Medical diagnostic apparatus with sleep mode
First Claim
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1. A method for conserving power in a pulse oximeter apparatus, said apparatus including electronic circuitry, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) measuring a blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said apparatus;
(b) monitoring said blood oxygen saturation of said patient;
(c) determining when said blood oxygen saturation has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indication signal;
(d) initiating a sleep mode for at least a portion of said electronic circuitry, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods;
(e) exiting said sleep mode for at least some of said portion of electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods;
(f) determining whether said blood oxygen saturation remains stable during at least periodic ones of said sleep mode time periods;
(g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and
(h) repeating steps (c)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus by using a sleep mode during a monitoring state. The invention monitors physiological parameters of the patient and enters a sleep mode only after they have been stable for a predetermined period of time. The apparatus is periodically awakened from the sleep mode to take additional measurements and to ascertain that the stability of the physiological parameters has not changed.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for conserving power in a pulse oximeter apparatus, said apparatus including electronic circuitry, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring a blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said apparatus; (b) monitoring said blood oxygen saturation of said patient; (c) determining when said blood oxygen saturation has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indication signal; (d) initiating a sleep mode for at least a portion of said electronic circuitry, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods; (e) exiting said sleep mode for at least some of said portion of electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; (f) determining whether said blood oxygen saturation remains stable during at least periodic ones of said sleep mode time periods; (g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and (h) repeating steps (c)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for conserving power in a pulse oximeter, said pulse oximeter having light emitters and electronic circuitry including a CPU, an analog-to-digital converter and a memory, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) monitoring the blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said pulse oximeter; (b) monitoring the heart rate of said patient; (c) determining when said blood oxygen saturation and said heart rate have been stable for a stable time period of at least 15 seconds and providing a stability indication signal, said blood oxygen saturation being stable if it has not varied by more than a predetermined blood oxygen saturation limit which is less than 5 saturation points out of a scale of 100 saturation points, said heart rate being stable if it does not vary more than a predetermined heart rate limit which is less than ten percent from a previous value in at least a 15 second period; (d) initiating a sleep mode for said light emitters and at least said CPU and analog-to-digital converter, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods, said sleep portion being no more than 40 seconds; (e) exiting said sleep mode for said light emitters and said electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; (f) determining whether said blood oxygen saturation and heart rate remain stable during said awake portion of said sleep mode time period; (g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if either of said blood oxygen saturation and heart rate is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and (h) providing the stability indication signal and repeating steps (d)-(f) if both said blood oxygen saturation and heart rate are determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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16. A pulse oximeter with a power saving feature, comprising:
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a CPU; a memory coupled to said CPU; light emitter drive circuitry coupled to said CPU; light detector receiving circuitry; an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said light emitter receiving circuitry and to said CPU; means, coupled to said CPU, for monitoring the blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said pulse oximeter; means, coupled to said CPU, for monitoring at least one additional physiological parameter of said patient; means, coupled to said CPU, for determining when said blood oxygen saturation has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indicating signal; means, coupled to said CPU, for initiating a sleep mode for said light emitter drive circuitry and at least said CPU and said analog-to-digital converter, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods; means, coupled to said CPU, for exiting said sleep mode for said light emitter drive circuitry, said CPU and said analog-to-digital converter for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; means, coupled to said CPU, for determining whether said blood oxygen saturation remains stable during said awake portion of said sleep mode time period; and means, coupled to said CPU, for reinitiating said sleep mode for said light emitter drive circuitry and at least said CPU and said analog-to-digital converter, if said physiological parameter is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification