MONITOR/DEFIBRILLATOR WITH BARCODE READER OR OPTICAL CHARACTER READER

• US 20160034644A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: GUINEY, Patrick, GRUBE, William Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,984,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A monitor/defibrillator (100) is described having an optical image sensor (114) such as a barcode reader or an optical character reader for accurate and timely entry of information during a medical treatment event. The barcode reader or optical character reader enables a one-step capture of patient identifying information, administered therapeutic substances, equipment and other event information. The information is decoded by the monitor/defibrillator and entered into system memory for later use.

Claims

1. A monitor defibrillator (100) for recording parameters related to a medical treatment event in real time, comprising:

a patient monitoring circuit (404) including a set of patient electrodes (402) in communication with a controller (406) operable to produce a patient electrocardiogram and to determine the need for a defibrillating shock;

a patient therapy circuit (408) controlled by the controller and operable to deliver the defibrillating shock;

an optical sensor (114) operable to obtain a barcode image (124);

a memory (420); and

a processor (430) operable to decode the barcode image into barcode data and operable generate a patient record file into the memory comprising the barcode data and the time at which the barcode image was obtained.

2. The monitor defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the patient record file further comprises the electrocardiogram and a record of the defibrillating shock.

3. The monitor defibrillator of claim 2, wherein the patient monitoring circuit and the patient therapy circuit are contained within a first housing (102), and the optical sensor is contained within a second housing (112), and further comprising a communicating means (120) between the circuits in the first housing and the optical sensor in the second housing.

4. The monitor defibrillator of claim 3, wherein the communicating means is one of a bidirectional wireless Wi-Fi, wireless Bluetooth, wireless b-field communications path or a wired communications cable.

5. The monitor defibrillator of claim 3, wherein the optical sensor is a barcode reader.

6. The monitor defibrillator of claim 3, wherein the optical sensor is a camera.

7. The monitor defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising a light source (118) disposed adjacent to the optical sensor and operable to illuminate the barcode image.

8. The monitor defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is further operable to obtain an image of a written character, and further wherein the processor is operable to decode the image of the written character into identifying data and to record the identifying data into the patient record file.

9. The monitor defibrillator of claim 8, wherein the image of the written character is obtained from one of a driver'"'"'s license, an insurance card, a defibrillator monitor disposable electrode, or a pharmaceutical product.

10. The monitor defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising:

a display (116); and

an audio output (106),

wherein the processor is further operable to generate an audible indication at the audio output and a visual indication at the display at the completion of decoding.

11. A monitor defibrillator (100) for recording parameters related to a medical treatment event in real time, comprising:

a patient monitoring circuit disposed within a first housing (102) and including

a connector (104) for receiving a set of patient electrodes, and

a controller (406) in communication with the patient electrodes,

the patient monitoring circuit operable to produce a patient electrocardiogram and to determine the need for a defibrillating shock;

a patient therapy circuit disposed within the first housing and operable to deliver the defibrillating shock via the connector;

an optical sensor (114) disposed within a hand-portable second housing and operable to obtain a barcode image;

a display (116) disposed within the second housing;

a wireless communications path (120) disposed between the patient monitoring circuit in the first housing and the optical sensor in the second housing;

a memory (420); and

a processor (430) operable to decode the barcode image into time-stamped barcode data and operable generate a patient record file into the memory comprising the barcode data and the patient electrocardiogram.

12. A method (600) for recording data related to a medical treatment event in real time, comprising the steps of:

providing (602) a defibrillator monitor (100) having a processor (106), a memory (110), an optical image sensor (104), a user interface, an audible output, and a display (102);

positioning (604) an encoded graphic within the optical image sensor field of view;

activating (606) the optical image sensor by means of the user interface;

imaging (609) the encoded graphic with the optical image sensor;

decoding (610) the encoded graphic image into identifying data with the processor;

recording (612) the identifying data into the memory as a record of the medical treatment event;

issuing (614) an audible indication at the audible output responsive to the completion of the decoding step; and

displaying (616) a visual indication at the display responsive to the completion of the imaging step.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the displaying step further comprises displaying the identifying data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the recording step further includes recording a time stamp associated with the identifying data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing step further comprises providing a light source disposed adjacent to the optical image sensor, and further comprising the step of illuminating (608) the encoded graphic with the light source prior to the imaging step.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the encoded graphic is a barcode.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the encoded graphic is a printed character.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the optical image sensor is separable from the defibrillator monitor.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the optical image sensor, user interface and display are disposed in a circuit within a unitary housing that is separable from the defibrillator monitor, and wherein the providing step further comprises providing a wireless communications path between the circuit and the defibrillator monitor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the processor and memory are further disposed in the unitary housing, and further comprising the steps of:

receiving at the unitary housing a wireless signal representative of a patient characteristic obtained by the defibrillator monitor; and

recording data corresponding to the wireless signal in the memory.