PATIENT SENSOR INTERCOMMUNICATION CIRCUITRY FOR A MEDICAL MONITOR

• US 20110077473A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Lisogurski, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/222 Electrical cables or leads therefor, e.g. coaxial cables or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/227 Sensors with electrical connectors
• 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 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7225 Details of analog processing, e.g. isolation amplifier, gain or sensitivity adjustment, filtering, baseline or drift compensation A61B5/30, A61B5/316 take precedence; transformers for specific applications H01F38/00; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for intercommunication between a medical sensor and an electronic patient monitor are provided. For example, one embodiment of a system for communicably coupling a medical sensor to an electronic patient monitor may include a sensor-side communication connector and a monitor-side communication connector. The sensor-side communication connector may be capable of receiving a raw physiological measurement signal from the medical sensor, and the monitor-side communication connector may be capable of providing a digital physiological measurement signal based at least in part on the raw physiological measurement signal to the electronic patient monitor via a data link.

Claims

1. A system for communicably coupling a medical sensor to an electronic patient monitor, comprising:

a sensor-side communication connector capable of receiving a raw physiological measurement signal from the medical sensor; and

a monitor-side communication connector capable of providing a digital physiological measurement signal based at least in part on the raw physiological measurement signal to the electronic patient monitor via a data link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-side communication connector is capable of receiving the raw physiological measurement signal from the medical sensor, wherein the raw physiological measurement signal comprises a photoplethysmographic signal;

a respiration signal;

a temperature signal;

an electrocardiogram signal;

an electroencephalogram signal;

a blood pressure signal;

or a pulse transit time signal;

or any combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-side communication connector is capable of receiving the raw physiological measurement signal, wherein the raw physiological measurement signal comprises an analog signal, wherein the sensor-side communication connector is capable of digitizing the raw physiological measurement signal to obtain a digitized raw physiological measurement signal, and wherein the monitor-side communication connector is capable of receiving the digitized raw physiological measurement signal from the sensor-side communication connector.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-side communication connector is capable of determining a physiological parameter based at least in part on the raw physiological measurement signal, and wherein the digital physiological measurement signal comprises the determined physiological parameter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital physiological measurement signal comprises the raw physiological measurement signal in digital form and instructions for obtaining a physiological parameter based at least in part on the raw physiological measurement signal in digital form.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitor-side communication connector is capable of determining a physiological parameter based at least in part on the raw physiological measurement signal, and wherein the digital physiological measurement signal comprises the determined physiological parameter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital physiological measurement signal comprises an indication of an alarm.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link comprises a serial peripheral interface;

a universal serial bus interface;

a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface;

a two wire interface;

an I2C interface;

or an RS232 interface;

or any combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising interconnection cabling capable of providing digital intercommunication between the sensor-side cable connector and the monitor-side cable connector.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor-side communication connector and the monitor-side communication connector are capable of wireless intercommunication.

11. A system comprising:

a medical sensor capable of obtaining a raw signal from a patient;

an electronic patient monitor capable of displaying physiological measurements; and

sensor-monitor intercommunication circuitry capable of physically coupling to the medical sensor and to the electronic patient monitor, receiving the raw signal from the medical sensor, determining the physiological measurements based at least in part on the raw signal, and providing the physiological measurements to the electronic patient monitor via a protocol decodable to the electronic patient monitor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the medical sensor comprises a photoplethysmographic sensor;

a respiration band;

a temperature sensor;

a blood pressure sensor;

an electrocardiogram sensor;

an electroencephalogram sensor;

or a pulse transit time sensor;

or any combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic patient monitor is unable to determine the physiological measurements without the sensor-monitor intercommunication circuitry.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor-monitor intercommunication circuitry comprises a patient cable;

a separable patient cable connector;

or wireless communication circuitry;

or any combination thereof.

15. A patient cable for communicably coupling a medical sensor to an electronic patient monitor comprising:

a first cable connector capable of receiving an analog signal from the medical sensor;

a second cable connector capable of transmitting a digital monitor signal to the electronic patient monitor via a protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor;

interconnection cabling between the first cable connector and the second cable connector; and

circuitry disposed in the first cable connector, the second cable connector, or the interconnection cabling, or any combination thereof, that is capable of digitizing the analog signal to obtain a digital signal and capable of determining the digital monitor signal based at least in part on the digital signal.

16. The patient cable of claim 15, comprising a user input structure capable of indicating the protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor to the patient cable.

17. The patient cable of claim 15, comprising circuitry disposed in the first cable connector, the second cable connector, or the interconnection cabling, or any combination thereof, that is capable of determining the protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor.

18. The patient cable of claim 17, wherein the circuitry capable of determining the protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor is capable of determining the protocol by receiving and analyzing an initialization message or a configuration message, or a combination thereof, from the electronic patient monitor.

19. The patient cable of claim 17, wherein the circuitry capable of determining the protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor is capable of determining the protocol by transmitting one or more test messages in one or more different protocols to the electronic patient monitor until the electronic patient monitor responds favorably.

20. The patient cable of claim 17, wherein the circuitry capable of determining the protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor is capable of determining the protocol based at least in part on a connector pin identification code associated with the electronic patient monitor.

21. The patient cable of claim 17, wherein the circuitry capable of determining the protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor is capable of determining the protocol based at least in part on an indication of a type of the electronic patient monitor indicated by a universal serial bus device enumeration process.

22. A patient cable for communicably coupling a medical sensor to an electronic patient monitor comprising:

a first cable connector capable of receiving a signal from the medical sensor;

a second cable connector capable of transmitting software instructions for obtaining a physiological measurement from a digital monitor signal to the electronic patient monitor and capable of transmitting the digital monitor signal to the electronic patient monitor via a protocol decodable by the electronic patient monitor;

interconnection cabling between the first cable connector and the second cable connector; and

circuitry disposed in the first cable connector, the second cable connector, or the interconnection cabling, or any combination thereof, that is capable of determining the digital monitor signal based at least in part on the signal.

23. The patient cable of claim 22, wherein the second cable connector is capable of transmitting the software instructions when the electronic patient monitor is initialized.

24. The patient cable of claim 22, wherein the second cable connector comprises a serial peripheral interface boot memory device having the software instructions stored therein.