ADVERSE CONDITION DETECTION, ASSESSMENT, AND RESPONSE SYSTEMS, METHODS AND DEVICES

• US 20130317399A1
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,861,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/84
• 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 comprises 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

1-51. -51. (canceled)

52. A method of predicting an occurrence of a pressure ulcer, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first input signal indicative of a physiological characteristic of a person at a first time;

receiving a second input signal indicative of the physiological characteristic at a second time;

determining if a pressure ulcer is likely to occur based on a trend indicated by the first input signal and the second input signal; and

generating an intervention if a pressure ulcer is likely to occur.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the physiological characteristic includes at least one of an interface pressure, a skin temperature, a skin moisture level, an amount of shear, an amount of friction, an incontinence condition, and a location that the physiological characteristic corresponds to.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein a pressure ulcer is likely to occur when the difference between the first input signal and the second input signal indicates that the characteristic is increasing over time.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein a pressure ulcer is likely to occur when the physiological characteristic exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time.

56. The method of claim 52, wherein the intervention includes activating a therapy.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the therapy includes at least one of rotational therapy and low air loss therapy.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein the therapy is directed toward the location where the pressure ulcer is predicted to occur.

59. The method of claim 52, wherein the intervention includes alerting a caregiver.

60-79. -79. (canceled)

80. A control system, comprising:

an input;

a processor configured to receive information from the input corresponding to at least two of a characteristic of a person, a pressure ulcer risk, and a medical history of a 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 when a pressure ulcer will likely occur based on the information received from the input, and generate an intervention if a pressure ulcer will likely occur.

81. The control system of claim 80, wherein the characteristic includes at least one of an interface pressure, a skin temperature, a skin moisture level, the presence of an incontinence condition, a shear force, a friction force, and a location on a person'"'"'s body that the characteristic corresponds to.

82. The control system of claim 80, wherein the pressure ulcer risk is input by a caregiver.

83. The control system of claim 80, wherein the pressure ulcer risk is received from an electronic medical record database.

84. The control system of claim 80, wherein the pressure ulcer history information is received from an electronic medical record database.

85. The control system of claim 80, 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.

86. The control system of claim 80, wherein the intervention includes activating a therapy.

87. The control system of claim 86, wherein the therapy is activated if the characteristic of the person exceeds the predetermined threshold and one of the pressure ulcer risk indicates at least of at least a moderate risk and the medical history indicates a history of pressure ulcers.

88. The control system of claim 86, wherein the therapy includes at least one of a rotational therapy and a low air loss therapy.

89. The control system of claim 86, wherein the therapy is directed toward the location where the pressure ulcer is predicted to occur.

90. The control system of claim 80, wherein the intervention includes alerting a caregiver.

91. The control system of claim 90, wherein the alert is communicated through a nurse call system.

92. The control system of claim 90, wherein the alert is generated if the characteristic exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time and at least one of the pressure ulcer risk indicates at least a moderate risk and the pressure ulcer history indicates a history of a pressure ulcers.

93. The control system of claim 80, wherein the pressure ulcer risk is determined by populating a risk assessment table with information that is at least one of sensed by a sensing device and received from an electronic medical record.

94-97. -97. (canceled)