Systems and methods for customizing a multiple alarm system in a portable patient monitor

• US 9,554,756 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Inventors: Menzel, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): YANG, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US12/638,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20110140896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,604 Days
• Field of Search: 340/500, 340/540, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A patient monitoring system allows medical personnel to customize multi-parameter alarms for particular patients and/or medical conditions. A patient monitor provides a user interface that allows medical personnel to create custom alarms by selecting patient parameters, desired levels or limits, comparators, and logic connectors to define an alarm condition that includes boundary conditions for a plurality of different patient parameters. A user may also link or group the different boundary conditions to define an order in which to process the various logic connectors.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a patient using user-customizable alarm profiles in a patient monitor system, the method comprising:

providing a user interface to a user of the patient monitor system for the selection of a multi-parameter alarm condition based on measured values associated with a combination of multiple patient parameters;

receiving, through the user interface, a first boundary condition associated with a first patient parameter selected by the user, the first patient parameter corresponding to a plurality of measured values of a first type of monitored patient physiological data received through a sensor interface of the patient monitor system;

receiving, through the user interface, a second boundary condition associated with a second patient parameter selected by the user, the second patient parameter corresponding to a plurality of measured values of a second type of monitored patient physiological data received through the sensor interface of the patient monitor system, wherein the second type of monitored patient physiological data is different from the first type of monitored patient physiological data;

receiving, through the user interface, a first logic connector that relates the first boundary condition of the first patient parameter to the second boundary condition of the second patient parameter to define the multi-parameter alarm condition;

measuring, with the patient monitor system, values of the first patient parameter and the second patient parameter; and

triggering an alarm based on the measured values, the first boundary condition, the second boundary condition, and the defined multi-parameter alarm condition.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, a selection of the first patient parameter from among a plurality of available patient parameters; and

receiving, through the user interface, a selection of the second patient parameter from among the plurality of available patient parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first boundary condition comprises:

receiving, through the user interface, a selection of a first comparator from among a plurality of available comparators; and

receiving, through the user interface, a selection of a first limit value associated with the first patient parameter and the first comparator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the first boundary condition further comprises:

receiving, through the user interface, a selection of a second comparator from among the plurality of available comparators; and

receiving, through the user interface, a selection of a second limit value associated with the first patient parameter and the second comparator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, a third boundary condition associated with a third patient parameter; and

receiving, through the user interface, a second logic connector that relates the third boundary condition to at least one of the first boundary condition and the second boundary condition to further define the alarm condition.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, an indication of a link between at least one of the first boundary condition, the second boundary condition, and the third boundary condition,

wherein the link defines an order in which to process the first logic connector and the second logic connector to determine an occurrence of the defined alarm condition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first boundary condition comprises:

receiving, through the user interface, a limit value and a time constant, wherein the time constant defines an interval over which the measured values of the first patient parameter exceed the limit value before triggering the alarm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first boundary condition comprises:

receiving, through the user interface, a limit value defining a rate of change for the first patient parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first boundary condition comprises:

receiving, through the user interface, a limit value and an indication of a statistical operation, wherein the statistical operation defines an analysis to perform on the measured values of the first patient parameter.

10. A patient monitor comprising:

a processor;

a sensor interface to receive and process patient physiological data signals corresponding to measured patient parameters;

a display device to display the patient physiological data signals and a user interface for allowing the user to customize multi-parameter alarm profiles; and

an alarm subsystem configured to;

receive, through the user interface, a first boundary condition associated with a first patient parameter selected by the user corresponding to a first type of patient physiological data signal comprising measured values received through the sensor interface;

receive, through the user interface, a second boundary condition associated with a second patient parameter selected by the user corresponding to a second type of patient physiological data signal comprising measured values received through the sensor interface, wherein the second type of patient physiological data signal is distinct from the first type of patient physiological data signal;

receive, through the user interface, a first logic connector that relates the first boundary condition of the first patient parameter to the second boundary condition of the second patient parameter to define a multi-parameter alarm condition; and

trigger an alarm based on the measured first and second patient parameters with the defined multi-parameter alarm condition.

