Adverse condition detection, assessment, and response systems, methods and devices

• US 9,861,550 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ribble, David, McCleerey, Michelle, Agdeppa, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lyddane, Kathrynn
• Application Number:
  US13/900,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 7/001 without substantial movement between the skin and the device
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/0421 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method includes receiving an input indicative of at least one factor that contributes to the development of pressure ulcers; determining a risk score as a function of the input; comparing the risk score to a previous risk score; and at least one of activating a therapy configured to reduce the magnitude of the factor and notifying a caregiver if the risk score is greater than the previous risk score.

Claims

1. A method of operating a patient support apparatus to predict and mitigate an occurrence of a pressure ulcer, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a sensor of the patient support apparatus a first input signal indicative of a physiological characteristic of a person at a first time;

receiving from the sensor of the patient support apparatus a second input signal indicative of the physiological characteristic of the person at a second time;

determining a difference between the first input signal and the second input signal;

receiving information from a medical device that is separate from the patient support apparatus and is associated with the person;

processing the difference between the first and second input signals and the information received from the medical equipment device to determine if a pressure ulcer is likely to occur based on a trend indicated by the difference between the first input signal and the second input signal and the information received from medical equipment device;

if a pressure ulcer is likely to occur, automatically generating a signal to activate a therapy to mitigate a condition causing the likelihood of the pressure ulcer;

receiving from the sensor of the patient support apparatus a third input signal indicative of the physiological characteristic of the person at a third time that is after the first time and the second time;

determining a difference between the third input signal and at least one of the first input signal and second input signal; and

generating a signal to modify the therapy based on the difference between the third input signal and at least one of the first input signal and second input signal;

wherein the physiological characteristic includes at least one physiological factor that contributes to skin breakdown.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological characteristic that contributes to skin breakdown includes at least one of an interface pressure, a skin temperature, a skin moisture level, an amount of shear, an amount of friction, and an incontinence condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a pressure ulcer is likely to occur when the trend indicates that the physiological characteristic is increasing over time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a pressure ulcer is likely to occur when the trend indicates that the physiological characteristic exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the therapy includes at least one of rotational therapy and low air loss therapy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the therapy is directed toward a location where the pressure ulcer is predicted to occur.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the signal further includes alerting a caregiver.

8. A control system of a patient support apparatus, comprising:

an input;

a processor configured to receive (i) information from the input corresponding to a change in at least two physiological characteristics of a person, (ii) information related to a pressure ulcer risk and a medical history of a person, and (iii) information from a medical device that is separate from the patient support apparatus and is associated with the person; and

a memory unit including instructions configured to be executed by the processor, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine if a pressure ulcer will likely occur based on the information received from the input, the information related to a pressure ulcer risk, a medical history of a person, and the medical equipment device, and automatically generate a signal to activate a therapy if a pressure ulcer will likely occur;

wherein the memory unit further includes instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

receive an input signal indicative of a physiological characteristic of the person after the signal to activate the therapy has been generated;

determine that the input signal after signal to activate a therapy has been generated represents a change in one of the at least two physiological characteristics of a person; and

generate a signal to modify the therapy based on the change in the physiological characteristic.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the physiological characteristics of a person includes at least one of an interface pressure experienced by the person'"'"'s skin, a skin temperature, a skin moisture level, the presence of an incontinence condition, a shear force experienced by the person'"'"'s skin, a friction force experienced by the person'"'"'s skin.

10. The control system of claim 8, wherein the pressure ulcer risk is input by a caregiver.

11. The control system of claim 8, wherein the pressure ulcer risk is received from an electronic medical record database.

12. The control system of claim 8, wherein the medical history of the person is received from an electronic medical record database.

13. The control system of claim 8, wherein the pressure ulcer risk includes at least one of a pressure ulcer risk score, a diagnosed condition, a side effect of a current medication, a therapy status, and a mattress type.

14. The control system of claim 8, wherein the therapy is activated if (i) at least one of the physiological characteristics of the person exceeds a predetermined threshold, (ii) at least one of the pressure ulcer risk indicates a moderate or higher risk, and (iii) the medical history indicates a history of pressure ulcers.

15. The control system of claim 8, wherein the therapy includes at least one of a rotational therapy and a low air loss therapy.

16. The control system of claim 8, wherein the therapy is directed toward a location where the pressure ulcer is predicted to occur.

17. The control system of claim 8, wherein the instructions causes the processor to automatically generate the signal further includes alerting a caregiver.

18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the alert is communicated through a nurse call system.

19. The control system of claim 17, wherein the alert is generated if (i) at least one of the physiological characteristics exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time, (ii) at least one of the pressure ulcer risk indicates a moderate or higher risk, and (iii) the pressure ulcer history indicates a history of a pressure ulcers.

20. The control system of claim 8, wherein the pressure ulcer risk is determined by populating a risk assessment table with information received from the input that is at least one of sensed by a sensing device and received from an electronic medical record.

21. A method of operating a patient support apparatus to predict and mitigate an occurrence of a pressure ulcer, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a sensor of the patient support apparatus a first input signal indicative of a physiological characteristic of a person at a first time;

receiving from the sensor of the patient support apparatus a second input signal indicative of the physiological characteristic of the person at a second time;

determining a difference between the first input signal and the second input signal;

processing the difference between the first and second input signals to determine if a pressure ulcer is likely to occur based on a trend indicated by the difference between the first input signal and the second input signal;

if a pressure ulcer is likely to occur, automatically generating a signal to activate a therapy to mitigate a condition causing the likelihood of the pressure ulcer;

receiving from the sensor of the patient support apparatus a third input signal indicative of the physiological characteristic of the person at a third time that is after the first time and the second time;

determining a difference between the third input signal and at least one of the first input signal and second input signal; and

generating a signal to modify the therapy based on the difference between the third input signal and at least one of the first input signal and second input signal;

wherein the physiological characteristic includes at least one physiological factor that contributes to skin breakdown.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the physiological characteristic that contributes to skin breakdown includes at least one of an interface pressure, a skin temperature, a skin moisture level, an amount of shear, an amount of friction, and an incontinence condition.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein a pressure ulcer is likely to occur when the trend indicates that the physiological characteristic is increasing over time.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein a pressure ulcer is likely to occur when the trend indicates that the physiological characteristic exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the therapy includes at least one of rotational therapy and low air loss therapy.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the therapy is directed toward a location where the pressure ulcer is predicted to occur.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein automatically generating the signal further includes alerting a caregiver.