External voiding sensor system

• US 20070252713A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Rondoni, John, Gerber, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/202 Assessing bladder functions, e.g. incontinence assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6808 Diapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/42 with wetness indicator or alarm

Abstract

The disclosure describes an absorbent pad worn by a patient that measures one or more urinary voiding parameters. One or more sensors that measure voiding parameters are integrally formed with the pad, e.g., interwoven with the absorbent pad material or positioned to form one or more sensor layers between layers of absorbent material. The sensors store measured parameters as information in a memory, e.g., as a log, locally or in a separate device. In some embodiments, the pad includes an electrical stimulator that provides stimulation therapy for urinary incontinence based on measured parameters.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an absorbent pad for placement adjacent to a patient; and

one or more sensors integrally formed with the absorbent pad and positioned to measures one or more voiding parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory that stores voiding information in a voiding log, wherein the voiding information comprises the one or more voiding parameters.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an external device that communicates with a telemetry circuit associated with the one or more sensors within the absorbent pad.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a master module that houses the memory and the telemetry circuitry, wherein the master module further comprises a processor to perform processing operations associated with the one or more sensors.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a processor that detects a physiological event based on the measured voiding parameters and generates the voiding information

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are positioned in a sensor layer, and wherein the sensor layer is a two-dimensional array of sensors.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least a first sensor layer and a second sensor layer comprise a three-dimensional array of sensors.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors of the first sensor layer measure a first voiding parameter and the one or more sensors of the second sensor layer measure a second voiding parameter.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are arranged in an addressable sensor array.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the addressable sensor array comprises a first electrode group and a second electrode group, and the sensor detects resistance between the sets of electrodes in the first and second electrode groups to detect wetness.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include a deformation sensor that detects deformation of the pad to detect one or more voiding parameters.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the absorbent pad comprises:

a transport layer that transports fluid away from the patient;

a middle layer that absorbs the fluid; and

a barrier layer that prevents the fluid from leaving the absorbent pad.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the middle layer comprises one or more absorbent layers that absorb the fluid and one or more sensor layers that comprise one or more sensors integrally formed within the one or more sensor layers, and wherein the one or more sensor layers are separated by at least one of the one or more absorbent layers.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more absorbent layers selectively transport the fluid to at least one of the one or more sensors.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the voiding parameters comprise at least one of a timestamp, a voiding event, a posture, an activity, a volume of fluid, a frequency of voiding events, and a urine component.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the urine component comprises at least one of a hormone, an acidity, a bacteria, bilirubin, an impurity, glucose, metabolic acid, a nitrate, a protein, a blood element, and a puss.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors measure at least one of an impedance, a strain, a temperature, a pH, and a chemical.

18. A method comprising:

sensing one or more voiding parameters via one or more sensors integrally formed within an absorbent pad disposed adjacent to a patient; and

storing the one or more voiding parameters in a voiding log as voiding information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the absorbent pad is disposed between a portion of skin of the patient and an undergarment worn by the patient.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising performing processing operations associated with the one or more sensors within a master module of the absorbent pad.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein measuring one or more voiding parameters comprises measuring the one or more voiding parameters via a two dimensional array of the one or more sensors as a sensor layer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein measuring one or more voiding parameters comprises measuring the one or more voiding parameters via a three dimensional array of the two or more sensor layers.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more sensors of the first sensor layer measure a first voiding parameter and the one or more sensors of the second sensor layer measure a second voiding parameter.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting the one or more voiding parameters from each of the one or more sensors to a master module of the absorbent pad.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the addressable sensor array comprises a first electrode group and a second electrode group, wherein sensing includes sensing a resistance between the sets of electrodes in the first and second electrode groups to detect wetness.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein sensing includes sensing deformation of the pad to detect one or more voiding parameters.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transporting a fluid away from the patient;

absorbing the fluid in the absorbent pad; and

preventing the fluid from leaving the absorbent pad.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the voiding parameters comprise at least one of a timestamp, a voiding event, a posture, an activity, a volume of fluid, a frequency of voiding events, and a urine component.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the urine component comprises at least one of a hormone, an acidity, a bacteria, bilirubin, an impurity, glucose, metabolic acid, a nitrate, a protein, a blood element, and a puss.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein sensing one or more voiding parameters comprises measuring at least one of an impedance, a strain, a temperature, a pH, and a chemical.

20. The method of 18, further comprising transmitting the voiding log to an external device via a telemetry circuit associated with the one or more sensors within the absorbent pad.