Visual Display For Medical Monitor

• US 20110218406A1
• Filed: 03/04/2010
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Hussain, Tashriq
• Application Number:
  US12/717,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• 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

The present disclosure describes a visual display for a medical monitor that may present a plurality of visualizations representative of physiological measurements. The visualizations may differ depending on whether the corresponding physiological parameter is within an expected range. The visualizations may include text, waveforms, images, video, and 3-dimensional representations. The visualizations may include different sizes and display properties such as colors, font types, and font styles.

Claims

1. A physiological monitor, comprising:

a display;

a sensor port configured to receive a physiological signal;

a processor in communication with the display and the sensor port, wherein the processor processes the physiological signal to generate a physiological measurement, compares the physiological measurement to an alarm threshold, and presents a visualization of the physiological measurement on the display at a first size when the physiological measurement is within the alarm threshold and present the visualization of the physiological measurement on the display at a second size when the physiological measurement is at or outside the alarm threshold.

2. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein the visualization of the physiological measurement comprises a textual display, waveform display, a video display, an image display, or a 3-dimensional (3D) display.

3. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein the processor displays the visualization on the display in a first color, font type, font style, or opacity when the alarm threshold is not exceeded and at a second color font type, font style, or opacity when the alarm threshold is exceeded.

4. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein the processor displays the visualization on the display at the second size at a periodic interval when the alarm threshold is exceeded.

5. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein the processor displays the visualization on the display at the second size for at least every half second (i.e., 500 milliseconds) when the alarm threshold is exceeded.

6. The physiological monitor of claim 4, wherein the periodic interval comprises at least half second (i.e., 500 milliseconds).

7. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein the second size is greater than the first size.

8. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first size and the second size are user configurable.

9. The physiological monitor of claim 1, wherein the processor executes stored code causing the processor to process the physiological signal, to compare the physiological measurement to the alarm threshold, and to display the visualization on the display.

10. A physiological monitor, comprising:

a display;

a sensor port; and

a processing component in communication with the display and the sensor port, wherein the processing component generates a physiological measurement based on input received via the sensor port, determines whether the physiological measurement meets an alarm condition, and alters the appearance of a visualization of the physiological measurement on the display when the physiological measurement meets the alarm condition such that the visualization can be read at a greater distance than when the appearance of the visualization is unaltered.

11. The physiological monitor of claim 10, wherein the visualization of the physiological measurement comprises a textual display, waveform display, a video display, an image display, or a 3-dimensional display.

12. The physiological monitor of claim 10, wherein the processing component determines whether the physiological measurement meets the alarm condition by comparing the physiological measurement to an alarm threshold.

13. The physiological monitor of claim 10, wherein the processing component alters the appearance of the visualization on the display by increasing a size used to display the visualization.

14. The physiological monitor of claim 10, wherein the processing component changes the color used to display the visualization on the display when the physiological measurement meets the alarm condition.

15. The physiological monitor of claim 10, wherein the processing component flashes the visualization having the altered appearance on the display at a periodic interval when the physiological measurement meets the alarm condition.

16. The physiological monitor of claim 10, wherein the processing component executes stored code causing the processing component to generate the physiological measurement, to determine whether the physiological measurement meets the alarm condition, and to alter the appearance of the visualization on the display when the physiological measurement meets the alarm condition.

17. A method for displaying one or more visualizations of physiological measurements, comprising:

displaying a first visualization of a first physiological measurement on a display at a first size when the first physiological measurement is within a first expected range; and

displaying the first visualization of the first physiological measurement on the display at a second size when the first physiological measurement is outside the expected range.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising,

displaying a second visualization of a second physiological measurement on the display at a third size when the second physiological measurement is within a second expected range;

and

displaying the second visualization of the second physiological measurement on the display at a fourth size when the second physiological measurement is outside the expected range.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first visualization of the physiological measurement comprises a textual display, waveform display, a video display, an image display, or a 3-dimensional (3D) display.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first size is smaller than the second size, and the third size is smaller than the fourth size.