Wearable defibrillator with audio input/output

• US 8,369,944 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Macho, John D., Volpe, Shane S., Rattanni, Richard A., Skalos, Philip C., Kaib, Thomas E., Linder, Marshal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavert, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US12/082,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 607/5, 607/116, 607/115, 600/483, 340/10.42
• US Class Current: 607/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/046 Specially adapted for shock therapy, e.g. defibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0484 Garment electrodes worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3987 characterised by the timing or triggering of the shock
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators

Abstract

A wearable defibrillator and method of monitoring the condition of a patient are disclosed. The wearable defibrillator includes at least one therapy pad, at least one sensor and at least one processing unit operatively connected to the one or more therapy pads and the one or more sensors. The wearable defibrillator also includes at least one audio device operatively connected to the one or more processing units. The one or more audio devices are configured to receive audio input from a patient.

Claims

1. A wearable defibrillator comprising:

at least one therapy pad;

at least one sensor;

at least one processing unit operatively connected to the at least one therapy pad and the at least one sensor;

at least one audio device operatively connected to the at least one processing unit, the at least one audio device configured to receive audio input from a patient, the audio input including a voice signature of the patient;

wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause at least one patient responsiveness test including a voice recognition responsiveness test to be run upon detection of an arrhythmia condition by the at least one sensor and to uniquely identify the patient as being associated with the wearable defibrillator and to identify the patient as having provided the audio input in response to the voice recognition responsiveness test based on the voice signature.

2. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one audio device includes at least one microphone configured to receive the audio input from the patient.

3. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one audio device comprises at least one speaker and at least one microphone, wherein the at least one speaker and the at least one microphone are operatively connected to the at least one processing unit.

4. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1, comprising:

at least one memory operatively connected to the at least one processing unit, wherein the at least one memory is configured to store the voice signature of the patient.

5. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one responsiveness test further includes at least one button responsiveness test.

6. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause a response button responsiveness test to run after the voice recognition responsiveness test indicates that the patient is not conscious.

7. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the audio input comprises at least one sound made by a patient, and wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to recognize the audio input from the patient.

8. The wearable defibrillator of claim 7 wherein the at least one sound comprises at least one spoken word.

9. The wearable defibrillator of claim 7 wherein the at least one processing unit is configured such that the wearable defibrillator does not provide a treatment to the patient when the at least one sound is received by the at least one audio device and recognized by the at least one processing unit.

10. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the audio input is a patient name and the at least one processor is configured to cause the at least one audio device to audibly emit the patient name during a startup process that is initiated after the wearable defibrillator is activated.

11. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to recognize audio input provided by a base unit configured to operatively connect to the wearable defibrillator to verify the base unit is functioning properly.

12. The wearable defibrillator of claim 11 wherein the base unit comprises a modem and the audio input provided by the base unit comprises sound made by the modem.

13. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 further comprising at least one mechanism connected to the at least one processing unit, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to recognize input provided by the at least one mechanism to verify the at least one mechanism is operating correctly.

14. The wearable defibrillator of claim 13 wherein the at least one mechanism comprises at least one device selected from the group consisting of switches and relays.

15. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause an alarm to be emitted to verify that the wearable defibrillator can properly emit the alarm.

16. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one audio device comprises at least one microphone and at least one speaker, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause the at least one speaker to produce audio output and is configured to adjust at least one of frequency and amplitude characteristics of the audio output based upon audio input received by the at least one microphone.

17. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 further comprising at least one memory operatively connected to the at least one processing unit wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause data obtained by the at least one sensor to be recorded in the at least one memory.

18. The wearable defibrillator of claim 17 wherein the audio input comprises a command and the at least one processing unit is configured to cause data obtained by the at least one sensor to be recorded in the at least one memory after the command is received by the at least one audio device.

19. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1 wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause a self-diagnostic test to be run if the audio input comprises a high amplitude and short duration noise.

20. The wearable defibrillator of claim 2, wherein the audio input includes a name of the patient, wherein the processing unit is configured to recognize the patient based on the name of the patient.

21. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the audio input includes a name of the patient, and wherein the processing unit is configured to provide the name of the patient as output from the at least one audio device.

22. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1, comprising:

a memory unit configured to store the audio input; and

the at least one processing unit and the at least one audio device configured to provide, as output, the audio input to identify the patient as an intended user of the wearable defibrillator.

23. The wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to delay treatment of the arrhythmia condition in response to a determination that the patient associated with the wearable defibrillator provided the audio input in response to the voice recognition responsiveness test.

24. A system configured to monitor a patient comprising:

a wearable defibrillator configured to operatively connect to a central location, the wearable defibrillator comprising;

at least one therapy pad;

at least one sensor;

at least one processing unit operatively connected to the at least one therapy pad and the at least one sensor;

at least one audio device operatively connected to the at least one processing unit, the at least one audio device configured to receive audio input from a patient, the audio input including a voice signature of the patient;

wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to cause at least one patient responsiveness test including a voice recognition responsiveness test to be run upon detection of an arrhythmia condition by the at least one sensor and to uniquely identify the patient as being associated with the wearable defibrillator and to identify the patient as having provided the audio input in response to the voice recognition responsiveness test based on the voice signature.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the at least one audio device is at least one microphone configured to receive the audio input from the patient.

26. The system of claim 24 further comprising a base station configured to transmit data between the wearable defibrillator and the central location.

27. The system of claim 26, comprising at least one memory at the central location configured to store data transmitted from the wearable defibrillator via the base station, wherein the data includes the voice signature of the patient.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the at least one processing unit comprises at least one communication device configured to operatively connect the wearable defibrillator with the central location to communicate information between the wearable defibrillator and the central location.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to uniquely identify the patient as being associated with the wearable defibrillator based on the voice signature to ensure that the wearable defibrillator is worn by the patient, the system further comprising:

a second wearable defibrillator including a processing unit and an audio device configured to receive a voice signature of a second patient;

a memory unit associated with the second wearable defibrillator configured to store the voice signature of the second patient;

the processing unit of the second wearable defibrillator configured to uniquely identify the second patient as being associated with the second wearable defibrillator, based on the voice signature of the second patient to ensure that the second wearable defibrillator is worn by the second patient.

30. A method of providing treatment to a patient, comprising:

providing a wearable defibrillator comprising at least one audio device;

monitoring a condition of the patient;

providing audio output from the at least one audio device to the patient to verify a monitored arrhythmia condition exists;

receiving audio input from the patient with the at least one audio device, the audio input including a voice signature of the patient;

uniquely identifying the patient as being associated with the wearable defibrillator and having provided the audio input based on the voice signature of the patent; and

delaying treatment to the patient based on a determination that the audio input was provided by the patient.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

recording the condition of the patient;

communicating the condition of the patient to a central location;

utilizing the at least one audio device to conduct at least one diagnostic test of the wearable defibrillator;

recording results from the at least one diagnostic test; and

evaluating the results from the at least one diagnostic test.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

selecting a language from a plurality of different languages that the patient understands;

wherein providing the audio output from the at least one audio device includes providing the audio output in the selected language.