Cardiac monitoring method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a first location and for transmitting patient data to a receiver at a second location remote from the first location, said receiver including a display, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient at the first location for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to said lead means for generating ECG signals functionally related to said ECG voltage signals, control means coupled to said signal generating means for receiving said ECG signals and being operative to sense the existence of a failed lead means and for generating a failed lead means signal, transmitting means coupled to the control means for receiving the ECG signals and the failed lead means signal and for transmitting the ECG signal and the failed lead means signal to the receiver for displaying the same, said patient monitoring system including display means coupled to said control means for receiving signals therefrom, said display means including a plurality of lead failure indicia defining means for generating a visual display to indicate the failure of any one or more of said lead means upon the receipt of an actuating signal, said control means being operative to provide an actuating signal to individually actuate said lead failure indicia defining means upon failure of any one of said lead means for displaying individual lead failures at the first location whereby the indication of lead failure may be displayed at both the first and second location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A patient monitoring system includes a plurality of leads adapted to be coupled to a patient for generating individual ECG data voltage signals. A switching matrix couples the leads to a plurality of differential circuits for coupling selected pairs of the ECG voltage signals to each of the differential circuits for generating differential ECG vector signals functionally related to the difference between selected pairs of the ECG voltage signals. A microprocessor is coupled to the leads and to the switching matrix and is operative to reset the switching matrix to uncouple one or more first leads from the differential circuits and for coupling one or more different ones of the ECG voltage signals to differential circuit formerly coupled to receive the voltage signal from the one or more first leads. An analog to digital converter is connected to the differential means for digitizing the ECG differential signals which are stored in the microprocessor and serially supplied to a modulator for phase modulating a carrier signal to be broadcast to a receiving and displaying unit. An LCD display indicates lead failure and a low battery condition.
93 Citations
38 Claims
- 1. A patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a first location and for transmitting patient data to a receiver at a second location remote from the first location, said receiver including a display, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient at the first location for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to said lead means for generating ECG signals functionally related to said ECG voltage signals, control means coupled to said signal generating means for receiving said ECG signals and being operative to sense the existence of a failed lead means and for generating a failed lead means signal, transmitting means coupled to the control means for receiving the ECG signals and the failed lead means signal and for transmitting the ECG signal and the failed lead means signal to the receiver for displaying the same, said patient monitoring system including display means coupled to said control means for receiving signals therefrom, said display means including a plurality of lead failure indicia defining means for generating a visual display to indicate the failure of any one or more of said lead means upon the receipt of an actuating signal, said control means being operative to provide an actuating signal to individually actuate said lead failure indicia defining means upon failure of any one of said lead means for displaying individual lead failures at the first location whereby the indication of lead failure may be displayed at both the first and second location.
- 8. A remote patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a remote location, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means being operative for generating at least one ECG lead couple vector signal from a pair of said voltage signals, digitizing means connected to the signal generating means for digitizing said lead couple vector signals, control means coupled to said lead means for receiving said ECG voltage signals and being operative to sense the existence of a failed lead means, said remote patient monitoring system including a display means coupled to said control means for receiving signals therefrom, said display means including an individual lead failure indicia display associated with each of said lead means, said control means being operative to individually actuate each of said lead failure indicia displays when the specific associated lead means at the remote patient monitoring location is in a failed condition, transmitting means including RF signal generating means for generating a carrier signal, modulating means connected to receive said carrier signal and said digitized lead couple vector signals and lead failure signals and being operative to phase modulate the carrier signal with said signals, said transmitting means being operative to transmit said phase modulated signal to a display unit at a location remote from said system.
