Alarm Generation Method for Patient Monitoring, Physiological Monitoring Apparatus and Computer Program Product for a Physiological Monitoring Apparatus

• US 20110291838A1
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rantala, B+e,uml o+ee rje
• Application Number:
  US12/787,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20110291838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A method for generating alarms in a physiological monitoring apparatus, a physiological monitoring apparatus, and a computer program product for a physiological monitoring apparatus are disclosed. A quality measure is calculated for a physiological parameter, the quality measure being indicative of confidence level of the physiological parameter. An alarm is detected when the physiological parameter reaches a predetermined alarm limit and the alarm is escalated in response to the detecting, wherein the escalating includes conditionally raising priority of the alarm. The escalation of the alarm is controlled based on the quality measure.

Claims

1. A method for generating alarms in a physiological monitoring apparatus, the method comprising:

calculating a quality measure for a physiological parameter, the quality measure being indicative of confidence level of the physiological parameter, wherein the physiological parameter is determined based on at least one physiological signal acquired from a subject;

detecting an alarm when the physiological parameter reaches a predetermined alarm limit;

escalating the alarm in response to the detecting, wherein the escalating includes conditionally raising priority of the alarm; and

controlling the escalating based on the quality measure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating includes calculating the quality measure based on at least one resource set in a group of resource sets including a first resource set of the at least one physiological signal and a second resource set comprising determination process of the physiological parameter.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling includes

using a reduced escalation rate for escalation of the alarm when the quality measure indicates a reduction in the confidence level;

and

using a non-reduced escalation rate for escalation of the alarm when the quality measure indicates that the confidence level is devoid of a reduction.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the controlling further includes stopping use of the reduced escalation rate and taking the non-reduced escalation rate into use when the physiological parameter crosses a predetermined termination limit.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the using the reduced escalation rate includes reducing the escalation rate proportionally to the quality measure.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the controlling further comprises stopping the using the reduced escalation rate when the quality measure reaches a predetermined lower limit.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising adjusting the termination limit based on a control parameter representing a general acuity level of the subject, wherein the adjusting includes calculating the termination limit based on the predetermined alarm limit and the control parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising informing a caregiver of the alarm, wherein the alarm is a low priority alarm.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling includes adjusting increment rate of an escalation counter based on the quality measure.

10. A physiological monitoring apparatus comprising:

a confidence determination unit configured to calculate a quality measure for a physiological parameter, the quality measure being indicative of confidence level of the physiological parameter, wherein the physiological parameter is determined based on at least one physiological signal acquired from a subject;

an alarm detection unit configured to detect an alarm when the physiological parameter reaches a predetermined alarm limit;

an alarm escalation unit configured to escalate the alarm and to conditionally raise priority of the alarm; and

an escalation control unit configured to control escalation of the alarm based on the quality measure.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the quality measure is calculated based on at least one resource set in a group of resource sets including a first resource set of the at least one physiological signal and a second resource set comprising determination process of the physiological parameter.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the escalation control unit is configured to use a reduced escalation rate for the escalation when the quality measure indicates a reduction in the confidence level and to use a non-reduced escalation rate for the escalation when the quality measure indicates that the confidence level is devoid of a reduction.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the escalation control unit is further configured to stop reduction of the escalation rate and take a non-reduced escalation rate into use when the physiological parameter crosses a predetermined termination limit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the escalation control unit is further configured to reduce the escalation rate proportionally to the quality measure.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the escalation control unit is further configured to stop reduction of the escalation rate when the quality measure reaches a predetermined lower limit.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the termination limit is calculated based on the predetermined alarm limit and a control parameter representing a general acuity level of the subject.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the alarm detection unit is further configured to inform a caregiver of the alarm, wherein the alarm is a low priority alarm.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the escalation control unit is configured to adjust increment rate of an escalation counter based on the quality measure.

19. A computer program product for a physiological monitoring apparatus, the computer program product comprising a first program product portion configured to control escalation of an alarm based on a quality measure determined for a physiological parameter derived from at least one physiological signal acquired by the apparatus from a subject, wherein the alarm relates to the physiological parameter and the quality measure is indicative of confidence level of the physiological parameter.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, further comprising a second program product portion configured to determine the quality measure.