Sensor for acquiring physiological signals of a patient

• US 9,250,104 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Greiner, Harald, Wilm, Bernd, Hassing, Kai, Kaiser, Winfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US11/569,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20090118595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,896 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present invention suggests the use of independent, wireless, smart and therefore self-contained sensors (3, 4, 5) in a patient monitoring system (1). The sensors (3, 4, 5) provide their own communication system for transmitting acquired signals to a patient monitor (8) etc. Furthermore a patient identifier (26) is associated to the communication. This approach introduces a patient-related concept, where all communication is personalized and assigned to the patient (2).

Claims

1. A patient monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of self-contained sensors which acquire physiological signals from a patient and a remote device which wirelessly communicate with the sensors, wherein each of the plurality of sensors includes;

a communication module which provides direct and independent wireless communication to the remote device without any intermediate patient-based station,

a personalization module configured to create and associate a patient identifier to said communication, and

a signal storage and processing module which stores and process the acquired signals and data derived from the signals respectively prior to communication with the remote device, wherein the signal storage and processing module further controls processing and storing of signals and data depending on the availability of the communication,

wherein each sensor communicates independently with the remote device.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication module autonomously controls the communication with the remote device.

3. A patient monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of self-contained sensors configured to acquire physiological signals from a patient and a remote device configured to wirelessly communicate with the sensors, wherein each of the plurality of sensors includes;

a communication device configured to provide direct and independent wireless communication to the remote device without any intermediate patient-based station,

a computer in the sensor configured to;

create and associate a patient identifier to said communication,

store and process the acquired signals and data derived from the signals respectively prior to communication with the remote device,

control processing and storing of signals and data depending on the availability of the communication,

wherein each sensor is configured to communicate independently with the remote device, wherein the communication is a direct communication to the remote device.

4. A method of operating a plurality of sensors for acquiring physiological signals of a patient comprising:

attaching each sensor to a patient, the sensors each acquiring corresponding physiological data from the patient;

creating a patient identifier within at least one of the sensors;

assigning the patient identifier to each sensor;

in each sensor, processing the acquired physiological data with each sensor;

in each sensor, forming the acquired physiological data into a corresponding physiological data communication from each sensor;

in each sensor, inserting the patient identifier into a header of each physiological data communication;

storing each physiological data communication in the corresponding sensor until a remote patient monitoring device is available;

finding an available remote patient monitoring device;

with each sensor, initiating a wireless communication link directly and independently from each sensor with the available remote patient monitoring device; and

wirelessly communicating the physiological data communication with the patient identifier from each sensor to the available remote patient monitoring device.

5. A method of monitoring a patient comprising:

attaching a plurality of autonomous sensors to a patient, each sensor acquiring physiological data from the patient;

creating a patient identifier within one of the plurality of sensors;

with wireless communication among the plurality of sensors, assigning the patient identifier to other sensors attached to the patient;

with one of the plurality of sensors, detecting one or more unassigned remote monitoring devices that are not assigned to a patient;

with one of the plurality of sensors, establishing a wireless communication link to one of the unassigned remote monitoring devices; and

with one of the plurality of sensors, wirelessly receiving a confirmation signed from the unassigned remote monitoring device;

with one of the plurality of sensors, assigning the sensors with the created patient identifier to the unassigned remote monitoring device;

wirelessly communicating physiological data and the patient identifier from the plurality of sensors to the remote monitoring device.

6. The method of claim 5 further including:

assigning one or more additional sensors to the patient and automatically copying the assigned patient identifier to the one or more additional sensors.

7. The method of claim 5 further including:

storing the physiological data acquired by each sensor in a signal storage and processing module of the sensor;

monitoring communication environmental conditions;

based on the monitored communication environmental conditions, changing at least one of a physiological data acquisition algorithm and properties of the communication link with the signal storage and processing module of the sensor.

12. The method of claim 5, further including:

after receiving a first confirmation signal from the one of the unassigned remote monitoring devices, notifying any unassigned remote monitoring devices from which another confirmation signal is subsequently received.

13. The method according to claim 5, further including:

in response to detecting more than one remote monitoring device, triggering a confirmation dialog with each of the detected remote monitoring devices.

8. A handheld device for monitoring each of a plurality of patients comprising:

a receiver which wirelessly receives communications which each include patient data and patient identifiers directly from a plurality of sensors associated with a plurality of patients;

a display which displays the patient data for a selected patient;

a processor which;

receives the communications from the receiver corresponding to the plurality of sensors,

determines the patient identifier from each communication, and

controls the display to display only the patient data from a selected one of the plurality of patients based on the patient identifier corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of patients until triggered to display patient data from a different one of the plurality of patients,

wherein the receiver passively listens for the communications from the plurality of sensors and automatically tunes to all of the sensors assigned to the patient identifier corresponding to the selected patient; and

each sensor is configured to create a patient identifier and associate the patient identifier with its communications.

9. The handheld device of claim 8, wherein the processor automatically updates the display, the patient identification, and associated patient data when a communication with a different patient identifier is received.

10. The handheld device of claim 8, wherein the trigger is automatic based on the data received.

11. The handheld device of claim 8, wherein the trigger is manually activated.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium which carries software to control one or more processors disposed in patient sensors for performing the method comprising:

with the patient worn sensors, acquiring physiological data from a patient;

creating a patient identifier with the one or more processors of one of the patient worn sensors;

using wireless communication among the patient sensors worn by the patient, assigning the patient identifier to the other patient sensors worn by the patient;

with the patient sensors worn by the patient, detecting a remote monitoring device which is not assigned;

with the patient sensors, autonomously assigning the patient sensors to the detected remote monitoring device;

wirelessly communicating physiological data and the patient identifier from the patient worn sensors to the assigned remote monitoring device.