Method, arrangement and computer program product for managing alarms in patient monitoring

• US 9,101,335 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Coffeng, Rene
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US13/163,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20120319848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/539.12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/021 operated by electrical means A61M16/202 – A61M16/205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/584 having a color code
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 Rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/432 partial CO2 pressure (P-CO2)
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A method, device, and computer program product for managing alarms during a care process are disclosed. Care is provided to a subject according to settings of at least one care device and physiological parameters obtained from the subject are monitored, wherein the monitoring comprises triggering an alarm in response to detection of an alarm event. To enable smooth transfer from an alarm event to normal monitoring state, at least one available control option is determined for recovering from the alarm event. A user is prompted to select one of the at least one available control option, thereby to obtain a user-selected control option and the settings of the at least one care device are adjusted according to the user-selected control option.

Claims

1. A method for managing alarms during a care process, the method comprising:

providing care to a subject according to settings of at least one care device;

monitoring physiological parameters obtained from the subject, wherein the monitoring comprises triggering an alarm in response to detection of an alarm event;

employing a control model in a control unit adapted to model recovery strategies from the alarm event to normal state of the subject based on drug specific and patient specific parameters to determine a plurality of available control options for recovering from the alarm event;

visually displaying the plurality of available control options in a priority order based on the effectiveness of each of the plurality of control options in a previous cases, wherein each of the available control options includes at least one preferred value for at least one of the settings of the at least one care device;

prompting the user to select one of the plurality of control options, thereby to obtain a user-selected control option in the control unit; and

operating the control unit to adjust the settings of the at least one care device according to the preferred value for the at least one of the settings included as part of the user-selected control option such that the at least one care device operates with the adjusted settings.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prompting further comprises presenting decision-supportive information to the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting to the user graphical user interface elements adapted to enable the user to adjust the settings from the at least one preferred value, wherein the presenting is performed in response to obtaining the user-selected control option and wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the settings to user-adjusted values when the user employs the graphical interface elements and to the at least one preferred value when the user omits to employ the graphical interface elements.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the physiological parameters are monitored and the settings of the at least one care device are adjusted by the control unit separate from the at least one care device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the control unit is in communication with the at least one care device and adjusts the setting of the at least one care device based upon the user-selected control option.

4. An arrangement for managing alarms during a care process, the arrangement comprising:

at least one care device adapted to provide care to a subject according to settings of the care device;

a monitoring unit in communication with the care device and adapted to monitor physiological parameters obtained from the subject, wherein the monitoring unit is further adapted to trigger an alarm in response to detection of an alarm event;

a determination unit adapted to utilize a control model to model recovery strategies from the alarm event to a normal state of the subject based on drug specific and patient specific parameters to determine a plurality of available control options for recovering from the alarm event, wherein each of the plurality of control options includes at least one preferred value for at least one of the settings;

a user interface unit configured to display the plurality of available control options in a priority order based on the effectiveness of each of the plurality of control options in previous cases and prompt a user to select one of the plurality of available control options, thereby to obtain a user-selected control option; and

an adjustment unit in communication with the at least one care device and adapted to adjust settings of the at least one care device to the preferred value of the selected control option such that the at least one care device operates with the adjusted settings according to the user-selected control option.

5. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit is configured to employ a control model adapted to model recovery strategies from the alarm event to normal state of the subject.

6. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the user interface unit is further adapted to present decision-supportive information to the user.

7. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein each of the at least one available control option includes at least one preferred value for the settings.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the user interface unit is further adapted to present to the user graphical user interface elements adapted to enable the user to adjust the settings from the at least one preferred value.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for managing alarms during a care process, the computer program product comprising:

a first program product portion encoded on a computer-readable medium adapted to determine a plurality of available control options for recovering from an alarm event; and

organize the plurality of available control options in a priority order based on the effectiveness of each of the plurality of control options in previous cases, wherein each of the control options includes a preferred value for at least one setting of a care device;

a second program product portion encoded on a computer-readable medium adapted to prompt a user to select one of the plurality of available control options, thereby to obtain a user-selected control option; and

a third program product portion encoded on a computer-readable medium adapted to adjust at least one setting of the at least one care device according, to the user-selected control option such that the at least one care device operates with the adjusted settings,

10. The computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the first program product portion comprises a control model adapted to model recovery strategies from the alarm event to normal monitoring state.