SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADAPTING ALARMS IN A WEARABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20120293323A1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaib, Thomas E., Volpe, Shane S., Clark, John G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,135,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00 Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes examination of body cavities or body tracts using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/12; endoscopic instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/04; for surgical purposes A61B17/00; endoscopic surgical cutting instruments A61B17/32; surgical instruments using a laser beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit A61B18/22; Illuminating arrangements therefor for the eyes A61B3/00
• 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: A61M 1/00 Suction or pumping devices for medical purposes; Devices for carrying-off, for treatment of, or for carrying-over, body-liquids; Drainage systems catheters A61M25/00; tube connectors, tube couplings, valves or branch units specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; devices for taking samples of blood A61B5/15; filters implantable into blood vessels A61F2/01
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/08 Arrangements or circuits for monitoring, protecting, controlling or indicating for external stimulators A61N1/3603; for implantable neurostimulators A61N1/36128; for heart stimulators A61N1/37; for defibrillators A61N1/3925
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

According to another example, a wearable medical device controller is provided. The device controller includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to determine a correlation between a phenomenon identifiable by the wearable medical device controller and at least one response pattern associated with a patient and store, responsive to detecting the correlation, an adaptation path to address the at least one response pattern, the adaptation path specifying an adaptation of at least one characteristic of an alarm. The at least one response pattern may include a plurality of response patterns and the adaptation path may reflect adaptations made to address at least some of the plurality of response patterns.

Claims

1. A wearable medical device controller comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

determine a correlation between a phenomenon identifiable by the wearable medical device controller and at least one response pattern associated with a patient; and

store, responsive to detecting the correlation, an adaptation path to address the at least one response pattern, the adaptation path specifying an adaptation of at least one characteristic of an alarm.

2. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 1, wherein the at least one response pattern includes a plurality of response patterns and the adaptation path reflects adaptations made to address at least some of the plurality of response patterns.

3. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect the phenomenon; and

adapt, responsive to detecting the phenomenon, the at least one characteristic of the alarm according to the adaptation path.

4. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the correlation by determining a correlation between a value of an independent variable indicative of the phenomenon and the at least one response pattern.

5. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 3, wherein adapting the at least one characteristic of the alarm includes increasing the intensity of the alarm.

6. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 3, wherein adapting the at least one characteristic of the alarm includes changing the conduit of the alarm.

7. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 6, wherein changing the conduit of the alarm includes transmitting the alarm to a personal electronic device.

8. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 3, wherein the phenomenon is an inhibiting factor.

9. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 8, wherein the memory stores an alarm profile indicating that the alarm be triggered upon occurrence of an event and including an association between the adaptation path and the alarm and the processor is further configured to:

detect an occurrence of the event; and

issue a first instance of the alarm, the first instance having the at least one adapted characteristic.

10. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 9, wherein the adaptation path specifies a plurality of adaptations and the processor is further configured to:

determine that no predetermined response to the first instance of the alarm was received within a target response time;

adapt, responsive to determining that no predetermined response was received within the target response time, a characteristic of the alarm according to an adaptation from the plurality of adaptations; and

issue a second instance of the alarm, the second instance of the alarm having the adapted characteristic.

11. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 9, further comprising an interface in data communication with the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the alarm profile via the interface; and

store the alarm profile in the memory.

12. The wearable medical device controller according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a new adaptation path via the interface; and

store the new adaptation path in the alarm profile.

13. A wearable medical device controller comprising:

a memory storing an alarm profile indicating that an alarm be triggered upon occurrence of an event and including an association between an adaptation path and the alarm; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

detect an occurrence of the event;

issue a first instance of the alarm;

determine that no predetermined response to the first instance of the alarm was received within a target response time;

adapt, responsive to determining that no predetermined response was received within the target response time, at least one characteristic of the alarm according to the adaptation path; and

issue a second instance of the alarm, the second instance of the alarm having the at least one adapted characteristic.

14. A method for adapting alarms issued by a wearable medical device, the method comprising:

determining, by the wearable medical device, a correlation between a phenomenon identifiable by the wearable medical device and at least one response pattern associated with a patient; and

storing, responsive to detecting the correlation, an adaptation path to address the at least one response pattern, the adaptation path specifying an adaptation of at least one characteristic of an alarm.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein determining the correlation includes determining the correlation between the phenomenon and a plurality of response patterns and storing the adaptation path includes storing an adaptation path that reflects adaptations made to address at least some of the plurality of response patterns.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

detecting the phenomenon; and

adapting, responsive to detecting the phenomenon, the at least one characteristic of the alarm according to the adaptation path.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein determining the correlation includes determining a correlation between a value of an independent variable indicative of the phenomenon and the at least one response pattern.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein adapting the at least one characteristic of the alarm includes increasing the intensity of the alarm.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein adapting the at least one characteristic of the alarm includes changing the conduit of the alarm.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein changing the conduit of the alarm includes transmitting the alarm to a personal electronic device.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

detecting an occurrence of an event; and

issuing a first instance of the alarm, the first instance having the at least one adapted characteristic.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the adaptation path specifies a plurality of adaptations and the method further comprises:

determining that no predetermined response to the first instance of the alarm was received within a target response time;

adapting, responsive to determining that no predetermined response was received within the target response time, a characteristic of the alarm according to a adaptation from the plurality of adaptations; and

issuing a second instance of the alarm, the second instance of the alarm having the adapted characteristic.