SENSOR FOR ACQUIRING PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS OF A PATIENT

• US 20090118595A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kaiser, Winfried, Wilm, Bernd, Greiner, Harald, Hassing, Kai
• Granted Patent: US 9,250,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• 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 sensor for acquiring physiological signals of a patient, comprising

a communication module adapted to provide independent wireless communication to a remote device, and

a personalization module adapted to associate a patient identifier to said communication.

2. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a signal storage and processing module adapted to store and/or process the acquired signals and data derived from those signals respectively prior to communication with the remote device.

3. The sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the signal storage and processing module is further adapted to control processing and storing of signals and data depending on environmental conditions.

4. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

a signal acquisition module adapted to autonomously control the signal acquisition.

5. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication module is further adapted to autonomously control the communication.

6. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the personalization module is further adapted to create the patient identifiers.

7. A patient monitoring system, comprising

at least one sensor for acquiring physiological signals of a patient, said sensor comprising a communication module adapted to provide independent wireless communication to a remote device, and a personalization module adapted to associate a patient identifier to said communication, and

at least one remote device connectable to said sensor using wireless communication.

8. A method of operating a sensor for acquiring physiological signals of a patient, wherein an independent wireless communication is established between the sensor and a remote device and a patient identifier is associated to said communication.

9. A computer program comprising

computer instructions to provide independent wireless communication from a sensor for acquiring physiological signals of a patient to a remote device, and

computer instructions to associate a patient identifier to said communication, when the computer program is executed in a computer.

10. A method of monitoring a patient comprising:

assigning a plurality of sensors to a patient each said sensor acquiring physiological data from the patient;

creating a patient identifier within one of the plurality of sensors or a remote monitoring device;

assigning the patient identifier to at least one of the other sensors attached to the patient;

wirelessly communicating physiological data from the plurality of sensors to the remote monitoring device, wherein such communication is established when the remote monitoring device recognizes the patient identifier.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising assigning one or more additional sensors to the patient and automatically copying the assigned patient identifier to the one or more additional sensors.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising processing the physiological data acquired by the sensors in a signal storage and processing module of the sensor wherein the processing is dependent on environmental conditions.

13. A handheld device for monitoring patients comprising:

a display for viewing data from one or more patients;

a receiver for receiving data from one or more sensors assigned to a particular patient;

a processor for receiving and processing the data from the one or more sensors assigned to a particular patient, wherein said processor determines a patient identifier that is part of the data received from the one or more sensors assigned to a particular patient, and whereby the processor associates and display the patient data for the particular patient.

14. The handheld device of claim 13, wherein the processor automatically updates the patient and associated patient data when data with a single patient identifier is received.

15. The handheld device of claim 13, wherein the processor provides a choice of patients and associated patient data when data with more than one patient identifier is received.

16. The handheld device of claim 15, wherein only patient data from the selected patient and associated patient data is displayed until a trigger provides for a new patient and associated patient data to be displayed.

17. The handheld device of claim 16, wherein the trigger is automatic based on the data received.

18. The handheld device of claim 16, wherein the trigger is manually activated.