Pulmonary monitor

• US 4,546,770 A
• Filed: 03/04/1983
• Issued: 10/15/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Critikon Co. LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Critikon Co.
• Inventors: Schlessinger, Joseph E., Hamilton, Richard G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US06/472,415
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 128/630, 128/668, 128/670, 128/695, 128/709, 128/710
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/083 Measuring rate of metabolism by using breath test, e.g. measuring rate of oxygen consumption

Abstract

A pulmonary monitor for measuring a complex set of variables utilizing a group of three pushbuttons arranged to operate in hierarchical a hierarchical pattern for facilitating operator control of the functions of the monitor.

Claims

1. A monitor for the measurement, analysis and display of physiological data derived from a patient comprising:

(a) a first transducer for measuring physiological data selected from the group consisting of pressure, temperature, gas concentration, cation and ion concentration, pH, capacitance, displacement, motion, force and flow transducers;

(b) an analyzer having means for calculating selected physiological characteristics of a patient from said transducer physiological data; and

alarm means; and

means for displaying said measured physiological data and calculated physiological characteristics; and

a manually operated hierarchical selection means for controlling the operation of said calculating and displaying means; and

means for calibrating said analyzer in order to substantially eliminate measurement errors; and

means to communicate threshold physiological characteristics; and

means for comparing said calculated physiological characteristics against said threshold physiological characteristics and activating said alarm means when said threshold physiological characteristics are not satisfied; and

(c) means for communicating said transducer measured physiological data to said analyzer.

2. A monitor as described in claim 1 wherein said hierarchical selection means further comprises:

(a) first manually operated selecting means for choosing a mode of operation whereby general machine or physiological functions may be selected for display, each mode having a different set of control functions, each set including specific machine operating parameters or physiological characteristics associated with said selected mode of operation;

(b) second manually operated selecting means enabled upon selection of a mode, for selecting a control function from said set of control functions for said selected mode of operation; and

(c) manually engaged means for energizing said calculating means for processing said physiological data into calculated physiological characteristics in response to said first and second selection means.