Blood pressure monitor apparatus

• US 6,500,127 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Colin Corporation (Fukuda Denshi Company Limited)
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Keizoh, Inukai, Hidekatsu, Yokozeki, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US09/569,240
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 600/481, 600/485, 600/490, 600/493-496, 600/500
• US Class Current: 600/485
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02116 of pulse wave amplitude A61B5/02225 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02125 of pulse wave propagation time
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02255 the pressure being controlled by plethysmographic signals, e.g. derived from optical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips

Abstract

A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising: blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for successively obtaining blood pressure-relating information which decreases or increases with a decrease or an increase of the blood pressure of the subject, or blood pressure-relating information which increases or decreases with a decrease or an increase of the blood pressure of the subject; decrease or increase determining means for determining a decrease or an increase of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by the obtaining means; and abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when the decrease or increase of the blood pressure-relating information is greater than a predetermined reference value (γ₁, γ₂), or abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when the blood pressure-relating information is greater than a predetermined reference value (TH_H) or smaller than a predetermined reference value (TH_L).

Claims

1. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for obtaining, successively in synchronization with a heartbeat of the subject, blood pressure-relating information which decreases with a decrease of the blood pressure of the subject and which comprises at least one of an estimated blood pressure (EBP), a normalized pulse-wave area (S_F), and a pulse-wave propagating velocity (V_M);

decrease determining means for determining a decrease of the blood pressure-relating information obtained by said obtaining means successively in synchronization with the heartbeat of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when said decrease of the blood pressure-relating information is greater than a predetermined reference value (γ

₁); and

a reference value determining means for determining said reference value (γ

₁) based on the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between said reference value and said blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a smaller reference value corresponds to blood pressure-relating information corresponding to a lower blood pressure.

2. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said decrease is selected from the group consisting of an amount of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information.

3. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for obtaining, successively in synchronization with a heartbeat of the subject, blood pressure-relating information which increases with an increase of the blood pressure of the subject and which comprises at least one of an estimated blood pressure (EBP), a normalized pulse-wave area (S_F), and a pulse-waving propagating velocity (V_M);

increase determining means for determining an increase of the blood pressure-relating information obtained by said obtaining means successively in synchronization with the heartbeat of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when said increase of the blood pressure-relating information is greater than a predetermined reference value (γ

₂); and

reference value determining means for determining said reference value (γ

₂) based on the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between said reference value and said blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a smaller reference value corresponds to blood pressure-relating information corresponding to a higher blood pressure.

4. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said increase is selected from the group consisting of an amount of increase of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of increase of the blood pressure-relating information.

5. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for obtaining, successively in synchronization with a heartbeat of the subject, blood pressure-relating information which decreases with an increase of the blood pressure of the subject and which comprises a pulse-wave propagation time (DT);

decrease determining means for determining a decrease of the blood pressure-relating information obtained by said obtaining means successively in synchronization with the heartbeat of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when said decrease of the blood pressure-relating information is greater than a predetermined reference value (γ

₂); and

reference value determining means for determining said reference value (γ

₂) based on the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between said reference value and said blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a smaller reference value corresponds to blood pressure-relating information corresponding to a higher blood pressure.

6. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said decrease is selected from the group consisting of an amount of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information.

7. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for obtaining, successively in synchronization with a heartbeat of the subject, blood pressure-relating information which increases with a decrease of the blood pressure of the subject and which comprises a pulse-wave propagation time (DT);

increase determining means for determining an increase of the blood pressure-relating information obtained by said obtaining means successively in synchronization with the heartbeat of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when said increase of the blood pressure-relating information is greater than a predetermined reference value (γ

₁); and

reference value determining means for determining said reference value (γ

₁) based on the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between said reference value and said blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a smaller reference value corresponds to blood pressure-relating information corresponding to a lower blood pressure.

8. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said increase is selected from the group consisting of an amount of increase of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of increase of the blood pressure-relating information.

9. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for successively obtaining blood pressure-relating information which decreases with a decrease of the blood pressure of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means is smaller than a predetermined reference value (TH_L);

decrease determining means for determining a decrease of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means; and

reference value determining means for determining said reference value (TH_L) based on said decrease of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between reference value and decrease of blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a greater reference value (TH_L) corresponds to a greater decrease of blood pressure-relating information.

10. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said decrease is selected from the group consisting of an amount of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information.

11. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said blood pressure-relating information is selected from the group consisting of an estimated blood pressure, a pulse-wave propagation velocity and a normalized pulse-wave area.

12. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for successively obtaining blood pressure-relating information which increases with an increase of the blood pressure of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means is greater than a predetermined reference value (TH_H);

increase determining means for determining an increase of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means; and

reference value determining means for determining said reference value (TH_H) based on said increase of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between reference value and increase of blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a smaller reference value (TH_H) corresponds to a greater increase of blood pressure-relating information.

13. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said increase is selected from the group consisting of an amount of increase of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of increase of the blood pressure-relating information.

14. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said blood pressure-relating information is selected from the group consisting of an estimated blood pressure, a pulse-wave propagation velocity and a normalized pulse-wave area.

15. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for successively obtaining blood pressure-relating information which decreases with an increase of the blood pressure of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means is smaller than a predetermined reference value (TH_L);

decrease determining means for determining a decrease of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means; and

reference value determining means for determining said reference value (TH_L) based on said decrease of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between reference value and decrease of blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a greater reference value (TH_L) corresponds to a greater decrease of blood pressure-relating information.

16. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said decrease is selected from the group consisting of an amount of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of decrease of the blood pressure-relating information.

17. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said blood pressure-relating information comprises a pulse-wave propagation time.

18. A blood pressure monitor apparatus for monitoring a blood pressure of a living subject, comprising:

blood pressure-relating information obtaining means for successively obtaining blood pressure-relating information which increases with a decrease of the blood pressure of the subject;

abnormality judging means for judging that the blood pressure of the subject is abnormal when the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means is greater than a predetermined reference value (TH_H);

increase determining means for determining an increase of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means; and

reference value determining means for successively determining said reference value (TH_H) based on said increase of the blood pressure-relating information successively obtained by said obtaining means, by utilizing a predetermined relationship between reference value and increase of blood pressure-relating information, said relationship being predetermined such that a smaller reference value (TH_H) corresponds to a greater increase of blood pressure-relating information.

19. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said increase is selected from the group consisting of an amount of increase of the blood pressure-relating information and a rate of increase of the blood pressure-relating information.

20. A blood pressure monitor apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the blood pressure-relating information comprises a pulse-wave propagation time.