- 14. A remote patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a remote location, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to said lead means and operative to generate at least one ECG lead couple vector signal from a pair of said voltage signals, control means coupled to said lead means and being operative to sense the existence of a failed lead means, digitizing means connected to the signal generating means for digitizing said lead couple vector signals and providing the same to said control means, said remote patient monitoring system including display means coupled to said control means for receiving signals therefrom, said display means including a plurality of indicia-forming means for generating a visual display to indicate the failure of any one of said lead means and lead failure indicia for each of said lead means, said control means being operative to individually actuate said lead failure indicia forming means upon failure of specific ones of said lead means at said remote patient monitoring location, battery means for driving said signal generating means and said control means, low voltage sensing means coupled to said battery means and to said control means for generating a low battery signal when said battery voltage falls below a predetermined value, said display means including additional indicia-forming means to indicate battery failure, said control means being operative upon the receipt of a low battery signal and an enabling signal to actuate the additional indicia forming means, enabling means being operative to provide an enabling signal to said control means, transmitting means including RF signal generating means for generating a carrier signal, modulating means connected to said signal generating means and said control means for receiving said carrier signal and said digitized lead couple vector and lead failure signals and being operative to phase modulate the carrier signal with said digitized signal and said lead failure and battery failure signals and for transmitting the same to said remote display means.
- 20. A patient monitoring system including monitoring means for monitoring a patient at a first location and for transmitting patient data to a receiver having a display and located at a second location remote from the first location, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to said lead means for generating ECG signals functionally related to said ECG voltage signals, control means coupled to said signal generating means for receiving said ECG signals, battery means for driving said signal generating means and said control means, low voltage sensing means coupled to said battery means and to said control means and for generating a low battery signal when said battery voltage falls below a preselected level, display means including means for generating a visual display for indicating battery failure, said control means being coupled to said low voltage sensing means and to said display means and being operative upon the receipt of a low battery signal to generate an enabling signal to actuate the display means to indicate battery failure whereby a low battery signal may be displayed at the first location, transmitting means coupled to the control means for receiving said ECG signals and a low battery signal and operative to transmit said ECG signals and low battery signals to the receiver whereby said ECG signals and the low battery signal may be displayed at the second location by the receiver.
- 24. A remote patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a remote location, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to receive said voltage signals and operative to generate at least one ECG lead couple vector signal from a pair of said ECG voltage signals, digitizing means coupled to the signal generating means for digitizing said lead couple vector signals, control means coupled to said digitizing means for receiving the digitized lead couple vector signals, battery means for driving said signal generating means and said control means, low voltage sensing means coupled to said battery means and to said control means and operative to generate a low battery signal when the battery voltage falls below a predetermined value, display means coupled to said control means and operative upon the receipt of an enabling signal to generate a visual low battery display, said control means being operative to generate an enabling signal to said display means upon the receipt of a low battery signal, RF signal generating means operative to generate a carrier signal, modulating means connected to said RF signal generating means and said control means for receiving said carrier signal and said digital lead couple vector signal and the battery failure signal and being operative to phase modulate the carrier signal with the digitized lead couple vector signal and the low battery signal and for transmitting the same to a receiver remote from the patient monitoring system.
- 30. A remote patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a first location and for transmitting data by an RF link to a central station receiver having a display and being located at a second location remote from the first location, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to said lead means for receiving said ECG voltage signals and for generating ECG signals functionally related to said ECG voltage signals, control means coupled to said signal generating means for receiving said ECG signals, first display means connected to said control means and including means for generating an ECG waveform, said control means being operative for actuating said first display means for generation of an ECG waveform at the first location, and transmitting means for transmitting an RF signal corresponding to said ECG voltage signals to the central station receiver, whereby said ECG signals may be displayed at both the first and second locations.
- 36. A remote patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a remote location, said system including a plurality of lead means adapted to be coupled to a patient for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, signal generating means coupled to receive said voltage signals and operative to generate at least one ECG lead couple vector signal from a pair of said voltage signals, digitizing means connected to the signal generating means for digitizing said lead couple vector signals, control means coupled to said digitizing means for receiving said digitized ECG signals, battery means for receiving said digitized ECG signals, battery means for driving said signal generating means and said control means, low voltage sensing means coupled to said battery means and said control means, display means including means for defining indicia for generating a visible display to indicate battery failure, said control means being coupled to said display means and being operative upon the receipt of a low battery signal to generate an enabling signal to actuate the display means to indicate battery failure, transmitting means including RF signal generating means for generating a carrier signal, modulating means connected to receive said carrier signal and said digitized lead couple vector and low battery signals and being operative to phase modulate the carrier signal with said lead couple vector and low battery signals and for transmitting the same to a remote receiver.
Specification