Nuisance Alarm Reduction Method For Therapeutic Parameters

• US 20110175728A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Baker, Clark R. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,400,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0063 Compressors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/12 by mixing different gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0018 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0039 in the inspiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/1025 the O2 concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems and methods for reducing nuisance alarms associated with monitoring non-physiological parameters in a ventilatory system. Non-physiological parameters may include, but are not limited to, parameters that are internally monitored by the ventilator based on pre-configured ranges dictated by the manufacturer, by an applicable protocol, or by the clinician. Embodiments described herein seek to mitigate nuisance alarms by basing alarm conditions, at least in part, on an integral threshold such that an alarm is not generated when a monitored parameter briefly falls outside an acceptable range by a slight degree, but such that an alarm is generated when a monitored parameter falls outside an acceptable range by a more significant magnitude and/or duration.

Claims

1. A method for reducing nuisance alarms while monitoring one or more non-physiological parameters in a ventilatory system, the method comprising:

receiving alarm conditions, wherein the alarm conditions include a parameter threshold and an integral threshold;

monitoring at least one parameter of the one or more non-physiological parameters;

detecting a breach of the parameter threshold;

calculating an integral of the breach; and

determining whether the integral of the breach is greater than the integral threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an alarm when the integral of the breach is greater than the integral threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-physiological parameters are selected from the group consisting of:

FiO₂, CO, Percent Support, Pressure Support, circuit pressure, circuit flow, and one or more infusates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the integral of the breach is not greater than the integral threshold, the integral of the breach is incrementally reduced over a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting an additional breach of the parameter threshold;

calculating an integral of the additional breach;

adding the incrementally reduced integral of the breach to the integral of the additional breach; and

generating an alarm when the incrementally reduced integral of the breach and the integral of the additional breach are greater than the integral threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when an alarm is generated, zeroing out the incrementally reduced integral of the breach and the integral of the additional breach.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm conditions are received via voice activation.

8. A ventilatory system for reducing nuisance alarms while monitoring one or more non-physiological parameters, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method comprising;

receiving alarm conditions, wherein the alarm conditions include a parameter threshold and an integral threshold;

monitoring at least one parameter of the one or more non-physiological parameters;

detecting a first breach of the parameter threshold;

calculating a first integral of the first breach;

determining whether the first integral of the first breach is greater than the integral threshold;

when the first integral of the first breach is not greater than the integral threshold, incrementally reducing the first integral of the first breach over a predetermined period of time;

detecting a second breach of the parameter threshold;

calculating a second integral of the second breach; and

determining whether a sum of the incrementally reduced first integral plus the second integral is greater than the integral threshold.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

generating an alarm when the sum of the incrementally reduced first integral plus the second integral is greater than the integral threshold.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more non-physiological parameters are selected from the group consisting of:

FiO₂, CO, Percent Support, Pressure Support, circuit pressure, circuit flow, and one or more infusates.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein when an alarm is generated, zeroing out the incrementally reduced first integral and the second integral.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein alarm conditions are received via voice activation.

13. A graphical user interface for configuring alarm conditions that reduce nuisance alarms on a ventilator, the ventilator configured with a computer having a user interface including the graphical user interface for accepting commands, the graphical user interface comprising:

at least one window associated with the graphical user interface;

one or more elements within the at least one window, comprising at least one of

one or more input elements for enabling the clinician to input alarm settings for reducing nuisance alarms associated with monitoring one or more non-physiological parameters; and

one or more selection elements for enabling the clinician to select one or more;

graphic displays of data collected while monitoring the one or more non-physiological parameters, and

preconfigured alarm settings for reducing nuisance alarms associated with monitoring the one or more non-physiological parameters.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to accept alarm settings for a single non-physiological parameter.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the at least one window comprises one or more selection elements for selecting an integral threshold for the single non-physiological parameter.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the at least one window comprises a selection element for selecting an integral fadeout feature for monitoring the single non-physiological parameter.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein the one or more selection elements for enabling the clinician to select graphic displays of monitored data include:

a selection for displaying the monitored data for the single non-physiological parameter versus one or more integrals of the monitored data; and

a selection for displaying the one or more integrals of the monitored data versus an integral threshold for the single non-physiological parameter.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein the graphic display of the one or more integrals of the monitored data versus the integral threshold for the single non-physiological parameter is a pie graph.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein the at least one window comprises one or more selection elements for selecting one of the one or more non-physiological parameters for configuring alarm conditions.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein input into the one or more input elements and selection of the one or more selection elements occurs via voice activation.