REMOVABLE BASE FOR WEARABLE MEDICAL MONITOR

• US 20160095550A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Lin, Andy S., Schlottau, Friso, Von Der Lippe, Paul, Su, Mark Yu-Tsu, Berlin, David B., Cohrs, Kristine Michelle
• Granted Patent: US 10,342,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders

Abstract

A removable base of a wearable medical monitor includes a mating surface configured to reversibly couple the removable base to a body of the wearable medical monitor. The removable base may also include certain functional features, such as a sensor configured to detect a physiological parameter of a patient and/or a memory configured to store data for identifying characteristics of the sensor or the patient.

Claims

1. A wearable medical monitor, comprising:

a body; and

a removable base;

mating surfaces on the body and the removable base positioned to reversibly couple the removable base to the body;

a memory carried by the removable base, the memory configured to store data for identifying a patient; and

a switch disposed on the removable base and activated by coupling of the removable base to the body, the switch providing power to the body when activated.

2. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, wherein the switch is de-activated when the removable base is decoupled from the body.

3. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises a protrusion formed on the base aligned with a button on the body.

4. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, comprising a power source carried by the base configured to provide power to the body through the switch.

5. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, comprising a sensor disposed on the removable base.

6. The wearable medical monitor of claim 5, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a physiological parameter of the patient and to communicate the physiological parameter of the patient to the body when the removable base is coupled to the body.

7. The wearable medical monitor of claim 6, wherein the body comprises a processor configured to access the memory to obtain data for identifying characteristics of the sensor and the data for identifying characteristics of the patient.

8. The wearable medical monitor of claim 7, wherein the body comprises a transceiver configured to communicate the data for identifying characteristics of the sensor and the data for identifying characteristics of the patient to a central control system.

9. The wearable medical monitor of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to communicate the data for identifying characteristics of the sensor to the body, and wherein the body is configured to control an operation of the sensor based on the data for identifying characteristics of the sensor when the removable base is coupled to the body.

10. The wearable medical monitor of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of sensors and wherein the processor is configured to access the memory to obtain identifying characteristics of each of the plurality of sensors, and wherein the body is configured to control an operation of each of the plurality of sensors based on the identifying characteristics of the respective sensor when the removable base is coupled to the body.

11. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, wherein the removable base is disposable.

12. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, wherein the removable base is coupled to a hospital identification bracelet.

13. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, wherein the mating surfaces comprise a protrusion or a depression.

14. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, wherein the mating surfaces comprise a clip and an engagement surface.

15. The wearable medical monitor of claim 1, comprising a shield coupled to a patient-facing surface of the removable base.

16. The wearable medical monitor of claim 15, wherein the shield is dimensioned to isolate the surface of the body from direct contact with the patient.

17. A wearable medical monitor, comprising:

a body comprising;

a processor configured to receive data from a physiological sensor;

a memory configured to store the data;

a sensor port; and

a conformable identification bracelet; and

a base carried by the identification bracelet and relatively more rigid than the identification bracelet, wherein the base is dimensioned to support the body,

wherein the base comprises a mechanical lock engaging a complementary surface of the body to reversibly couple the base to the body.

18. The wearable medical monitor of claim 17, wherein the identification bracelet comprises a hospital bracelet.

19. The wearable medical monitor of claim 17, wherein the removable base comprises a switch configured to turn on the body when the removable base is coupled to the body, and to turn off the body when the removable base is decoupled from the body.

20. The wearable medical monitor of claim 17, wherein the removable base comprises a power source coupled to the switch and configured to provide power to the body.

21. The wearable medical monitor of claim 17, wherein the mechanical lock is dimensioned to couple to the complementary surface of the body but not to a second body of a different type.

22. The wearable medical monitor of claim 17, wherein the identification bracelet comprises printed patient identification information.

23. The wearable medical monitor of claim 17, wherein the identification bracelet comprises a bar code or RFID tag.

24. A method, comprising:

receiving, using a processor of a body of a wearable medical monitor, data for identifying characteristics of a first sensor of a first removable base of the wearable medical monitor from the first removable base when the body is coupled to the first removable base;

directing, using the processor, the first sensor to obtain a first physiological parameter of a first patient when the body is coupled to the first removable base;

receiving, using the processor, data for identifying characteristics of a second sensor of a second removable base of the wearable medical monitor from the second removable base when the body is coupled to the second removable base after decoupling from the first removable base; and

directing, using the processor, the second sensor to obtain a second physiological parameter of a second patient when the body is coupled to the second removable base.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein receiving the data for identifying characteristics of the first sensor comprises receiving the data from a first memory of the first removable base, and wherein receiving the data for identifying characteristics of the second sensor comprises receiving the data from a second memory of the second removable base.

26. The method of claim 24, comprising receiving, using the processor, data for identifying the first patient from the first removable base, and data for identifying the second patient from the second removable base.

27. The method of claim 24, comprising communicating from the processor via a transceiver of the body to a central control system the first or second physiological parameter, the data for identifying characteristics of the first or second sensor, or any combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 27, comprising communicating from the processor via a transceiver of the body to a central control system the data for identifying the first or second patient.