Self-contained apnea monitor
First Claim
1. A monitor for monitoring a patient to detect one of an apnea event and shallow breathing and for providing an indication responsive thereto, the monitor comprising:
- belt means for substantially encircling a portion of the body of a patient and for expanding and contracting in response to respiration of the patient, said belt means including a flexible material;
detection means connecting first and second ends of the belt means for detecting expansion and contraction of the belt means;
the belt means including a substantially inextensible biased wire extending along at least a portion thereof, the wire having a first end displaceably connected to the detection means and a second end fixedly connected to the belt means at a location intermediate the first and second ends of the belt means, the wire being displaced from the detection means upon an expansion of the belt means, the wire being biased to return to a predisplaced configuration upon contraction of the belt means, with the detection means detecting respiration by detecting displacement of the wire;
a housing member enclosing the wire, said housing members insulating the sire from the flexible material and ensuring free and smooth displacement of the wire so that detection of respiration is not impeded;
measurement means for measuring a time interval between displacements of the wire; and
determination means and indication means for, respectively, determining and indicating whether said time interval exceeds a minimum threshold time interval such that an indication is provided of a prolonged period without any detected respiration.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The self-contained apnea monitor of the invention detects an apnea event or shallow breathing in a patient such as an infant, and generates an audible and visual alarm in response thereto. The monitor includes an elastic fabric belt for snugly encircling the abdomen or chest of an infant and a detector unit for detecting expansion or contraction of the elastic fabric belt caused by respiration. To this end, the belt includes a helical spring extending along its length. An inextensible wire is provided within the spring connecting a remote end of the spring to the detector unit. Thus configured, respiration of the infant causes the wire to be withdrawn from the detector unit. Within the detector unit, the wire is mounted to a recoil spring assembly which provides a biasing force for recoiling the wire subsequent to respiration. A detecting arm or magnet is mounted to a barrel containing the recoil spring within an electrical circuit provided to detect motion of the detecting arm or magnet. The electrical circuit measures a time interval between consecutive respirations and generates an audible alarm if the time interval exceeds a predetermined period of time.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A monitor for monitoring a patient to detect one of an apnea event and shallow breathing and for providing an indication responsive thereto, the monitor comprising:
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belt means for substantially encircling a portion of the body of a patient and for expanding and contracting in response to respiration of the patient, said belt means including a flexible material; detection means connecting first and second ends of the belt means for detecting expansion and contraction of the belt means; the belt means including a substantially inextensible biased wire extending along at least a portion thereof, the wire having a first end displaceably connected to the detection means and a second end fixedly connected to the belt means at a location intermediate the first and second ends of the belt means, the wire being displaced from the detection means upon an expansion of the belt means, the wire being biased to return to a predisplaced configuration upon contraction of the belt means, with the detection means detecting respiration by detecting displacement of the wire; a housing member enclosing the wire, said housing members insulating the sire from the flexible material and ensuring free and smooth displacement of the wire so that detection of respiration is not impeded; measurement means for measuring a time interval between displacements of the wire; and determination means and indication means for, respectively, determining and indicating whether said time interval exceeds a minimum threshold time interval such that an indication is provided of a prolonged period without any detected respiration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A respiration monitor comprising:
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belt means for substantially encircling a portion of the body of a patient and for expanding and contracting in response to respiration of the patient; and detection means connecting first and second ends of the belt means for detecting expansion and contraction of the belt means; the belt means including a substantially inextensible biased wire extending along at least a portion thereof, the wire having a first end displaceably connected to the detection means and a second end fixedly connected to the belt means at a location intermediate the first and second ends of the belt means, and a housing member enclosing the wire along a substantial portion of its length, said housing member isolating the wire from the belt means and ensuring free and smooth displacement of the wire so that detection of respiration is not impeded, the wire being displaced from the detection means upon an expansion of the belt means, the wire being biased to return to a predisplaced configuration upon contraction of the belt means, with the detection means detecting respiration by detecting displacement of the wire. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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44. A monitor for monitoring a patient to detect one of an apnea event and shallow breathing and for providing an indication responsive thereto, the monitor comprising:
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belt means for contacting a portion of the body of a patient and for expanding and contracting in response to respiration of the patient; detection means connected to the belt means for detecting expansion and contraction of the belt means; the belt means including a wire member extending along at least a portion thereof, the wire member having a first end displaceably connected to the detection means, said belt means including a storage member rotatably winding a portion of the wire member for storage, and a second end fixedly connected to the belt means at a location offset from the detection means, the wire member being displaced from the detection means upon an expansion of the belt means, the wire member being biased to return to a predisplaced configuration upon contraction of the belt means, with the detection means detecting respiration by detecting displacement of the wire member; measurement means for measuring a time interval between displacement of the wire member; and determination means for determining whether said time interval exceeds a minimum predetermined threshold time interval and, if so, providing a signal indicative of a prolonged time period without any detected respiration.
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Specification