Method and circuit for storing and providing historical physiological data

• US 8,103,325 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Swedlow, David, Daleo, Stephen L., Yorkey, Thomas J., Richards, Edward M., Porges, Charles, Stuart, Charles, Nemits, Daniel M., DeLonzor, Russell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WINAKUR, ERIC FRANK
• Application Number:
  US11/444,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224059A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,063 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/322, 600/323
• US Class Current: 600/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a sensor for facilitating detection of a physiological characteristic of a patient. Specifically, one embodiment includes a detector configured to obtain signals from the patient, the signals being indicative of the physiological characteristic and to send the signals to a monitor, and a sensor memory coupled with the sensor and separate from the monitor, the sensor memory storing patient physiological data derived by the monitor from the signals, the patient physiological data being indicative of the physiological characteristic.

Claims

1. A sensor for facilitating detection of a physiological characteristic of a patient, comprising:

a detector configured to obtain signals from the patient, the signals being indicative of the physiological characteristic and configured to send the signals to a monitor; and

a sensor memory coupled with the sensor and separate from the monitor, the sensor memory storing patient physiological data derived by the monitor from the signals, the patient physiological data being indicative of the physiological characteristic, wherein the sensor memory is a write-once memory device including a field configured to be set such that the sensor disables display of the patient physiological data on the monitor when the sensor has been reprocessed.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor memory is disposed within a cable of the sensor.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor memory is disposed within a body of the sensor.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the patient physiological data is compressed data.

5. A method of manufacturing a sensor for facilitating detection of a physiological characteristic, comprising:

providing a light emitting device coupled with a sensor housing;

coupling a photo-detector with the sensor housing; and

coupling a sensor memory with the sensor, the sensor memory configured to transmit a preprogrammed period of recent historical physiological data to a monitor automatically upon coupling the monitor with the sensor.

6. The method of manufacturing of claim 5, wherein the historical physiological data is compressed data.

7. A method of providing a sensor for facilitating detection of a physiological characteristic, comprising:

reprocessing a previously used sensor, the previously used sensor including a sensor memory configured to store historical physiological data from a patient monitored by a pulse oximeter monitor;

wherein the reprocessing includes erasing a field configured for storing the historical physiological data from the sensor memory.

8. A pulse oximeter system, comprising:

a monitor configured to read signal data obtained from a patient, derive patient physiological data from the signal data, and write the patient physiological data to a sensor memory, the patient physiological data being indicative of a physiological characteristic of the patient, wherein the monitor is configured to compress the patient physiological data and store the patient physiological data in the sensor memory; and

a sensor comprising;

a detector configured to obtain the signal data from the patient and to send the signal data to the monitor; and

the sensor memory coupled with the sensor and separate from the monitor, the sensor memory storing the patient physiological data and including a field that is configured to be set when the sensor is reprocessed such that field blocks the patient physiological data from being displayed by the monitor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the monitor is configured to compress the patient physiological data and store the patient physiological data in the sensor memory continuously as the patient physiological data is derived.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the monitor is configured to retrieve and display a most recent preprogrammed period of historical patient physiological data stored on the sensor memory automatically upon coupling with the sensor.

11. A monitor, comprising:

a signal unit configured to provide signals to a light emitting device disposed within a sensor;

a first data interface circuit component configured to read signal data from a photo-detector in the sensor;

a processor configured to derive patient physiological data from the signal data, the patient physiological data being indicative of a physiological characteristic of the patient; and

a second data interface circuit adapted to write the patient physiological data to a sensor memory element of the sensor;

wherein the monitor is adapted to retrieve and display historical physiological data from the sensor memory element automatically upon connection of the monitor with the sensor, the historical physiological data being for a most recent predetermined period length stored on the sensor memory element.

12. The monitor of claim 11, comprising a port for communicatively coupling the sensor to the monitor via a cable.

13. The monitor of claim 11, comprising a module adapted to determine whether the sensor has been reprocessed by accessing a field of the sensor memory element configured to be set when the sensor is reprocessed.

14. A method, comprising:

emitting light signals with a light emitting element of a sensor;

detecting the light signals with a photo-detector of the sensor;

transmitting signal data relating to the detected light signals from the sensor to a separate monitor;

storing compressed physiological data derived from the signal data by the monitor in a field of a resident memory of the sensor, the physiological data being indicative of the physiological characteristic and compressed by the monitor; and

disabling display by the monitor of the compressed physiological data in the field of the resident memory of the sensor when the sensor is reprocessed.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising receiving control signals from the separate monitor, the control signals activating the light emitting element to pulse the light signals.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising preventing erasure of stored data.

17. A method for monitoring sensor data with a monitor, comprising:

providing control signals to a light emitting element of a sensor;

reading signal data from a photo-detector of the sensor;

processing the signal data to obtain physiological data;

compressing the physiological data;

writing or attempting to write the compressed physiological data to a memory in the sensor; and

using information in a field of the memory in the sensor to disable display of data from the memory, wherein the information in the field is set by reprocessing of the sensor.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising storing the physiological data in a resident memory.