11. The patient monitor of claim 10, wherein the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a selection of the first patient parameter from among a plurality of available patient parameters; and

receive, through the user interface, a selection of the second patient parameter from among the plurality of available patient parameters.

12. The patient monitor of claim 10, wherein to receive the first boundary condition the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a selection of a first comparator from among a plurality of available comparators; and

receive, through the user interface, a selection of a first limit value associated with the first patient parameter and the first comparator.

13. The patient monitor of claim 12, wherein to receive the first boundary condition the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a selection of a second comparator from among the plurality of available comparators; and

receive, through the user interface, a selection of a second limit value associated with the first patient parameter and the second comparator.

14. The patient monitor of claim 10, wherein the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a third boundary condition associated with a third patient parameter; and

receive, through the user interface, a second logic connector that relates the third boundary condition to at least one of the first boundary condition and the second boundary condition to further define the alarm condition.

15. The patient monitor of claim 14, wherein the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, an indication of a link between at least one of the first boundary condition, the second boundary condition, and the third boundary condition,

wherein the link defines an order in which to process the first logic connector and the second logic connector to determine an occurrence of the defined alarm condition.

16. The patient monitor of claim 10, wherein to receive the first boundary condition the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a limit value and a time constant, wherein the time constant defines an interval over which the measured values of the first patient parameter exceed the limit value before triggering the alarm.

17. The patient monitor of claim 10, wherein to receive the first boundary condition the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a limit value defining a rate of change for the first patient parameter.

18. The patient monitor of claim 10, wherein to receive the first boundary condition the alarm subsystem is further configured to:

receive, through the user interface, a limit value and an indication of a statistical operation, wherein the statistical operation defines an analysis to perform on the measured values of the first patient parameter.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing operations for monitoring a patient using user-customizable multi-parameter alarm profiles in a patient monitor system, the operations comprising:

displaying a user interface to a user of the patient monitor system;

receiving, through the user interface, a first boundary condition associated with a first patient parameter selected by the user, the first patient parameter corresponding to measured values of a first type of monitored patient physiological data received through a sensor interface;

receiving, through the user interface, a second boundary condition associated with a second patient parameter selected by the user, the second patient parameter corresponding to measured values of a second type of monitored patient physiological data received through the sensor interface of the patient monitor system, wherein the second type of monitored patient physiological data is different from the first type of monitored patient physiological data;

receiving, through the user interface, a first logic connector that relates the first boundary condition of the first patient parameter to the second boundary condition of the second patient parameter to define a multi-parameter alarm condition;

measuring, with the patient monitor system, values of the first patient parameter and the second patient parameter; and

triggering an alarm based on the measured values, the first boundary condition, the second boundary condition, and the defined multi-parameter alarm condition.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, a third boundary condition associated with a third patient parameter; and

receiving, through the user interface, a second logic connector that relates the third boundary condition to at least one of the first boundary condition and the second boundary condition to further define the alarm condition.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the operations further comprising:

receiving, through the user interface, an indication of a link between at least one of the first boundary condition, the second boundary condition, and the third boundary condition,

wherein the link defines an order in which to process the first logic connector and the second logic connector to determine an occurrence of the defined alarm condition.

22. A system for monitoring patients using user-customizable multi-parameter alarm profiles, the system comprising:

means for receiving a first boundary condition associated with a first patient parameter, the first patient parameter selected by the user and corresponding to measured values of a first type of monitored patient physiological data received through a sensor interface of the patient monitor system;

means for receiving a second boundary condition associated with a second patient parameter, the second patient parameter selected by the user and corresponding to measured values of a second type of monitored patient physiological data received through the sensor interface of the patient monitor system, wherein the second type of monitored patient physiological data is different from the first type of monitored patient physiological data;

means for receiving a first logic connector that relates the first boundary condition of the first patient parameter to the second boundary condition of the second patient parameter to define the multi-parameter alarm condition;

means for measuring values of the first patient parameter and the second patient parameter; and

means for triggering an alarm based on the measured values, the first boundary condition, the second boundary condition, and the defined multi-parameter alarm condition.