Medical diagnostic apparatus with sleep mode
First Claim
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1. A method for conserving power in a pulse oximeter apparatus, said apparatus including electronic circuitry, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) measuring a blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said apparatus;
(b) monitoring said blood oxygen saturation of said patient;
(c) determining when said blood oxygen saturation has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indication signal;
(d) initiating a sleep mode for at least a portion of said electronic circuitry, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods;
(e) exiting said sleep mode for at least some of said portion of electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods;
(f) determining whether said blood oxygen saturation remains stable during at least periodic ones of said sleep mode time periods;
(g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and
(h) repeating steps (c)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus by using a sleep mode during a monitoring state. The invention monitors physiological parameters of the patient and enters a sleep mode only after they have been stable for a predetermined period of time. The apparatus is periodically awakened from the sleep mode to take additional measurements and to ascertain that the stability of the physiological parameters has not changed.
407 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for conserving power in a pulse oximeter apparatus, said apparatus including electronic circuitry, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring a blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said apparatus; (b) monitoring said blood oxygen saturation of said patient; (c) determining when said blood oxygen saturation has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indication signal; (d) initiating a sleep mode for at least a portion of said electronic circuitry, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods; (e) exiting said sleep mode for at least some of said portion of electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; (f) determining whether said blood oxygen saturation remains stable during at least periodic ones of said sleep mode time periods; (g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and (h) repeating steps (c)-(f) if said blood oxygen saturation is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for conserving power in a pulse oximeter, said pulse oximeter having light emitters and electronic circuitry including a CPU, an analog-to-digital converter and a memory, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) monitoring the blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said pulse oximeter; (b) monitoring the heart rate of said patient; (c) determining when said blood oxygen saturation and said heart rate have been stable for a stable time period of at least 15 seconds and providing a stability indication signal, said blood oxygen saturation being stable if it has not varied by more than a predetermined blood oxygen saturation limit which is less than 5 saturation points out of a scale of 100 saturation points, said heart rate being stable if it does not vary more than a predetermined heart rate limit which is less than ten percent from a previous value in at least a 15 second period; (d) initiating a sleep mode for said light emitters and at least said CPU and analog-to-digital converter, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods, said sleep portion being no more than 40 seconds; (e) exiting said sleep mode for said light emitters and said electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; (f) determining whether said blood oxygen saturation and heart rate remain stable during said awake portion of said sleep mode time period; (g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if either of said blood oxygen saturation and heart rate is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and (h) providing the stability indication signal and repeating steps (d)-(f) if both said blood oxygen saturation and heart rate are determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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16. A pulse oximeter with a power saving feature, comprising:
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a CPU; a memory coupled to said CPU; light emitter drive circuitry coupled to said CPU; light detector receiving circuitry; an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said light emitter receiving circuitry and to said CPU; means, coupled to said CPU, for monitoring the blood oxygen saturation of a patient using said pulse oximeter; means, coupled to said CPU, for monitoring at least one additional physiological parameter of said patient; means, coupled to said CPU, for determining when said blood oxygen saturation has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indicating signal; means, coupled to said CPU, for initiating a sleep mode for said light emitter drive circuitry and at least said CPU and said analog-to-digital converter, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods; means, coupled to said CPU, for exiting said sleep mode for said light emitter drive circuitry, said CPU and said analog-to-digital converter for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; means, coupled to said CPU, for determining whether said blood oxygen saturation remains stable during said awake portion of said sleep mode time period; and means, coupled to said CPU, for reinitiating said sleep mode for said light emitter drive circuitry and at least said CPU and said analog-to-digital converter, if said physiological parameter is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification