System and method for observing patients in geographically dispersed health care locations

• US 20060017563A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visicu Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Visicu Incorporated (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Breslow, Michael, Rosenfeld, Brian A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,411,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.120
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/412 Detecting or monitoring sepsis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A system and method for observing patients in geographically dispersed health care locations. A portable monitoring station is associated with a patient assigned to a health care location. The portable monitoring station comprises monitoring equipment that monitors physiological measures of the patient. A remote command center receives the monitored data elements, accesses patient data elements indicative of a medical condition associated with the patient, and applies a patient-specific rule to selected data elements to determine whether the patient-specific rule has been contravened. The monitored equipment may further comprise video and audio equipment that captures patient video data and patient audio data and provides these data to the central command center.

Claims

1. A portable monitoring system for geographically dispersed health care locations comprising:

a telecommunication network;

portable monitoring stations comprising monitoring equipment adapted to monitor data elements from patients assigned to geographically dispersed health care locations and to send the monitored data elements to a remote command center via the telecommunications network, wherein the remote command center is adapted to;

receive the monitored data elements from a patient assigned to a health care location;

access patient data elements indicative of a medical condition associated with the patient;

establish a patient-specific rule associated with the patient; and

apply the patient-specific rule continuously and simultaneously using a rules engine adapted to;

select data elements from the monitored data elements and the patient data elements associated with the patient;

apply the patient-specific rule to the selected data elements;

determine whether the patient-specific rule for the patient has been contravened; and

in the event the patient-specific rule for the patient has been contravened, issue an alert from the remote command center.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring equipment comprises physiological sensors and wherein monitored data elements comprise physiological data elements.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable monitoring system further comprises:

a visual monitoring system;

an audio system; and

a network interface to connect the portable monitoring system to the network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the monitored data elements comprise patient video image data elements and patient audio data elements.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable monitoring station is wearable by the patient.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the patient is a fetus carried by an expectant mother and wherein the portable monitoring station comprises a tachodynamometer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable monitoring station comprises a patient support device, and wherein the monitoring equipment is integrated into the patient support device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the patient support device is selected from the group consisting of a bed, a chair, a recliner, a wheelchair, a stretcher and a gurney.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network comprises a wireless sub-network and wherein the monitored data elements are sent to the remote command center via the wireless subnetwork.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable monitoring station comprises a cart.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a hospital.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a nursing home.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a mobile health care facility.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the mobile health care facility is selected from the group consisting of a ship, a helicopter, and an ambulance.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a space-based health care facility.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a field health care facility.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a residence.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is an emergency room.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is an intensive care unit.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is an operating room.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the health care location is a step down unit.

30. The method as in claim 2, wherein the portable monitoring station comprises a cart.

22. A method for monitoring patients assigned to geographically dispersed health care locations:

associating a portable monitoring station with a patient assigned to a health care location;

receiving at a remote command center monitored data elements from the patient and other patients associated with other portable monitoring stations and assigned to other geographically dispersed health care locations via a telecommunications network;

accessing patient data elements indicative of a medical condition associated with the patient and the other patients;

establishing patient-specific rules associated with the patient and each of the other patients;

selecting data elements from the monitored data elements associated with the patient and the patient data elements associated with the patient;

applying the patient-specific rule associated with the patient to the selected data elements continuously and simultaneously with the application of the other patient-specific rules to the patient data elements associated with the other patients;

making a determination whether the patient-specific rule for the patient has been contravened; and

in the event the patient-specific rule for the patient has been contravened, issuing an alert from the remote command center.

23. The method as in claim 22, wherein monitoring equipment comprises physiological sensors and wherein monitored data elements comprise physiological data elements.

24. The method as in claim 23, wherein the portable monitoring system further comprises:

a visual monitoring system;

an audio system; and

a network interface to connect the portable monitoring system to the network.

25. The method as in claim 24, wherein the portable monitoring station is wearable by the patient.

26. The method as in claim 25, wherein the patient is a fetus carried by an expectant mother and wherein the portable monitoring station comprises a tachodynamometer.

27. The method as in claim 26, wherein the monitored data elements are acquired using monitoring equipment integrated into a patient support device.

28. The method as in claim 27, wherein the patient support device is selected from the group consisting of a bed, a chair, a recliner, a wheelchair, a stretcher and a gurney.

29. The method as in claim 22, wherein the telecommunications network comprises a wireless sub-network and wherein receiving at a remote command center monitored data elements from geographically dispersed patients via a telecommunications network comprises receiving at the remote command center monitored data elements from the geographically dispersed patients via the wireless subnetwork.

31. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a hospital.

32. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a nursing home.

33. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a mobile health care facility.

34. The method as in claim 33, wherein the mobile health care facility is selected from the group consisting of a ship, a helicopter, and an ambulance.

35. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a space-based health care facility.

36. The method for as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a field health care facility.

37. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a residence.

38. The method as in claim 22, wherein the wherein health care location is an emergency room.

39. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is an intensive care unit.

40. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is an operating room.

41. The method as in claim 22, wherein the health care location is a step down unit.