NON-INVASIVE MONITORING OF PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS IN A DISTRIBUTED HEALTH CARE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090105555A1
• Filed: 04/23/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blue Box Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blue Box Health, Inc.
• Inventors: Rajan, Nithin O., Dacso, Clifford C.
• Application Number:
  US12/108,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20090105555A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body

Abstract

A system for determining physiological characteristics.

Claims

1. A system for determining one or more physiological characteristics, comprising:

a communication network;

a remote sensor operably coupled to the network adapted to sense and record one or more physiological characteristics; and

a host computer operably coupled to the network for receiving one or more of the physiological characteristics sensed and recorded by the remote sensor;

wherein at least one of the remote sensor and host computer are adapted to process the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the normative physiological parameter comprises a proxy for cardiac output for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor comprises:

an ECG sensor;

a bioimpedance sensor; and

a plethsymography sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor comprises:

a memory for storing one or more physiological characteristics;

a communication interface for communicating with the network; and

a personal norm engine for processing the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of sensed physiological characteristics;

one or more data records representative of physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor calculated from the physiological parameters.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the physiological parameters comprises:

a systolic time interval in an ECG signal and a plethsymography signal;

a peak to peak variation in an ECG signal;

a QRS length in an ECG signal;

a pulse wave duration in a plethsymography signal; and

a bioimpedance value.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor comprises:

a plethsymography sensor comprising;

a controller;

an IR transmitter operably coupled to the controller for transmitting IR signals;

an IR receiver operably coupled to the controller for receiving IR signals; and

a low pass filter operably coupled to the IR receiver for filtering the received IR signals.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the host computer comprises:

a memory for storing one or more physiological characteristics;

a communication interface for communicating with the network; and

a personal norm engine for processing the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of sensed physiological characteristics;

one or more data records representative of physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor calculated from the physiological parameters.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the physiological parameters comprises:

a systolic time interval in an ECG signal;

a peak to peak variation in an ECG signal;

a QRS length in an ECG signal;

a pulse wave duration in a plethsymography signal; and

a bioimpedance value.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more thin clients operably coupled to the network for remotely accessing the host computer for accessing one or more of the physiological characteristics and normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the normative physiological parameter comprises a cardiac output for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

41. The method of claim 14, wherein the normative physiological parameter comprises a cardiac output for a corresponding user.

17. An apparatus for determining one or more physiological characteristics, comprising:

a sensor adapted to sense and record one or more physiological characteristics;

wherein the sensor is adapted to process the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the normative physiological parameter comprises a proxy for a cardiac output for a corresponding user of the sensor.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises:

an ECG sensor;

a bioimpedance sensor; and

a plethsymography sensor.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises:

a memory for storing one or more physiological characteristics;

a communication interface for communicating with the network; and

a personal norm engine for processing the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the sensor.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of sensed physiological characteristics;

one or more data records representative of physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the sensor calculated from the physiological parameters.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the physiological parameters comprises:

a systolic time interval in an ECG signal and a plethsymography signal;

a peak to peak variation in an ECG signal;

a QRS length in an ECG signal;

a pulse wave duration in a plethsymography signal; and

a bioimpedance value.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the memory comprises:

one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises:

a plethsymography sensor comprising;

a controller;

an IR transmitter operably coupled to the controller for transmitting IR signals;

an IR receiver operably coupled to the controller for receiving IR signals; and

a low pass filter operably coupled to the IR receiver for filtering the received IR signals.

26. A method of determining one or more physiological characteristics, comprising:

sensing and recording one or more physiological characteristics at a remote location;

transmitting the remotely sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to a host computer; and

processing the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the normative physiological parameters comprise a proxy for a cardiac output for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the physiological characteristics comprise:

an ECG signal;

a bioimpedance signal; and

a plethsymography signal.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

remotely storing one or more physiological characteristics; and

remotely processing the sensed and recorded physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

remotely storing one or more data records representative of sensed physiological characteristics;

remotely storing one or more data records representative of physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics; and

remotely storing one or more normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor calculated from the physiological parameters.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the physiological parameters comprise:

a systolic time interval in an ECG signal and a plethsymography signal;

a peak to peak variation in an ECG signal;

a QRS length in an ECG signal;

a pulse wave duration in a plethsymography signal; and

a bioimpedance value.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

remotely storing one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

remotely storing one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

remotely storing one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

remotely storing one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

34. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

transmitting IR signals onto a user;

receiving IR signals reflected from the user; and

filtering the received IR signals using a low pass filter.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

at the host computer, storing one or more physiological characteristics transmitted to the host;

at the host computer, processing the physiological characteristics to determine one or more corresponding normative physiological parameters for a corresponding remote user.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

at the host computer, storing one or more data records representative of sensed physiological characteristics;

at the host computer, storing one or more data records representative of physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics; and

at the host computer, storing one or more normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user calculated from the physiological parameters.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the physiological parameters comprise:

a systolic time interval in an ECG signal;

a peak to peak variation in an ECG signal;

a QRS length in an ECG signal;

a pulse wave duration in a plethsymography signal; and

a bioimpedance value.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

at the host computer, storing one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

at the host computer, storing one or more data records representative of biographical information associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

at the host computer, storing one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with the sensed physiological characteristics; and

at the host computer, storing one or more data records representative of patient identifiers associated with physiological parameters calculated from the sensed physiological characteristics.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising permitting one or more thin clients to remotely access the host computer for accessing one or more of the physiological characteristics and normative physiological parameters for a corresponding user of the remote sensor.