System and method for transfer of primary alarm notification on patient monitoring systems

• US 8,842,001 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spacelabs Healthcare LLC (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spacelabs Healthcare LLC (OSI Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gilham, Jeffrey Jay, Jensen, Patrick Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US13/300,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20120126984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The present application discloses methods and systems for transferring primary alarm notification on patient monitoring systems from a bedside monitor to one or more secondary devices which may operate on a less than fully reliable network. The bedside monitor includes an attached physiological parameter measurement device which detects when a specific physiological parameter measures outside a predetermined range. The bedside monitor then directs the secondary device(s) to annunciate its alarm. Primary alarming responsibility reverts from the secondary device(s) back to the bedside monitor whenever communication between the two is lost or when acknowledgement of the alarm condition by the secondary device is not relayed back to the bedside monitor within a predetermined amount of time.

Claims

1. A non-volatile computer readable medium, not including transmission media for transmitting waves, wherein said medium comprises:

a first plurality of programmatic instructions, wherein, when executed by a first computing device, said first plurality of programmatic instructions;

transmit a message from the first computing device to a second computing device wherein said message is a request to have the first computing device assume primary responsibility for annunciating an alarm;

establish and maintain a heartbeat, wherein said heartbeat provides a consistent confirmation that a communication link between the first computing device and second computing device is operational;

receive data indicative of an alarm state from the second computing device; and

in response to receiving said data indicative of an alarm state from the second computing device, transmit an acknowledgement from the first computing device to the second computing device; and

a second plurality of programmatic instructions, wherein, when executed by the second computing device, said second plurality of programmatic instructions;

receives said message from the first computing device;

in response to receiving said message, establish and maintain said heartbeat;

monitor said heartbeat to confirm that a communication link between the first computing device and second computing device is operational;

transmit said data indicative of an alarm state;

suspend executing programmatic routines for annunciating an alarm in response to the alarm state if said acknowledgement from the first computing device is received; and

cause said alarm to be annunciated in response to the alarm state based on said data indicative of an alarm state and said heartbeat status.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said second computing device is a bedside monitor.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said first computing device is at least one of a cellular phone, PDA, smart phone, tablet computing device, patient monitor, custom kiosk, or other computing device capable of executing programmatic instructions.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions cause said alarm to be annunciated at the second computing device in response to an alarm state if said heartbeat is not detected.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions cause said alarm to be annunciated at the second computing device in response to an alarm state if said heartbeat fails to meet a predefined reliability threshold.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions does not cause said alarm to be annunciated at the second computing device if the heartbeat is detected and if the acknowledgement is received from the first computing device.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said first plurality of programmatic instructions generates a user prompt to acknowledge receipt of an alarm message at said first computing device.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said first plurality of programmatic instructions receives user input in response to a prompt to acknowledge receipt of an alarm message and transmits data indicative of said user input to the second computing device.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions does not cause said alarm to be annunciated at the second computing device if the heartbeat is detected, if the acknowledgement is received, and if data indicative of said user input is received.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions does cause said alarm to be annunciated at the second computing device if any one of the following occurs:

the heartbeat is not detected, the acknowledgement is not received, or data indicative of said user input is not received.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein when said first plurality of programmatic instructions receives said data indicative of an alarm state from the second computing device, said first plurality of programmatic instructions cause an alarm to be annunciated at the first computing device.

12. A volatile or non-volatile computer readable medium, not including transmission media for transmitting waves, wherein said medium comprises:

a first plurality of programmatic instructions, wherein, when executed by a first computing device, said first plurality of programmatic instructions;

receives a message from a bedside monitor wherein said message is a request to have the first computing device assume primary responsibility for annunciating an alarm;

in response to receiving said message, establish and maintain a heartbeat, wherein said heartbeat provides a consistent confirmation that a communication link between the first computing device and the bedside monitor is operational;

receive data indicative of an alarm state from the bedside monitor; and

in response to receiving said data indicative of an alarm state from the bedside monitor, transmit an acknowledgement from the first computing device to the bedside monitor; and

a second plurality of programmatic instructions, wherein, when executed by the bedside monitor, said second plurality of programmatic instructions;

said message from the first computing device;

establish and maintain said heartbeat;

monitor said heartbeat to confirm that a communication link between the first computing device and bedside monitor is operational;

transmit said data indicative of an alarm state;

suspend executing programmatic routines for annunciating an alarm in response to the alarm state if said acknowledgement from the first computing device is received; and

cause said alarm to be annunciated in response to the alarm state based on said data indicative of an alarm state and heartbeat status.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein said first computing device is at least one of a cellular phone, PDA, smart phone, tablet computing device, patient monitor, custom kiosk, or other computing device capable of executing programmatic instructions.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions cause said alarm to be annunciated at the bedside monitor in response to an alarm state if said heartbeat is not detected.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions cause said alarm to be annunciated at the bedside monitor in response to an alarm state if the heartbeat fails to meet a predefined reliability threshold.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions does not cause said alarm to be annunciated at the bedside monitor if the heartbeat is detected and if the acknowledgement is received from the first computing device.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein said first plurality of programmatic instructions generates a user prompt to acknowledge receipt of an alarm message at said first computing device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein said first plurality of programmatic instructions receives user input in response to a prompt to acknowledge receipt of an alarm message and transmits data indicative of said user input to the bedside monitor.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions does not cause said alarm to be annunciated at the bedside monitor if the heartbeat is detected, if the acknowledgement is received, and if data indicative of said user input is received.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein said second plurality of programmatic instructions does cause said alarm to be annunciated at the bedside monitor if any one of the following occurs:

the heartbeat is not detected, the acknowledgement is not received, or data indicative of said user input is not received.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein when said first plurality of programmatic instructions receives said data indicative of an alarm state from the bedside monitor, said first plurality of programmatic instructions cause an alarm to be annunciated at the first computing device.