Method and system of monitoring a patient

• US 6,748,250 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vivomedical, Inc. (Biotech-IgG Equity AB)
• Original Assignee: Medoptix Incorporated
• Inventors: Berman, Herbert L., Moyer, James W., Blair, Robert N.
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US09/844,687
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/504, 600/316, 600/508, 600/322, 607/30-32, 607/27, 607/14, 607/59, 128/903, 128/920, 604/50, 604/66, 604/67, 702/188, 702/127
• US Class Current: 600/310
• 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 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/552 Attenuated total reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A patient monitor system implemented by a service provider for users via recording a patient'"'"'s analytes measurements by an attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared total spectroscopy method. The system comprises an input module that provides a non-invasive method in measuring analytes in a patient, such as a measurement of the glucose level and other blood analytes. The measurement is shared among a plurality of output devices such as computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and pagers that are stationed or held by various users, such as doctors, patients, researchers, pharmacies, labs, and health insurers. In addition, behavioral attributes are recorded and correlated with the analytes measurements to generate a profile. The profile is selectively sent to output devices based on the user profile corresponding to the output device. Also, access to the profile is monitored by a security module that encrypts the profile to prevent access by un-authorized users.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a patient monitor program for a user by a service provider, the method comprising the steps of:

recording a physiological attribute of a patient on a device, wherein the device utilizes attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy to record the attribute; and

sending the attribute to one or more users via a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is blood glucose level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is a blood analyte level.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of processing one or more attribute to generate a profile of the patient.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of correlating the physiological attributes with the behavioral attributes in generating the profile of the patient.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of encrypting the profile to protect unauthorized access.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the attribute wirelessly.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless transmission is performed via coupling the device to a cellular phone.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless transmission is performed via coupling the device to a wireless transmitting device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is transmitted to a local processing unit over a short range radio frequency (RF) link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein Blue tooth protocol is utilized in the transmission.

12. A patient monitor system to enable sharing of information among information recipients comprising:

an input device to record an attribute of an patient, wherein the device utilizes attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy to record the attribute; and

a data processing unit to process the attributes to generate and transmit a profile of the patient to a recipient.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the profile is transmitted via a network.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the profile is transmitted wirelessly.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the profile is transmitted based on recipient parameters.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprises a security module to verify recipient access to profiles.

17. A method of transmitting an analyte measurement from an input device to a user output device comprising the steps of:

contacting a skin surface of a patient to an ATR plate in said input device;

recording an analyte level measurement in the skin via ATR infrared spectroscopy; and

transmitting said analyte level measurement to one or more user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said measurement is transmitted via a network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said network is the Internet.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said measurement is transmitted via a wireless protocol.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said wireless transmission is performed via coupling the input device to a cellular phone.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said wireless transmission is performed via coupling the input device to a pager.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said input device contains a wireless transmission module.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of restricting user access by a pre-determined rule set.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of processing the analyte measurement to generate a profile.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the processing relates to correlating said analyte measurement with behavioral attributes of the patient.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the analyte measurement is blood glucose level.