SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADAPTING ALARMS IN A WEARABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20150224330A1
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaib, Thomas E., Freeman, Gary A., Tan, Qing
• Granted Patent: US 9,597,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3625 External stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators
• 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

Abstract

In one example, an external medical device is provided. The external medical device includes a memory, at least one sensor to detect a cardiac condition in a patient monitored by the external medical device, and circuitry, in communication with the memory, to receive information indicative of the cardiac condition, detect whether the patient is asleep, and issue at least one alarm responsive to both receiving the information and detecting that the patient is asleep.

Claims

1. An external medical device comprising:

a memory;

at least one sensor to detect a cardiac condition in a patient monitored by the external medical device;

circuitry, in communication with the memory, to;

receive information indicative of the cardiac condition;

detect whether the patient is asleep; and

issue at least one alarm responsive to both receiving the information and detecting that the patient is asleep.

2. The external medical device of claim 1, further comprising an interface to deliver at least one shock to the patient.

3. The external medical device of claim 1, further comprising an interface to issue the at least one alarm as at least one shock.

4. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the external medical device comprises a wearable defibrillator.

5. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the information comprises data descriptive of at least one of patient physiological, time of day, patient motion, patient body position, proximity of the external medical device to other devices, and lack of patient responsiveness.

6. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm comprises at least one shock.

7. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm comprises at least one shock including a current in a range of 1 mA and 20 mA.

8. The external medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one electrode including at least one of a sensing electrode, a defibrillation electrode, an alarm electrode, and an electrode of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit; and

an interface to issue the at least one alarm as at least one shock via the at least one electrode.

9. The external medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least two defibrillation electrodes disposed to form a current path that traverses a portion of the patient other than a heart of the patient; and

an interface to issue the at least one alarm as at least one shock via the at least two defibrillation electrodes.

10. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm comprises at least one shock having a damped sinusoidal waveform to alert the patient.

11. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the cardiac condition comprises at least one cardiac arrhythmia.

12. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the cardiac condition comprises bradycardia and the at least one alarm includes at least one shock comprising a plurality of pacing pulses sequenced according to a sub-threshold pacing process.

13. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the cardiac condition comprises bradycardia and the at least one alarm includes at least one shock comprising a plurality of pacing pulses including progressively increasing current.

14. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the cardiac condition comprises ventricular tachycardia and the at least one alarm includes at least one shock comprising a plurality of pacing pulses sequenced according to an overdrive pacing process.

15. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the cardiac condition comprises ventricular fibrillation and the at least one alarm is followed by one or more defibrillating treatment shocks subsequent to the circuitry failing to receive a response to the at least one alarm within a target response time.

16. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm comprises at least one vibration output followed by at least one shock.

17. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm comprises at least one audio output followed by at least one shock.

18. The external medical device of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm comprises at least one vibration output followed by at least one audio output followed by at least one shock.

19. A method of adapting alarms issued by an external medical device comprising circuitry and at least one sensor to detect a cardiac condition in a patient monitored by the external medical device, the method including:

receiving, by the circuitry, information indicative of the cardiac condition;

detecting whether the patient is asleep; and

issuing at least one alarm responsive to both receiving the information and detecting that the patient is asleep.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock comprising a current in a range of 1 mA and 20 mA.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the external medical device comprises at least one electrode including at least one of a sensing electrode, a defibrillation electrode, an alarm electrode, and an electrode of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit and issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock via the at least one electrode.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the external medical device comprises at least two defibrillation electrodes disposed to form a current path that traverses a portion of the patient other than a heart of the patient and issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock having a current path between the at least two defibrillation electrodes.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock with a damped sinusoidal waveform to alert the patient.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the cardiac condition comprises bradycardia and issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock comprising a plurality of pacing pulses sequenced according to a sub-threshold pacing process, the plurality of pacing pulses including progressively increasing current.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the cardiac condition comprises ventricular tachycardia and issuing the at least one alarm includes issuing at least one shock comprising a plurality of pacing pulses sequenced according to an overdrive pacing process.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the cardiac condition comprises ventricular fibrillation and issuing the at least one alarm is followed by delivery of one or more defibrillating treatment shocks subsequent to the circuitry failing to receive a response to the at least one alarm within a target response time.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein issuing the at least one alarm comprises issuing at least one vibration output followed by at least one shock.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein issuing the at least one alarm comprises issuing at least one audio output followed by at least one shock.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein issuing the at least one alarm comprises issuing at least one vibration output followed by at least one audio output followed by at least one shock.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable sequences of instructions for adapting alarms issued by an external medical device, the sequences of instructions including instructions that instruct circuitry included in the external medical device to:

receive, from at least one sensor to detect a cardiac condition in a patient monitored by the external medical device, information indicative of the cardiac condition;

detect whether the patient is asleep; and

issue at least one alarm responsive to both receiving the information and detecting that the patient is asleep.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions instruct the circuitry to issue the at least one alarm by issuing at least one shock comprising a current in a range of 1 mA and 20 mA.