Methods and systems for alerting practitioners to physiological conditions

• US 9,107,635 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Ochs, James, Amundson, Scott, Batchelder, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): HENSON, DEVIN B
• Application Number:
  US14/286,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20150018653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 600323-341, 340/511, 340/540, 340/573.1, 128/204.23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• 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: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• 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 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 : worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for monitoring a patient to produce a signal representing a blood oxygen concentration. The signal may be analyzed to determine the presence of one or more sleep apnea events, and an integral of the signal may be calculated if the signal is outside of a set range or threshold. A practitioner may choose to be informed of the presence of sleep apnea events if the blood oxygen concentration is less then a preset limit, if an upper limit has been reached for an integral representing the severity of the oxygen deprivation over time, or anytime sleep apnea events may be present in the signal.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating a condition of a patient based on blood oxygen saturation data, the method comprising:

monitoring a patient with a sensor to produce a signal comprising a sequence of numerical values for a physiological parameter over a time period;

analyzing the signal with a processor of a patient monitor to determine a presence of one or more oxygen desaturation patterns;

determining, with the processor, a value for an integral of the signal if the signal is outside of a predetermined range or threshold;

determining, with the processor, whether the signal is indicative of sleep apnea or another type of desaturation event based at least in part upon both the presence of the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns and the value of the integral;

providing, with the processor, an indication of sleep apnea based at least in part upon the determination that the signal is indicative of sleep apnea; and

providing, with the processor, an indication of another type of desaturation event based at least in part upon the determination that the signal is indicative of another type of desaturation event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the value of the integral comprises accumulating, with the processor, a product of time and a difference between the signal and a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising determining, with the processor, if a combined alarm limit has been violated based at least in part on the presence of the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns and the value of the integral, wherein the value of the integral is compared to the combined alarm limit when one or more oxygen desaturation patterns are present.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising providing, with the processor, the indication of sleep apnea when a cluster of the oxygen desaturation patterns is present and the value of the integral is greater than the value of the combined alarm limit.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising providing, with the processor, the indication of sleep apnea when a cluster of the oxygen desaturation patterns is present and the value of the integral is greater than a value of an integral alarm limit.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising providing, with the processor, the indication of sleep apnea when the value of the integral is greater than an integral alarm limit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, with the processor, the indication of sleep apnea comprises providing the indication of sleep apnea on a visual display on the patient monitor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication of sleep apnea comprises providing the indication of sleep apnea as an audible alarm signal on the patient monitor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication of sleep apnea comprises providing the indication of sleep apnea as a message to a device on a local area network.

10. A method of evaluating a condition of a patient based on blood oxygen saturation data, the method comprising:

analyzing, with a processor of a patient monitor, a physiological signal to determine a presence of one or more oxygen desaturation patterns;

determining, with the processor, a value for an integral if the physiological signal is outside of a range or threshold;

providing, with the processor, an indication of sleep apnea based at least in part upon both the presence of the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns and a determination that the value of the integral is greater than a first integral threshold; and

providing, with the processor, an indication of another type of desaturation event based at least in part upon both an absence of the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns and a determination that the value of the integral is greater than a second integral threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the value of the integral comprises accumulating, with the processor, a product of time and a difference between the physiological signal and a threshold value.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising determining, with the processor, a presence of a cluster in the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns each comprise a desaturation rate and a resaturation rate, and wherein the desaturation rate is slower than the resaturation rate.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the indication of sleep apnea comprises providing the indication of sleep apnea as a visual display on a display of the patient monitor.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the indication of another type of desaturation event comprises providing, with the processor, an audible alarm signal.

16. A method of evaluating a condition of a patient based on blood oxygen saturation data, the method comprising:

driving, with a processor of a patient monitor, an emitter of a sensor to generate a physiological signal of a patient;

receiving, with the processor, the physiological signal from the sensor;

analyzing, with the processor, a physiological signal to determine a presence of one or more oxygen desaturation patterns;

determining, with the processor, a value for an integral if the physiological signal is outside of a range or threshold;

providing, with the processor, an indication of sleep apnea based at least in part upon both the presence of the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns and a determination that the value of the integral is greater than a first integral threshold; and

providing, with the processor, an indication of another type of desaturation event based at least in part upon both an absence of the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns and a determination that the value of the integral is greater than a second integral threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising displaying, with the processor, the indication of sleep apnea and the indication of another type of desaturation event on a display.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising providing, with the processor, an audible alarm to provide the indication of another type of desaturation event.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the value of the integral comprises accumulating, with the processor, a product of time and a difference between the physiological signal and a threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising determining, with the processor, a presence of a cluster in the one or more oxygen desaturation patterns.