PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• US 20150290060A9
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Hayes, Michael Joseph, Furman, Aaron Douglas, Hopper, Christopher John, Geer, John P., Mix, Joshua Elmer, Becker, David Terrance, Greenbank, Jonathan Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,937,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/46 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

Patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, recliners, operating tables, and the like include wireless mesh network transceivers that enable them to communicate with each other, and other devices, via mesh networks and/or ad hoc networks. One or more additional wireless transceivers are included, such as WiFi transceivers, that enable direct communication with a healthcare facility network, such as an Ethernet. The mesh network communication between patient support apparatuses and other devices is used for any one or more of: extending the communication range of the existing IT infrastructure, efficiently routing data to the healthcare facility network, determining location of the patient support apparatuses and devices, transporting patient data from one patient support to the next as the patient moves, and for other aspects.

Claims

1. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a base;

a frame supported by said base;

a patient support deck supported by said frame, said patient support deck adapted to provide support for a patient; and

a control system on said patient support apparatus adapted to control a feature of said patient support apparatus, said control system including a first transceiver and a second transceiver, said control system adapted to be able to wirelessly receive information via said first transceiver from a different patient support apparatus, said information relating to the different patient support apparatus, and said control system adapted to be able to forward said information off of the patient support apparatus via said second transceiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first transceiver operates in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard, and said second transceiver operates in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said information includes at least one of the following:

information identifying said different patient support apparatus, information relating to a patient supported on the different patient support apparatus, and information identifying a location of said different patient support apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control system is further adapted to be able to forward said information off of the patient support apparatus via said first transceiver, and said control system chooses between said first and second transceivers for forwarding said information off of the patient support apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said control system chooses between said first and second transceivers by assessing signal strengths of said first and second transceivers with potential recipients of said information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control system is further adapted to process location information received via said first transceiver from the different patient support apparatus, said control system processing said location information in order to generate an estimate of a location of said patient support apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said estimate of location is based at least partially upon a signal strength of the location information received via said first transceiver from the different patient support apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said estimate of location is based upon location information received via said first transceiver from a plurality of different patient support apparatuses.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control system stores, in a memory positioned on the patient support apparatus, patient data about a patient currently supported on the patient support apparatus, and said control system is adapted to wirelessly transmit said patient data to another patient support apparatus when the patient is transferred to the another patient support apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said patient support apparatus wirelessly transmits said patient data to the another patient support apparatus in response to a caregiver manually manipulating a control on said patient support apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said patient support apparatus includes a visual display adapted to provide a visual indication when said patient data has been successfully transmitted to said another patient support apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said control system is adapted to clear said patient data from said memory when a caregiver manually manipulates a control on said patient support apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first transceiver is further adapted to receive medical device data from a medical device, and said control system is adapted to be able to forward said medical device data off of the patient support apparatus via said second transceiver.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said control system is further adapted to be able to forward said medical device data off of the patient support apparatus via said first transceiver, and said control system chooses between said first and second transceivers for forwarding said information off of the patient support apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said medical device is one of a ventilator, a vital signs monitor, a respirator, an infusion pump, an IV pump, a temperature sensor, a thermal management system, or a blood oxygen saturation monitor.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first transceiver is further adapted to transmit network data to a medical device, said network data being received by said patient support apparatus from a healthcare network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said patient support apparatus receives said network data either from said first or said second transceivers.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said patient support apparatus further includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver adapted to read patient information from an RF identification (ID) tag worn by a patient positioned on said patient support apparatus.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said control system is further adapted to associate said patient information with a unique identifier of said patient support apparatus and to forward both said patient information and said unique identifier to a healthcare network.

20. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said control system is adapted to choose another patient support apparatus to which said information is forwarded via said first transceiver.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said control system dynamically updates the choice of the another patient support based at least partially upon a current connection strength to the another patient support apparatus.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first transceiver is further adapted to wirelessly receive data from a mattress positioned on said patient support apparatus.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said patient support apparatus is one of a bed, a stretcher, a recliner, a cot, or an operating table.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said control system is further adapted to receive patient information via said wireless transceiver when a patient is first transferred to said patient support apparatus.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said control system is adapted to receive said patient information via said wireless transceiver from a different patient support apparatus.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 further including a second transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate via a different communications protocol than said wireless transceiver, said control system adapted to receive said patient information via said second transceiver and to store said patient information in said memory.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 further including a user control in communication with said control system, said user control adapted to control when said wireless transceiver transmits said patient information to said another patient support apparatus.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said patient information includes a patient identifier.

29. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said patient information includes information related to the patient'"'"'s fall risk or susceptibility to bed sores.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said patient support apparatus includes a display that displays an identifier of the another patient support apparatus to which the patient information is wirelessly transmitted.

31. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said patient support apparatus further includes a scale system adapted to weigh a patient positioned on said patient support deck, said control system adapted to issue an alert if said patient information is transmitted to said another patient support apparatus without said scale system detecting an exit of the patient off of the patient support deck.

32. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said wireless transceiver transmits said patient information to said another patient support apparatus automatically.

23-1. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a base;

a frame supported by said base;

a patient support deck supported by said frame, said patient support deck adapted to provide support for a patient;

an electronic memory;

a control system adapted to control a feature of said patient support apparatus and to store patient information in said memory about a patient positioned on said patient support deck; and

a wireless transceiver adapted to wirelessly transmit said patient information stored in said memory to another patient support apparatus when the patient is transferred from said patient support apparatus to the another patient support apparatus.