SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATA OF A PATIENT MONITOR AND A PORTABLE SENSOR MODULE

• US 20110152629A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mindray DS USA Incorporated (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Inventors: Balji, Jack, Menzel, Frank, Fidacaro, James, Eaton, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A patient monitor is synchronized with a portable sensor module by detecting a first coupling of the portable sensor module to the patient monitor. In response to the first coupling, the portable sensor module and the patient monitor each store configuration settings and record patient data acquired through the portable sensor module. After the portable sensor module is decoupled from the patient monitor, the portable sensor module continues to store patient data and the configuration settings stored in the patient monitor and the portable sensor module are allowed to change relative to one another. Upon detecting a second coupling of the portable sensor module to the patient monitor, the portable sensor module and the patient monitor resynchronize with one another to remove any differences in the configuration settings and to provide copies of any patient data missing from either the portable sensor module and the patient monitor.

Claims

1. A patient monitor system, comprising:

a first patient monitor comprising;

a sensor module interface to receive and process patient data signals according to a first set of configuration settings;

a first display device to display the patient data signals according to the first set of configuration settings; and

a first memory device to store the patient data signals and the first set of configuration settings; and

a portable sensor module configured selectively couple with and decouple from the first patient monitor, the portable sensor module comprising;

a patient data acquisition unit for receiving the patient data signals from one or more sensors attached to a patient and to communicate the patient data signals to the sensor module interface of the first patient monitor; and

a second memory device to store the patient data signals and a second set of configuration settings,

wherein in response to coupling the portable sensor module to the first patient monitor, the portable sensor module and the first patient monitor communicate with each other to synchronize their respective patient data signals and to selectively synchronize the first set of configuration settings with the second set of configuration settings.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable sensor module further comprises:

a second display device; and

a user interface,

wherein the second display device and the user interface allow the portable sensor module to operate in a monitor mode that allows a user to view at least some of the second set of configuration settings using the second display device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the portable sensor module operating in the monitor mode is further configured to provide an alarm based on the patient data signals and to allow the user to silence the alarm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient data acquisition unit is further configured to acquire at least a portion of the patient data signals from one or more auxiliary sensor modules.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient data acquisition unit is further configured to store at least a portion of the patient data signals in a third memory device that is external to the portable sensor module and the patient monitor.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of docking stations that are each associated with a respective monitoring location, wherein each docking station stores default configuration settings associated with its corresponding monitoring location, and when the first patient monitor is coupled to a particular docking station the first patient monitor is configured to prompt a user to select one or more of the default configuration settings stored in the particular docking station to be part of the first set of configuration settings.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second patient monitor, wherein the portable sensor module is further configured to be coupled with and decoupled from the second patient monitor, and wherein in response to coupling the portable sensor module to the second patient monitor the copies the patient data signals and the second set of configuration settings stored in the second memory device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first memory device comprises an index of patient identifiers (IDs) and the second memory device comprises a patient ID, and wherein the synchronization of the patient data signals is based on an association of the patient ID stored in the second memory device with the index of patient IDs stored in the first memory device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first memory device comprises a first circular buffer for storing the patient data signals and the second memory device comprises a second circular buffer for storing the patient data signals, and wherein the first patient monitor is configured to synchronize the respective patient data signals by:

identifying one or more memory blocks in the second circular buffer which includes patient data that is missing from the first circular buffer;

identifying one or more memory blocks in the first circular buffer having a time correspondence with the one or more memory blocks identified in the second circular buffer; and

copying the patient data in the identified one or more memory blocks in the second circular buffer to the identified one or more memory blocks in the first circular buffer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first patient monitor is configured to selectively synchronize the first set of configuration settings with the second set of configuration settings by:

determining differences between the first set of configuration settings and the second set of configuration settings;

prompting a user to select between the different configuration settings; and

updating the first set of configuration settings according to selections received from the user.

11. A method for synchronizing a patient monitor and a portable sensor module, the method comprising:

detecting a first coupling of the portable sensor module to the patient monitor;

in response to the first coupling, storing configuration settings in the portable sensor module and the patient monitor and recording patient data acquired through the portable sensor module in the portable sensor module and the patient monitor;

detecting a decoupling of the portable sensor module from the patient monitor;

in response to the decoupling, continuing to store patient data in the portable sensor module and allowing the configuration settings stored in the patient monitor and the portable sensor module to change relative to one another;

detecting a second coupling of the portable sensor module to the patient monitor; and

in response to the second coupling, synchronizing the configuration settings and patient data between the portable sensor module and the patient monitor.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a match between a last patient identifier (ID) used in the patient monitor and a current patient ID used in the portable sensor module;

in response to the detected match, synchronizing a subset of the patient data stored in the patient monitor associated with the last patient ID with the patient data stored in the portable sensor module; and

storing the synchronized patient data and newly acquired patient data in an existing patient directory in the patient monitor corresponding to the last patient ID.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting that a last patient identifier (ID) used in the patient monitor is different than a current patient ID used in the portable sensor module;

in response to the detected difference, prompting a user to select a patient ID from among an existing patient ID used in the patient monitor, the current patient ID used in the portable sensor module, and a new patient ID.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in response to the user selecting the new patient ID, the method further comprises:

storing newly acquired patient data in a new patient directory in the patient monitor;

prompting the user to select default and optional configuration settings; and

in response to a user selection, loading the selected default and optional configuration settings into the patient monitor and the portable sensor module.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining differences between the configuration settings stored in the patient monitor and the configuration settings stored in the portable sensor module;

prompting a user to select between the different configuration settings; and

updating the configuration settings stored in at least one of the patient monitor and the portable sensor module based on selections received from the user.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein recording the patient data in the patient monitor comprises recording the patient data is a first circular buffer, wherein recording the patient data in the portable sensor module comprises recording the patient data in a second circular buffer, and wherein synchronizing the patient data between the portable sensor module and the patient monitor comprises:

identifying one or more memory blocks in the second circular buffer which includes patient data that is missing from the first circular buffer;

identifying one or more memory blocks in the first circular buffer having a time correspondence with the one or more memory blocks identified in the second circular buffer; and

copying the patient data in the identified one or more memory blocks in the second circular buffer to the identified one or more memory blocks in the first circular buffer.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to the decoupling, operating the portable sensor module in a monitor mode that allows a user to view at least some of the configuration settings stored in the portable sensor module using a display device of the portable sensor module.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein operating the portable sensor module in the monitor mode further comprises providing an alarm based on the patient data signals from the portable sensor module and allowing the user to silence the alarm through the portable sensor module.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring the patient data through the portable sensor module from one or more sensors attached to a patient and from one or more auxiliary sensor modules.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing at least a portion of the patient data a memory device that is external to the portable sensor module and the patient monitor.

21. A system for synchronizing a patient monitor and a portable sensor module, the system comprising:

means for detecting a first coupling of the portable sensor module to the patient monitor;

in response to the first coupling, means for storing configuration settings in the portable sensor module and the patient monitor and recording patient data acquired through the portable sensor module in the portable sensor module and the patient monitor;

means for detecting a decoupling of the portable sensor module from the patient monitor;

in response to the decoupling, means for continuing to store patient data in the portable sensor module and allowing the configuration settings stored in the patient monitor and the portable sensor module to change relative to one another;

means for detecting a second coupling of the portable sensor module to the patient monitor; and

in response to the second coupling, means for synchronizing the configuration settings and patient data between the portable sensor module and the patient monitor.