Personal health care system

• US 5,590,648 A
• Filed: 04/07/1994
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tremont Medical
• Original Assignee: Tremont Medical
• Inventors: Mitchell, Andrew, Lardear, Joseph L., Schonbach, Dave I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US08/224,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 128/630, 128/668, 128/670-2, 128/687, 128/700, 128/736, 128/716, 128/903-4, 128/200.24, 128/204.18, 604/19, 364/413.02, 364/413.03, 364/413.27
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/46 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/06 Milking pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps

Abstract

A personal health care system utilizing a unitary command center having a computer for receiving, storing, processing, and transmitting information, and a plurality of interfacing ports. Each interfacing port is adapted to accept a plurality of different patient monitoring sensor modules, a plurality of different accessory modules, and a plurality of different therapy-providing modules. An accepted module is electrically interconnected to the data processor for sending and receiving information therebetween. The data processor includes means for providing operating instructions to the sensor modules, accessory modules, and therapy-providing modules. Each sensor module senses and provides information on a condition of a patient and each therapy-providing module provides a therapy to the patient. The data processor monitors the information provided by the sensor modules and controls provision of the therapy to the patient.

Claims

1. A personal health care system comprising:

a unitary command center for monitoring a patient and administering therapy to a patient;

a data processor within the unitary command center for receiving, storing, processing, and transmitting information;

a plurality of modules selected from the group consisting of a plurality of different patient monitoring sensor modules, a plurality of different therapy-providing modules, and a plurality of different accessory modules, each module being at least partially contained within a module housing; and

a plurality of interfacing ports positioned on the unitary command center and electrically connected to the data processor, each interfacing port for accepting one of the module housings and for electrically interconnecting the module associated with the accepted module housing to the data processor for sending and receiving information therebetween,

the data processor including means for providing programming instructions to the associated module for operating the associated module,

each sensor module for sensing and providing information on a condition of a patient, the data processor including means for monitoring the information provided by the sensor modules,

each accessory module for providing an accessory function,

each therapy-providing module for providing a therapy to a patient, the data processor including means for controlling provision of the therapy to the patient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensor modules is selected from the group consisting of a breathing rate sensor module, a pulse rate sensor module, a body temperature sensor module, a blood pressure sensor module, a urinary discharge volume sensor module, an oximeter sensor module, an ECG sensor module, an EKG sensor module, an EEG sensor module, an oxygen analyzer module, a fetal monitor module, a dental patient monitoring module, and a multi-gas analyzing module.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the accessory modules is selected from the group consisting of a urine pump module, a urine collection module, a module providing drinking water to the patient, a suction pump removing a fluid from the patient, a vision testing module, a breast pump module, a hearing test module, an eye motion detecting module, a printer module, an intercom module, a networking module, a modem module, a magnetic card reading module, a voice recognition module, a memory card reading module, a strip chart recording module, and a telephone module.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the therapy-providing modules is selected from the group consisting of means for assisting patient breathing, means for delivering medication to a patient, means for delivering nutrition to a patient, and means for receiving and removing urine from a patient.

5. The system of claim 4, further including the means for assisting patient breathing, said means being selected from the group consisting of a respirator, a ventilator, a continuous positive airway pressure device, a nebulizer, a humidifier, an oxygen concentrator, and a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 4, further including the means for delivering medication, said means comprising a nebulizer, an infusion pump and a member selected from the group consisting of an intravenous line and an intramuscular line.

7. The system of claim 4, further including the means for delivering nutrition, said means comprising a nutrition pump and an enteral line.

8. The system of claim 4, further including the means for receiving and removing urine, said means comprising an external urinary catheter.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for receiving and removing urine further comprises a container connected to the external urinary catheter for collecting and measuring urine.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for receiving and removing urine further comprises a suction pump fluidly connected to the external urinary catheter for removing urine therefrom and electrically connected to the data processor, and wherein the suction pump is activated by the data processor, the activation in response to a discharge of urine by a patient, the discharge being detected by a urinary discharge monitoring sensor module electrically connected to the data processor.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alerting device electrically connected to and activated by the data processor for providing an alert concerning a condition of a patient, the alerting device being selected from the group consisting of an alarm, means for electronically communicating with a remote monitor, and a combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the alarm is selected from the group consisting of a visible alarm and an audible alarm.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for electronically communicating with a remote monitor is selected from the group consisting of a modem, a direct connection to a peripheral device, a local network, and electromagnetic transmission.

14. The system of claim 11, further including means for diagnostic analysis of the system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for diagnostic analysis outputs a malfunction signal in response to a malfunction and wherein the alerting device provides an alert concerning a malfunction of the system in response to an outputted malfunction signal.

16. The system of claim 1, further including a power source electrically connected to the unitary command center for supplying electrical power to the system, the power source being selected from the group consisting of a power supply cable for being connected to an outside source of electrical power, a battery, and a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 16, further including the plurality of different patient monitoring sensor modules, the plurality of different accessory modules, and the plurality of different therapy-providing modules, the power source providing power to the patient monitoring sensor modules and to the therapy-providing modules via the interfacing ports.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the interfacing ports have a common first physical outline and wherein a plurality of the module housings have a complementary common second physical outline with respect to the first physical outline, any module housing being accepted by any interfacing port when the first and second physical outlines are matched, every interfacing port further having retaining means to retain an accepted module housing in place.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor includes a plurality of module software drivers accessible by the data processor, each module software driver corresponding to at least one of the modules, the data processor having means for determining whether a particular module is electrically interconnected thereto, and for controlling the particular module via the corresponding module software driver.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each module software driver comprises a control portion and a user interface portion, the control portion adapted to allow the data processor to program and communicate with the particular module and the user interface portion adapted to allow a user to pass information concerning the particular module to the data processor and to display information concerning the particular module on a display.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein each interfacing port includes electrical connectors connected to an electrical bus of the unitary command center and each module includes corresponding electrical connectors connected to a slave processor, the slave processor adapted to receive information from and provide information to the data processor via the electrical bus and electrical connectors and to control the operation of the module.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the unitary command center includes an inputting device electrically connected to the data processor for inputting information into the data processor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the inputting device is selected from a group consisting of a scanning wand for reading bar codes, a trackball, a mouse, a magnetic card reader, an optical card reader, a microphone, a touch-sensitive data screen, a keypad, and a keyboard.

24. The system of claim 22, further including a display electrically connected to data processor for displaying information from the data processor including data input into, received by, stored by and processed by the data processor.

25. The system of claim 1, further including a clock electrically connected to the data processor, the data processor being adapted to compare the clock with information received from the sensor modules when the data processor is processing information from the sensor modules.

26. The system of claim 25, further including a breathing rate sensor module electrically connected to the data processor, the data processor being adapted to compare the clock with breathing rate information received from the breathing rate sensor module for monitoring apneic episodes of a patient.

27. The system of claim 1, further including at least one of the patient monitoring sensor modules.

28. The system of claim 1, further including at least one of the therapy-providing modules.

29. The system of claim 1, further including at least one of the accessory modules.

30. The system of claim 1, further including the plurality of patient monitoring sensor modules, the plurality of accessory modules, and the plurality of therapy-providing modules, wherein the plurality of patient monitoring sensor modules, the plurality of accessory modules, and the plurality of therapy-providing modules are detachably connectable to the unitary command center via the interfacing ports.

31. The system of claim 1, further including the therapy-providing modules and a heat pad connected to the data processor.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor comprises a computer.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor controls provision of the therapy to the patient in response to patient information provided by at least one of the sensor modules.