshold.

2. The electronic peak flow meter of clam 1 wherein said set of converted electronic values is taken over a sample period of time.

3. The electronic peak flow meter of clam 1 wherein said pulmonary function parameter is PEFR for each respiratory airflow and said statistic process control variable is a mean PEFR.

4. The electronic peak flow meter of clam 3 wherein said pulmonary threshold is three standard deviations of said PEFR for said respiratory airflows.

5. The electronic peak flow meter of clam 1 wherein said pulmonary function parameter is FEV1 for each respiratory airflow and said statistic process control variable is a mean FEV1.

6. The electronic peak flow meter of clam 5 wherein said pulmonary threshold is 60% below said mean FEV1.

7. The electronic peak flow meter of clam 5 wherein said pulmonary threshold is updated by a health care professional based on an analysis of said calculated pulmonary function parameters and said calculated process control variables.

8. An system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements comprising:

an electronic peak flow meter having a sensor for measuring a respiratory airflow, a transducer for converting said respiratory air flow into an electronic value and a data port;

a medical computer having a processor and a memory, said electronic value being stored in said memory, said medical computer also including a respiratory data section for storing a set of said converted electronic values, and a program stored within said memory for execution by said processor; and

a computer network coupled to said data port and said medical computer wherein said processor executes said program to calculate at least one pulmonary function parameter from said set of electronic values and at least one statistic process control variable to determine a pulmonary threshold.

9. The system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements of clam 8 wherein said set of respiratory data is taken over a sample period of time.

10. The system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements of clam 8 wherein said pulmonary function parameter is PEFR for each respiratory airflow and said statistic process control variable is a mean PEFR.

11. The system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements of clam 10 Wherein said pulmonary threshold is three standard deviations from said mean PEFR.

12. The system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements of clam 8 wherein said pulmonary function parameter is FEV1 for each respiratory airflow and said statistic process control variable is a mean FEV1.

13. The system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements of clam 12 wherein said pulmonary threshold is at least eight consecutive converted data values outside of below said mean FEV1, all eight data values being on one side of said mean.

14. The system for evaluating respiratory air flow measurements of clam 8 wherein said pulmonary threshold is updated by a health care professional based on an analysis of said calculated pulmonary function parameters and said calculated process control variables.

15. A method for determining respiratory function comprising:

measuring a respiratory airflow;

converting said respiratory air flow into a set of electronic values;

storing said electronic values in a memory;

calculating at least one at least one pulmonary function parameter from said set of said stored electronic values and at least one statistical process control variable from said pulmonary function parameter; and

determining a pulmonary threshold.

16. The method of clam 15 wherein said step of measuring is performed repeatedly on a plurality of respiratory airflow samples and said step of storing includes the steps of testing said plurality of respiratory airflow samples and selecting an optimal respiratory airflow sample.

17. The method of clam 15 wherein said pulmonary function parameter is PEFR and said at least one statistical process control variable is a mean PEFR and said pulmonary threshold is an associated standard deviation for said set of respiratory airflows.

18. The method of clam 17 said step of determining a pulmonary threshold includes determining three standard deviations of said PEFR for said set of respiratory airflows.

19. The method of clam 15 further comprising the step of issuing a warning alert when said pulmonary threshold is exceeded.