WIRELESS MEDICAL MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20100210920A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elcam Medical Agricultural Cooperative Association Ltd
• Original Assignee: Elcam Medical Agricultural Cooperative Association Ltd
• Inventors: Keren, Avi, Shopen, Ilan, Ziv, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,753,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/01 Emergency care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/03 Intensive care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/05 Surgical care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• 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 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

An operator-controllable medical monitoring system including at least one medical sensor that is adapted to monitor at least one patient characteristic, a plurality of medical monitors, each including a monitor wireless transceiver and a medical information display and a patient companion assembly including a patient companion assembly wireless transceiver and a medical monitor selector wirelessly operative to initially select one of the plurality of medical monitors and to provide a monitor selection indication which is visually sensible to the operator.

Claims

1. An operator-controllable medical monitoring system comprising:

at least one medical sensor that is adapted to monitor at least one patient characteristic and comprising a sensor transmitter;

a plurality of medical monitors, comprising a medical information display;

a patient companion assembly including a patient companion assembly wireless transceiver and a medical monitor selector wirelessly operative to initially select one of said plurality of medical monitors and to provide a monitor selection indication which is visually sensible to said operator;

at least one monitor interface assembly associated with each of said plurality of medical monitors, and comprising a plurality of monitor interface subunits and a monitor wireless transceiver,

said sensor transmitter adapted to communicate with said patient companion assembly wireless transceiver; and

said patient companion assembly further comprising at least one medical sensor interface subunit.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one medical sensor interface subunit comprises at least one of a pressure sensor interface subunit, an ECG sensor interface subunit, an SPO2 sensor interface subunit, a temperature sensor interface subunit, a blood chemistry sensor interface subunit and a respiratory parameter sensor interface subunit.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one medical sensor interface subunit comprises:

a plurality of medical sensor connectors, each operative to be coupled to a medical sensor;

a plurality of medical sensor input channel interfaces, each coupled to one of said plurality of medical sensor connectors and each including an amplifier and a filter;

at least one A/D converter which is operative to convert analog medical sensor signals received from said plurality of medical sensor input channel interfaces to digital medical sensor signals; and

a medical sensor input processor operative to adapt said digital medical sensor signals for digital wireless communication, and to supply said digital medical sensor signals to said patient companion assembly wireless transceiver.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein said patient companion assembly comprises:

at least one socket adapted to receive at least one corresponding sensor connector associated with said at least one medical sensor; and

power management functionality, operative, upon insertion of said at least one sensor connector to said at least one socket, to power-up said patient companion assembly.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein said pressure sensor comprises at least one of an intracranial pressure sensor, an arterial pressure sensor and a venous pressure sensor.

22. The system according claim 1, wherein each medical monitor of said plurality of medical monitors comprises at least one sensor socket operative to provide electrical power obtained from said medical monitor to at least one of said monitor wireless transceiver and electrical circuitry coupled to other sensor sockets.

24. The system according claim 1, wherein said patient companion assembly is operative automatically to establish communication between said at least one medical sensor and said initially selected one of said plurality of medical monitors, absent operator intervention.

26. The system according to claim 1, wherein said patient companion assembly also comprises sensing circuitry operative to sense changes in electrical characteristics of said operator-controllable medical monitoring system which are indicative of the activation of said at least one medical sensor, and to power up said patient companion assembly upon sensing said changes.

31. The system according to claim 1, wherein said medical monitor selector comprises a remote control device which is responsive to an operator to direct an operator intervention monitor selection signal generally toward an operator selected one of said plurality of medical monitors.

19. A system according to claim 9, wherein said changes in electrical characteristics comprise changes in impedance.

2-7. -7. (canceled)

10-15. -15. (canceled)

18-20. -20. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

27-30. -30. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. An operator-controllable medical monitoring system comprising:

at least one medical sensor that is adapted to monitor at least one patient characteristic;

a patient companion assembly including a patient companion assembly wireless transceiver; and

a plurality of medical monitors, each including a monitor wireless transceiver and a medical information display, said monitor wireless transceiver being powered by a source of electrical power which is also operative to power said medical information display, said plurality of medical monitors each comprising at least one sensor socket operative to provide said electrical power to at least one of said monitor wireless transceiver and electrical circuitry coupled to other sensor sockets.

34. (canceled)

35. A method for operator-controllable medical monitoring of a patient, employing at least one medical sensor that is adapted to monitor at least one patient characteristic and a plurality of medical monitors, each including a monitor wireless transceiver and a medical information display, the method comprising:

employing a patient companion assembly, including a patient companion assembly wireless transceiver and a medical monitor selector, wirelessly to initially select one of said plurality of medical monitors and to provide a monitor selection indication which is visually sensible to said operator.

36. The method according to claim 35 further comprising employing said patient companion assembly automatically to establish communication between said at least one medical sensor and said initially selected one of said plurality of medical monitors, absent operator intervention.

37. The method according to claim 35 further comprising, employing said patient companion assembly automatically, responsive to said operator intervention, to select another one of said plurality of medical monitors.

38. The method according to claim 35 further comprising, employing sensing circuitry forming part of said patient companion assembly to sense changes in electrical characteristics which are indicative of the activation of said at least one medical sensor, and to power up said patient companion assembly upon sensing said changes.

39. The method according to claim 35 wherein said employing a patient companion assembly comprises:

employing power management functionality, operative, upon insertion of at least one sensor connector to at least one socket of a monitor, to power-up said patient companion assembly.

40. The method according to claim 35 further comprising, employing said power management functionality to shut-down said patient companion assembly if a sensor connector is not connected to said at least one socket for a predetermined time duration.

41-42. -42. (canceled)