BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION MONITORING APPARATUS AND ALARM CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110080294A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Kohden Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nihon Kohden Corporation
• Inventors: OYAGI, Rie, ENOMOTO, Yoshinori, ECHIGO, Masahiro, TEZUKA, Shinji, TANISHIMA, Masami
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

A biological information monitoring apparatus operable to measure biological information of a patient by detecting a biological signal of the patient, and operable to output an alarm, includes an alarm controller which changes the alarm. The alarm includes a first alarm of a first priority and a second alarm of a second priority. When a first condition is satisfied, the first alarm is output. When a second condition is satisfied after the first alarm is output, the alarm controller changes from the first alarm to the second alarm to be output.

Claims

1. A biological information monitoring apparatus operable to measure biological information of a patient by detecting a biological signal of the patient, and operable to output an alarm, the biological information monitoring apparatus comprising:

an alarm controller which changes the alarm, wherein

the alarm includes a first alarm of a first priority and a second alarm of a second priority, wherein

when a first condition is satisfied, the first alarm is output, and

when a second condition is satisfied after the first alarm is output, the alarm controller changes from the first alarm to the second alarm to be output.

2. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm including the first alarm and the second alarm is a technical alarm which is output when the biological information monitoring apparatus, a sensor for measuring the biological information, or measurement environment is abnormal, and

the second condition is a condition that an abnormal state in which the biological information monitoring apparatus, the sensor, or the measurement environment is abnormal is continued for a time period.

3. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm including the first alarm and the second alarm is a vital alarm which is output when the detected biological signal is abnormal, and

the second condition is at least one of a condition that an abnormal state in which the detected biological signal is abnormal is continued for a time period and a condition that the detected biological signal passes a threshold indicating a dangerous state.

4. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inputting unit, wherein

after the alarm controller changes from the first alarm to the second alarm, a user operates the inputting unit to change from the second alarm to the first alarm to be output.

5. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm including the first alarm and the second alarm is a vital alarm which is output when the detected biological signal is abnormal, and

in a case where, after the alarm controller changes from the first alarm to the second alarm, the detected biological signal passes a threshold to an area indicating a dangerous state, and the detected biological signal returns from the area and passes the threshold, the alarm controller changes from the second alarm to the first alarm to be output.

6. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the first condition is a condition that the detected biological signal passes a threshold, and

the threshold of the second condition is set with being interlocked with setting of the threshold of the first condition.

7. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

each of the time period and the threshold is set from a plurality of candidate values.

8. The biological, information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm including the first alarm and the second alarm includes at least one of a visual alarm and an auditory alarm, and

in the visual alarm, a blinking rate in the second alarm is set higher than a blinking rate in the first alarm, and, in the auditory alarm, a volume in the second alarm is set higher than a volume in the first alarm.

9. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm including the first alarm and the second alarm includes at least one of a visual alarm and an auditory alarm, and

in the visual alarm, a blinking rate in the second alarm is set lower than a blinking rate in the first alarm, and, in the auditory alarm, a volume in the second alarm is set lower than a volume in the first alarm.

10. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm including the first alarm and the second alarm includes at least one of a visual alarm and an auditory alarm, and

in the visual alarm, a display color of the first alarm is different from a display color of the second alarm, and, in the auditory alarm, a sound of the first alarm is different from a sound of the second alarm.

11. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm is a technical alarm which is output when the biological information monitoring apparatus, a sensor for measuring the biological information that includes at least one of an oxygen saturation, a blood pressure, an electrocardiogram, and respiration, or an interface between the sensor and the patient is abnormal, or a reception of a wireless signal is failed.

12. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second priority is higher in priority than the first priority.

13. The biological information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first priority is higher in priority than the second priority.

14. An alarm control method comprising:

outputting a first alarm of a first priority when a first condition is satisfied, and

when a second condition is satisfied after outputting the first alarm, changing from the first alarm to a second alarm of a second priority to be output.