Sepsis Monitoring and Control

• US 20110137852A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research (Mayo Clinic)
• Original Assignee: Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research (Mayo Clinic)
• Inventors: Gajic, Ognjen, Herasevich, Vitaly
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/54
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A computer-implemented sepsis alerting method is disclosed. The method involves automatically extracting with a computer system, from records maintained for a patient under care in a healthcare facility, information from a electronic medical record, and obtaining with the computer system information about real-time status of the patient. The method also involves using the information from the electronic medical record and the information about the real-time status to determine whether the patient is likely to be suffering from dangerous probability of sepsis, using information from the electronic medical record to determine whether treatment for sepsis is already being provided to the patient, and electronically alerting a caregiver over a network if it is determined that a potentially dangerous level of sepsis exists and that treatment for sepsis is not already being provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented sepsis alerting method, comprising:

automatically extracting with a computer system, from records maintained for a patient under care in a healthcare facility, information from a electronic medical record;

obtaining with the computer system information about real-time status of the patient;

using the information from the electronic medical record and the information about the real-time status to determine whether the patient is likely to be suffering from dangerous probability of sepsis;

using information from the electronic medical record to determine whether treatment for sepsis is already being provided to the patient; and

electronically alerting a caregiver over a network if it is determined that a potentially dangerous level of sepsis exists and that treatment for sepsis is not already being provided.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

electronically automatically monitoring with the computer system the patient'"'"'s electronic medical record to determine whether intervention has occurred to treat the potentially dangerous level of sepsis; and

providing follow-up electronic alerts if a determination is made that intervention has not occurred.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining real-time status of the patient comprises querying, with the computer system, a bed-side monitor for the patient or a controller to which the bed-side monitor reports information about the patient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the patient is likely to be suffering from sepsis comprises applying predetermined rules to values of patient parameters obtained with the computer system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the values include values for patient heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the values include values generated by a blood test on the patient'"'"'s blood.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the values include keywords in notes in an electronic medical record for the patient.

10. The machine-readable tangible medium of claim 7, wherein obtaining real-time status of the patient comprises querying, with the computer system, a bed-side monitor for the patient or a controller to which the bed-side monitor reports information about the patient.

11. The machine-readable tangible medium of claim 7, wherein determining whether the patient is likely to be suffering from sepsis comprises applying predetermined rules to values of patient parameters obtained with the computer system.

12. The machine-readable tangible medium of claim 11, wherein the values include values for patient heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

13. The machine-readable tangible medium of claim 11, wherein the values include values generated by a blood test on the patient'"'"'s blood.

14. The machine-readable tangible medium of claim 11, wherein the values include keywords in notes in an electronic medical record for the patient.

8. A machine-readable tangible medium having recorded and stored thereon instructions that when executed on one or more electronic computers, perform actions comprising:

automatically extracting with a computer system, from records maintained for a patient under care in a healthcare facility, information from a electronic medical record;

obtaining with the computer system information about real-time status of the patient;

using the information from the electronic medical record and the information about the real-time status to determine whether the patient is likely to be suffering from dangerous probability of sepsis;

using information from the electronic medical record to determine whether treatment for sepsis is already being provided to the patient; and

electronically alerting a caregiver over a network if it is determined that a potentially dangerous level of sepsis exists;

9. The machine-readable tangible medium of claim 8, wherein the actions further comprise:

electronically automatically monitoring with the computer system the patient'"'"'s electronic medical record to determine whether intervention has occurred to treat the potentially dangerous level of sepsis; and

providing follow-up electronic alerts if a determination is made that intervention has not occurred.

15. A computer-implemented system to monitor and report on patient condition, the system comprising:

a computer system that implements a data extractor to automatically extract, from records maintained for a patient under care in a healthcare facility, information from a electronic medical record and obtain information about real-time status of the patient;

a patient evaluator programmed to using extracted by the data extractor to determine whether the patient is likely to be suffering from dangerous probability of sepsis; and

a contact management system arranged to electronically alert a caregiver over a network if the patient evaluator determines that a potentially dangerous level of sepsis exists.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising an alerting system to determine whether the patient is already receiving treatment for sepsis and to prevent the contact management system from generating an electronic alert of the patient is already receiving treatment for sepsis.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising an alerting system to automatically monitor the patient'"'"'s electronic medical record to determine whether intervention has occurred to treat the potentially dangerous level of sepsis and to initiate follow-up electronic alerts if a determination is made that intervention has not occurred.