Brain injury protocols

• US 20050027173A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Physio-Control Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Physio-Control Corp. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Joseph L., McMahon, Michael D., Radons, Stephen W., Briscoe, Kathleen E.
• Application Number:
  US10/632,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027173A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

In general, the invention is directed to techniques for managing health care protocols, and in particular, brain injury protocols, with a system that may be incorporated with a device such as a defibrillator, patient monitor, or other device. The system selects a brain injury protocol as a function of patient data received from an operator, or from a monitoring device, or both. Pursuant to the protocol, the system may present information, direct an operator to perform a task, determine a presumptive diagnosis, and control a therapy device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data concerning a patient; and

selecting a brain injury protocol as a function of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the data from an operator.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the data from a monitoring device.

4. The method of claim 3, in which the data from the monitoring device comprises at least one of a heart rate, a pulse, a blood pressure, a carbon dioxide concentration, a blood oxygen concentration, a respiration, a blood velocity, an EEG, an ECG, and a body temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the data comprise at least one of a physical condition of the patient, a mental condition of the patient and a complaint from the patient.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the brain injury protocol comprises one of an ischemic stroke protocol and a hemorrhagic stroke protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling a therapy device according to the brain injury protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, in which the therapy device comprises one of a cooling device and a drug delivery device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an operator with a task to be performed pursuant to the brain injury protocol; and

receiving an acknowledgement from the operator that the task has been performed.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing in an event log at least one of an action taken in the course of attending to the patient, a reception of the data from a monitoring device and a therapy delivered by a therapy device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting the event log to a remote unit.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a checklist to an operator pursuant to the brain injury protocol, the checklist requesting entry of additional data concerning the patient; and

receiving the additional data from the operator.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling a therapy device as a function of the additional data.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a presumptive diagnosis as a function of the data.

15. A method comprising:

presenting a checklist to an operator, the checklist requesting entry of data concerning a neurological condition of a patient;

receiving the data from the operator;

receiving additional data concerning the patient from a monitoring device; and

selecting a brain injury protocol as a function of the data.

16. The method of claim 15, in which the checklist comprises at least one of a Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale, a Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen, a Glasgow Coma Scale and a Hunt and Hess Scale for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a presumptive diagnosis as a function of the data.

18. The method of claim 15, in which the data from the monitoring device comprises at least one of a heart rate, a pulse, a blood pressure, a carbon dioxide concentration, a blood oxygen concentration, a respiration, a blood velocity, an EEG, an ECG, and a body temperature.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising controlling a therapy device according to the brain injury protocol.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing in an event log at least one of an action taken in the course of attending to the patient, a reception of the data from a monitoring device and a therapy delivered by a therapy device.

21. A system comprising:

a monitoring device to monitor a medical condition of a patient and to generate data concerning the patient; and

a processor to receive the data from the monitoring device and to select a brain injury protocol as a function of the data.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a therapy device to provide brain injury therapy to the patient.

23. The system of claim 22, in which the processor is configured to control the therapy device as a function of the data.

24. The system of claim 22, in which the processor is configured to control the therapy device as a function of the brain injury protocol.

25. The system of claim 22, in which the therapy device comprises one of a cooling device and a drug delivery device.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising an input device to receive additional data concerning the patient from an operator.

27. The system of claim 26, in which the input device comprises at least one of a button, a keyboard, a touch screen, a voice recognition module and a pointing tool.

28. The system of claim 21, further comprising an output device to present brain information pursuant to the brain injury protocol.

29. The system of claim 28, in which the output device comprises at least one of a touch screen, a display screen, an audible sound generator, a voice synthesizer, a printer and an indicator light.

30. The system of claim 21, further comprising memory to store at least one of a brain injury protocol and a datum concerning the patient.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a communication module to transmit data stored in the memory to a remote unit.

32. The system of claim 21, in which the monitoring device comprises at least one of a heart rate monitor, a pulse monitor, a blood pressure monitor, a carbon dioxide concentration sensor, a blood oxygen concentration sensor, a blood velocity sensor, an EEG monitor, an ECG monitor, and a body temperature sensor.

33. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

receive data concerning a patient; and

select a brain injury protocol as a function of the data.

34. The medium of claim 33, the instructions further causing the processor to receiving the data from at least one of an operator and a monitoring device.

35. The medium of claim 33, the instructions further causing the processor to control a therapy device according to the brain injury protocol.

36. The medium of claim 33, the instructions further causing the processor to store in an event log at least one of an action taken in the course of attending to the patient, a reception of the data from a monitoring device and a therapy delivered by a therapy device.

37. The medium of claim 33, the instructions further causing the processor to determine a presumptive diagnosis as a function of the data.

38. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

present a checklist to an operator, the checklist requesting entry of data concerning a neurological condition of a patient;

receive the data from the operator;

receive additional data concerning the patient from a monitoring device; and

select a brain injury protocol as a function of the data.

39. The medium of claim 38, in which the checklist comprises at least one of a Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale, a Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen, a Glasgow Coma Scale and a Hunt and Hess Scale for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

40. The medium of claim 38, the instructions further causing the processor to control a therapy device according to the brain injury protocol.

41. The medium of claim 38, the instructions further causing the processor to determine a presumptive diagnosis as a function of the data.