System and Method of Evaluating an Association Between a Wireless Sensor and a Monitored Patient

• US 20150119733A1
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Grubis, Matthew George
• Granted Patent: US 9,443,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• 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 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes 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 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Systems and methods of evaluating an association between a wireless sensor and a monitored patient include a plurality of peripheral electronic devices each having a wireless communication system and a sensor. A processor receives measured physiological parameter data from the peripheral electronic devices and establishes an association status between each of the peripheral electronic devices and the monitored patient based upon identified characteristics in the physiological parameter data.

Claims

1. A wireless system comprising:

a plurality of peripheral electronic devices each having a wireless communication system and a sensor, the sensors configured to measure a physiological parameter of a monitored patient;

a hub having a wireless communication system, the hub in wireless communication with one or more of the peripheral electronic devices; and

a processor configured to receive measured physiological parameter data from the peripheral electronic devices and configured to identify characteristics of the physiological parameter data associated with the monitored patient, and to establish an association status between each of the peripheral electronic devices and the monitored patient based on the identified characteristics.

2. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein the sensors are configured to measure a physiological parameter selected from the group consisting of heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, temperature, electrocardiography, and electroencephalography.

3. The wireless system of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to establish the association status based on the identified characteristics of multiple different measured parameters and is further configured to assign a priority to each of the multiple different measured parameters, and to establish an association status based on the identified characteristics and the assigned priorities.

4. The wireless system of claim 3, wherein the association status comprises an indication that a peripheral electronic device of the plurality of peripheral electronic devices is either associated or disassociated with the monitored patient.

5. The wireless system of claim 3, wherein the association status comprises an indication of a likelihood a peripheral electronic device of the plurality of peripheral electronic devices is associated with the monitored patient.

6. The wireless system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of peripheral electronic devices comprises a battery, a clock, and a positioning system.

7. The wireless system of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to establish the association status based on the identified characteristics and one or more system attributes wherein at least one of the one or more system attributes are selected from the group consisting of battery state, time on the monitored patient as recorded by the clock, and geographic location as indicated by the positioning system.

8. A wireless system comprising:

a plurality of peripheral electronic devices each having a wireless communication system and a sensor, the sensors configured to each obtain a signal out of a plurality of signals;

a hub having a wireless communication system, the hub in wireless communication with one or more of the plurality of peripheral electronic devices; and

a processor configured to receive at least one input to register each of the plurality of peripheral electronic devices, the processor configured to receive the plurality of signals from the peripheral electronic devices, to derive at least one association attribute value from the received plurality of signals, and derive a confidence value indicative of an association status between a registration of each of the peripheral electronic devices and the at least one association attribute value.

9. The wireless system of claim 8, wherein the obtained plurality of signals obtained by the plurality of peripheral electronic devices comprises at least a first signal and a second signal and that at least on association attribute value comprises an identification of the first signal as an artifact in the second signal.

10. The wireless system of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein each signal of the plurality of signals is a physiological parameter and the sensors are configured to measure physiological parameter of a monitored patient;

wherein the at least one input is configured to register each of the plurality of peripheral electronic devices to the monitored patient; and

wherein the confidence value is indicative of an association status between each of the peripheral electronic devices and the monitored patient.

11. The wireless system of claim 10, further comprising a graphical display operated by the processor to visually present the association status between each of the peripheral electronic devices and the monitored patient.

12. The wireless system of claim 10, wherein the processor further receives at least one system attribute value as at least one association attribute value, weights the received association attribute values, and derives the confidence value further from the weighted received association attribute values.

13. The wireless system of claim 12, wherein the measured physiological data comprises electrocardiographic data and at least one additional physiological parameter, and the processor derives at least one association value indicative of a correspondence between the electrocardiographic data and a cardiographic artifact in the at least one additional physiological parameter.

14. The wireless system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the at least one system attribute values is selected from a group consisting of an elapsed time since registration of the peripheral, electronic devices to the monitored patient, a battery life of at least one of the peripheral electronic devices, a location of each of the peripheral electronic devices, a signal continuity from each of the peripheral electronic devices, and a wireless signal strength from each of the peripheral electronic devices.

15. The wireless system of claim 10, wherein the processor further appends the received physiological data with the derived confidence value for the wireless sensor at the time of acquisition of the physiological data.

16. A method of evaluating an association between each of a plurality of wireless sensors configured to obtain physiological data and a monitored patient, the method comprising:

registering the plurality of wireless sensors to the monitored patient with a processor configured to receive the physiological data from the plurality of wireless sensors through a hub having a wireless communication system in communication with one or more of the plurality of wireless sensors;

receiving the physiological data at the processor from the plurality of wireless sensors;

deriving at least one association attribute value of a plurality of association attribute values by processing the received physiological data;

receiving at least one system attribute value as at least one association attribute value of the plurality of association attribute values;

weighting each the plurality of association attribute values;

deriving a confidence value from the weighted plurality of association attribute values for each of the plurality of wireless sensors indicative of the association between a wireless sensor of the plurality and the monitored patient.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising initiating a response with the processor based upon the derived confidence value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the response is selected from a group consisting of disassociating at least one wireless sensor from the monitored patient, initiating an alarm, presenting a visual indication of the derived confidence value on a graphical display, and appending the received physiological data with the derived confidence value for the wireless sensor at the time of acquisition of the physiological data.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the physiological data comprises electrocardiographic data and at least one additional physiological parameter, and further comprising:

deriving an association value indicative of a correspondence between the electrocardiographic data and a cardiographic artifact in the at least one additional physiological parameter.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the at least one association attribute values is selected from a group consisting of an elapsed time since registration of the wireless sensors to the monitored patient, a battery life of at least one of the wireless sensors, a location of each of the wireless sensors, a signal continuity from each of the wireless sensors, and a wireless signal strength from each of the wireless sensors.