Patient monitoring apparatus and method

• US 5,131,399 A
• Filed: 08/06/1990
• Issued: 07/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Life Sensing Instrument Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Sciarra
• Inventors: Sciarra, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Kyle L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NASSER, ROBERT L
• Application Number:
  US07/563,260
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 455/72, 128/671, 128/721, 128/722, 128/723, 128/724, 128/725, 128/670, 128/671, 128/668, 128/696, 128/903, 128/904
• US Class Current: 600/484
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

A respiration transducer apparatus for monitoring respiratory movement in patients is disclosed which includes a transducer for detecting respiratory movement in the patient'"'"'s body. The transducer includes a first inductor adapted to be positioned adjacent a portion of the patient'"'"'s body and a second inductor adapted to be positioned adjacent the same portion of the body. The transducers are disposed in a substantially fixed geometric relation as an integrally fixed coil with the first and second inductors inductively reacting with each other and a forming a continuous transducing area.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in monitoring a patient'"'"'s respiration, comprising

disposable flexible substrate means, including a flexible inductive respiration signal transducer, for maintaining the flexible respiration signal transducer coupled with a patient to produce a signal representing the patient'"'"'s respiration;

a wireless telemetry device for transmitting a respiration signal to a wireless receiver; and

manually releasable coupling means for manually detachably coupling the wireless telemetry device with said transducer for transmitting a respiration signal produced thereby whereby the telemetry device can be selectively coupled and decoupled with the transducer without damaging the coupling;

said disposable means including a non-replaceable power source mounted within the substrate for supplying operating power to said wireless telemetry device; and

said coupling means including means for selectively and manually detachably coupling said power source means to said wireless telemetry device.

2. A respiration transducer apparatus for monitoring respiratory movement in patients, said apparatus, comprising:

transducer means for detecting respiratory movement in a body of such a patient, said transducer means comprising a first inductor adapted to be positioned adjacent a portion of the body of the patient, and a second inductor adapted to be positioned adjacent the same portion of the body of the patient,

wherein said first and second inductors are disposed in a substantially fixed geometric relationship as one integrally fixed coil, and

wherein said first and second inductors mutually inductively react with each other, and form a continuous transducing area.

3. Apparatus for use in monitoring the medical condition of a patient, comprising:

a single flexible substrate forming a belt;

said substrate having an enlarged first end portion and an elongated second end portion;

said first end portion having a longitudinal axis extending in the long direction of the belt;

cardiac transducer means including a plurality of active electrodes mounted in said first end portion of the belt and arranged in a predetermined position and having a longitudinal center substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said first end portion;

respiration transducer means mounted in said elongated second end portion of the belt, said second end portion having a longitudinal axis parallel with and offset from the the longitudinal center of said active electrodes; and

means for releasably securing said first end portion to said second end portion to define a belt for maintaining said cardiac transducer on the back thoracic region of the patient while simultaneously maintaining said respiration transducer on the front abdominal region of the patient.

4. A transducer apparatus for performing tidal volume measurements of a patient comprising:

a single flexible substrate forming a belt;

said substrate having an enlarged first end portion and a pair of spaced elongated and parallely extending tongues projecting from said enlarged first end portion to free ends;

first inductive transducing means mounted in one of said tongues for producing a signal representing size changes in the patient'"'"'s thoracic region;

second inductive transducing means mounted in the other of said tongues, parallel to the first transducing means for producing a signal representing size changes in the patient'"'"'s abdominal region; and

means for releasably securing said free ends of said tongues to said first end portion to define a unitary belt thereby to position said first and second inductive transducing means in a predetermined spaced relationship corresponding to a distance between transducing positions on the patient'"'"'s thoracic region and abdominal region, respectively.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 including cardiac transducer means mounted in said first end portion of the belt and adapted to be placed over the bank thoracic region of the patient.

5. An apparatus for use in the wireless transmission of a signal representing a patient'"'"'s respiration, comprising:

inductive transducer means for producing a respiration signal having frequency components in a first frequency band;

frequency compression means for transforming said respiration signal to a compressed respiration signal having frequency component in a second relatively narrow frequency band lower than said first frequency band and for separating the frequency bands such that frequency components do not coincide in the second frequency band;

FM single stage crystal controlled means for producing a transmission carrier; and

modulating means for modulating said transmission carrier with said compressed respiration signal.

6. An apparatus for use in the wireless transmission of an EKG signal having components in a first frequency band, comprising:

frequency translation means for translating said EKG signal having components in a first frequency band to a frequency translated EKG signal having frequency components in a relatively narrow second frequency band higher than said first frequency band and for separating the frequency bands such that frequency components do not coincide in the second frequency band;

FM single stage crystal controlled transmitter means for producing a transmission carrier; and

modulating means for modulating said transmission carrier with said frequency translated EKG signal.

7. An apparatus for use in simultaneous wireless transmission of a first patient condition signal having frequency components in a first patient condition signal having frequency components in a first, lower frequency band, and a second patient condition signal having frequency components in a second, higher frequency band, said apparatus comprising:

frequency translation means for translating said first patient condition signal to a frequency translated signal having frequency components in a third frequency band higher than the first, lower frequency band of said first patient condition signal and for separating the frequency bands such that frequency components do not coincide;

frequency compression means for transforming said second patient condition signal to a frequency compressed signal having frequency components in a fourth frequency band lower than said second, higher frequency band and separating the frequency bands such that frequency components do not coincide;

FM single stage crystal controlled transmitter means for producing a transmission carrier; and

modulating means for modulating said transmission carrier with said frequency translated signal and said frequency compressed signal.