PATIENT MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20150351981A1
• Filed: 06/09/2015
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama (University of Alabama System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama (University of Alabama System)
• Inventors: Sazonov, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,814,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6894 Wheel chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/32 for force
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/34 for pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1043 Cushions specially adapted for wheelchairs
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1045 for the seat portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05769 with inflatable chambers
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0038 applying a pushing force

Abstract

Various implementations of a patient monitoring assembly and methods of use are described herein. The patient monitoring assembly may be useful in preventing pressure ulcers, monitoring of air cushion inflation, estimating physical activity and energy expenditure and managing body weight of a patient seated on the assembly. The patient monitoring assembly may be installed on a manual or powered wheelchair, for example, and continuously monitors and provides feedback to the patient and/or caregiver about whether the patient is engaging in pressure relief activities while seated on a cushion of the assembly, whether the patient'"'"'s activities are in accordance with clinical guidelines for pressure relief, the amount of calories expended over a period of time and the weight and weight distribution of the patient seated on the assembly. The feedback may be provided in substantially real time via an interface on the wheelchair and/or via a remotely located computing device.

Claims

1. A patient activity monitoring system comprising:

a support pad having generally planar first and second surfaces, the first and second surfaces being substantially parallel to and opposite each other;

a cushion having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface being disposed on the first surface of the support pad;

at least three force sensors disposed on the second surface of the support pad;

an electronic control unit comprising a memory and a processor, the processor being in electronic communication with the one or more force sensors and being configured for;

electronically receiving a force signal from each force sensor;

identifying whether a patient disposed on the upper surface of the cushion is engaging in a pressure relieving movement based on at least a portion of the received force signals; and

in response to identifying that the patient engaged in the pressure relieving movement, storing the identification of the identified pressure relieving movement in the memory.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pressure relieving movement comprises one or more of the following:

leaning forward, leaning right, leaning left, and tricep push ups.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for identifying whether the patient is disposed on the upper surface of the cushion based on at least a portion of the received force signals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for measuring a duration of time during which the identified pressure relieving movement is performed and storing the measured duration with the identified pressure relieving movement in the memory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for counting a number of times that the identified pressure relieving movement is performed and storing the counted number with identified pressure relieving movement in the memory.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured for:

comparing the measured duration associated with the identified pressure relieving movement with a respective clinical guideline time associated with the pressure relieving movement; and

generating feedback to the patient indicating a level of compliance with the respective clinical guideline.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured for wirelessly communicating the duration and the identified pressure relieving movement stored in the memory to a remotely located computing device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for comparing the differences in the received force signals with a range of acceptable differences for the force signals associated with safe operation of the monitoring system over a predetermined time period, and in response to the differences in the received force signals being outside of the range of acceptable differences for the force signals for the duration of the predetermined time period, generating and communicating a message to the patient and/or caregiver indicating that a weight of the patient is unevenly distributed over the support pad.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying whether the patient is engaging in the pressure relieving movement comprises:

extracting at least a portion of each received force signal,

retrieving corresponding signal portions associated with the pressure relieving movement,

comparing the extracted portions with the retrieved signal portions, and

in response to the extracted portions being within a particular range of the retrieved signal portions for a particular time period, identifying the patient'"'"'s movement as being the pressure relieving movement.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured for identifying the patient'"'"'s movement as being a hazardous movement if the retrieved signal portions indicating the pressure relieving movement exceed the particular time period.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the extracted portion of the force signals comprises one or more of the following features:

a mean, standard deviation, entropy, variance, maximum value, number of mean crossings, and mean absolute deviation.

19. The system of claim 1 further comprising a tilt sensor disposed adjacent a central portion of the first or second surface of the support pad, and wherein the processor is further configured for:

electronically receiving one or more tilt signals from the tilt sensor,

comparing at least a portion of the received tilt signals with an expected range of tilt signals associated with a backward tilt pressure relieving movement,

in response to the portion of received tilt signals being within the range of expected tilt signals associated with the backward tilt pressure relieving movement, identifying the portion of received tilt signals as indicating that the backward tilt pressure relieving movement is being performed, and

storing the identification of the backward tilt pressure relieving movement in the memory.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the cushion is an air cushion that comprises an air chamber between the upper and lower surfaces of the cushion, the system further comprising an air pressure sensor disposed in fluid communication with the air chamber, and the processor is further configured for electronically receiving an air pressure signal from the air pressure sensor.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for calculating an average of normalized signals from the force sensors to estimate a magnitude of body motion and energy expenditure of the patient, comparing the calculated magnitude to clinical guidelines associated with body motion of the patient, and generating feedback indicating a level of compliance with the clinical guidelines.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for estimating the amount of body motion and energy expenditure of the patient, comparing the estimated amount of body motion and energy expenditure of the patient to clinical guidelines associated with the body motion, and generating feedback indicating a level of compliance with the clinical guidelines.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for prompting the patient to perform at least one pressure relieving movement in response to not identifying that the patient engaged in any pressure relieving movements within a particular time period.

41. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured for:

comparing the counted number associated with the identified pressure relieving movement with a respective clinical guideline count associated with the pressure relieving movement; and

generating feedback to the patient indicating a level of compliance with the respective clinical guideline.

42. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured for wirelessly communicating the count and the identified pressure relieving movement stored in the memory to a remotely located computing device.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured for calculating a duration during which the backward tilt pressure relieving movement is performed, and storing the calculated duration with the identification of the backward tilt pressure relieving movement in the memory.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured for counting a number of times that the backward tilt pressure relieving movement is performed in a particular time period and storing the number of times with the identification of the backward tilt pressure relieving movement in the memory.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein identifying whether the patient is engaging in the pressure relieving movement is further based on at least a portion of the received air pressure signals.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured for comparing the received air pressure signal with a calibrated range of air pressure signals associated with the cushion when the patient is disposed on the cushion, and in response to the air pressure signal being outside of the range of calibrated air pressure signals and the force signals being within a range of calibrated force signals, identifying the air pressure and force signals as indicating over or under inflation of the air cushion.

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

32-40. -40. (canceled)