APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND MONITORING A PERSON

• US 20110301440A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Riley, Carl W., Tallent, Dan R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,844,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A person-support structure includes a control system, an input configured to communicate a first input signal to the control system, and a sensor configured to sense a physiological characteristic of a person supported on the person-support structure. The sensor communicates a second input signal corresponding to the physiological characteristic to the control system. The control system calculates a condition score as a function of the first input signal and the physiological characteristic of the person and compares the condition score to a predetermined threshold. The control system scales at least one of the physiological characteristic of the person and the predetermined threshold as a function of the first input signal.

Claims

1. A person-support structure comprising

a control system,

an input configured to communicate a first input signal to the control system,

a sensor configured to sense a physiological characteristic of a person supported on the person-support structure and communicate a second input signal corresponding to the physiological characteristic to the control system,

the control system configured to calculate a condition score as a function of the first input signal and the physiological characteristic of the person and compare the condition score to a predetermined threshold, the control system further configured to cause an alert signal to be output when the condition score is greater than the predetermined threshold, wherein the control system scales at least one of the physiological characteristic of the person and the predetermined threshold as a function of the first input signal.

2. The person-support structure of claim 1 wherein the input comprises a user interface configured to receive a user input, the first input signal including the user input.

3. The person-support structure of claim 1, wherein the person-support structure includes a person-support surface and the input includes a second sensor coupled to the person-support surface and configured to sense a status of the person-support surface, the first input signal including person-support surface status information.

4. The person-support structure of claim 3, wherein the status of the person-support surface includes at least one of a pressure in a fluid bladder of the person-support surface, a status of a surface therapy, a status of a low-air loss therapy, a status of a percussion vibration therapy, a status of a lateral rotation therapy, a status of an alternating pressure therapy, a status of a surface zone, a status of a surface function, a status of a surface length extension function, a status of a surface length reduction function, a status of a surface width extension function, a status of a surface width reduction function, a status of a turn assist function, a position of a person on the person-support surface, and a morphology of a person on the person-support surface.

5. The person-support structure of claim 1, wherein the first input signal includes information corresponding to a characteristic of a care facility.

6. The person-support structure of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the care facility includes at least one of a staffing level of the care facility, at least one of a date and a time of day, an amount of people in the care facility, a size of the care facility, a location of a caregiver within the care facility, a progress of a caregiver on their rounds, and an acuity of people in the care facility.

7. The person-support structure of claim 1, wherein the first input signal includes information corresponding to the history of a person.

8. The person-support structure of claim 7, wherein the history of the person includes at least one of a preference of a person, a tendency of a person, an electronic medical record (EMR) of a person, a pressure ulcer risk assessment of a person, a medical history of a person, an allergy of a person, a medical condition of a person, a diagnosis of a person, a medication chart for a person, a caregiver assignment history for a person, and a habit of a person.

9. The person-support structure of claim 1, wherein the person-support structure includes a bed frame having an upper frame movably supported above a lower frame and the input includes a second sensor coupled to the bed frame and configured to sense a status of the bed frame, the first input signal including information corresponding to the status of the bed frame.

10. The person-support structure of claim 9, wherein the status of the bed frame includes at least one of a height of the upper frame, an angle at which a section of a deck movably coupled to the upper frame is with respect to the upper frame, a position of a siderail, at least one of a Trendelenburg position and reverse Trendelenburg position, a CPR function status, a center of gravity of a person on the bed frame, a position of the person on the bed frame, and a status of a person-support alarm.

11. A method of predicting the onset of an adverse condition, the method comprising

receiving a first input signal from an input,

receiving a second input signal corresponding to a physiological characteristic of a person supported on a person-support structure,

calculating a condition score as a function of the first input signal on the physiological characteristic, and

alerting a caregiver if the condition score is greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein at least one of the physiological characteristic and the predetermined threshold is scaled as a function of the first input signal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first input signal corresponds to at least one of a user input, person-support surface status information, a care facility characteristic, a history of a person, and the status of a bed frame.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first input signal comprises at least one of a fall risk assessment score and a pressure ulcer risk assessment score.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring a person-support system as a function of the condition score.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the person-support system includes at least one of a bed frame and a person-support surface.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling a fluid supply to a person-support surface as a function of the condition score.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first input signal includes information corresponding to a characteristic of a care facility.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the characteristic of the care facility includes at least one of a staffing level of the care facility, at least one of a date and a time of day, an amount of people in the care facility, a size of the care facility, a location of a caregiver within the care facility, a progress of a caregiver on their rounds, and an acuity of people in the care facility.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first input signal includes information corresponding to the history of a person.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the history of the person includes at least one of a preference of a person, a tendency of a person, an electronic medical record (EMR) of a person, a pressure ulcer risk assessment of a person, a medical history of a person, an allergy of a person, a medical condition of a person, a diagnosis of a person, a medication chart for a person, a caregiver assignment history for a person, and a habit of a person.