APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF WEAR

• US 20090171222A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Valdes, Humberto
• Application Number:
  US11/968,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/490
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers

Abstract

A blood pressure cuff assembly is disclosed herein. The blood pressure cuff assembly includes a data storage device and cuff data stored on the data storage device. The cuff data pertains to a degree of wear of the pressure cuff assembly and/or an age of the pressure cuff assembly. A corresponding blood pressure monitoring system incorporating the blood pressure cuff assembly, and a method for implementing the blood pressure cuff assembly are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A blood pressure cuff assembly comprising:

a data storage device; and

a cuff data stored on the data storage device, said cuff data pertaining to a degree of wear of the pressure cuff assembly and/or an age of the pressure cuff assembly.

2. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, wherein the data storage device comprises a non-volatile memory device.

3. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, wherein the cuff data comprises an estimate of the number of times the blood pressure cuff assembly has been implemented to measure a blood pressure.

4. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, wherein the cuff data comprises a blood pressure cuff assembly manufacturing date.

5. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, further comprising a patient data and/or a medical data stored on the data storage device.

6. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, further comprising a display operatively connected to the data storage device, said display being configured to visually convey the cuff data.

7. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, further comprising an input device operatively connected to the data storage device.

8. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 1, further comprising a controller operatively connected to the data storage device.

9. The blood pressure cuff assembly of claim 8, further comprising a sensor operatively connected to the controller.

10. A blood pressure monitoring system comprising:

a pressure cuff assembly comprising;

a cuff;

an inflatable bladder secured to and/or disposed within the cuff; and

a data storage device secured to and/or disposed within the cuff, said data storage device configured to store cuff data; and

a pressure monitor connected to the pressure cuff assembly, the pressure monitor including a controller connected to the data storage device, the controller being configured to estimate a degree of wear of the pressure cuff assembly and/or an age of the pressure cuff assembly based on the cuff data stored on the data storage device.

11. The blood pressure monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the data storage device comprises a non-volatile memory device.

12. The blood pressure monitoring system of claim 10, further comprising a conductor electrically coupling the data storage device with the controller.

13. The blood pressure monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the conductor is disposed at least partially within a tube pneumatically coupling the pressure cuff assembly with the pressure monitor.

14. The blood pressure monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the pressure monitor further includes a display adapted to visually convey the estimated degree of wear of the pressure cuff assembly and/or the estimated age of the pressure cuff assembly.

15. A method comprising:

providing a pressure cuff assembly comprising a data storage device;

storing a variable on the data storage device;

incrementing the variable stored on the data storage device each time the pressure cuff assembly is implemented to measure a blood pressure such that the variable represents the number of pressure cuff assembly usage cycles; and

communicating a warning if the variable stored on the data storage device exceeds a predetermined usage limit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said communicating a warning comprises visually communicating a warning via a display.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing a pressure cuff assembly manufacturing date on the data storage device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing a patient data on the data storage device.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing a medical data on the data storage device.