Medical measuring device

• US 8,657,742 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Neumann, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): SORIANO, BOBBY GILES
• Application Number:
  US10/596,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,381 Days
• Field of Search: 600300-301, 128903-905, 128/920
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A medical measuring device or system (10) includes at least one measuring apparatus (12, 14). Each measuring apparatus, in turn, has at least one sensor (16, 18) for generating a measuring signal representing a sensed physiological parameter, e.g. ECG signals, of a patient (20, 22). The measuring apparatuses (12, 14) incorporate the measuring signal into a carrier signal which is transmitted a wireless communication route (24, 26) to a centrally located data detection device (24) which displays graphs (42) or numerical values (40) representing the sensed physiological parameters. The at least one measuring apparatus (12, 14) signals the quality of the measuring signals to a wearing patient (20) via an LED (32, 34) or loudspeaker (28, 30).

Claims

1. A medical measuring system comprising:

one or more patient body mounted sensors which contact a portion of a patient to measure physiological patient data and generate physiological patient data signals indicative of the measured physiological patient data;

a patient body mounted measuring apparatus worn by the patient, the patient body mounted measuring apparatus receives the physiological patient data signals from the one or more sensors, evaluates the measured physiological patient data signals from the one or more sensors for a change in a quality of the physiological patient data signal, and indicates the quality of the physiological patient data signals to the patient wherein the measuring apparatus evaluates the measured medical data signals for one or more of an interference level and a signal form to determine the quality of the physiological patient data signals generated by the sensors as received at the measuring apparatus; and

a measurement display apparatus detached from the patient that displays physiological patient data generated by the one or more sensors, the physiological patent data being wirelessly transferred from the patient body mounted measuring apparatus to the measurement display apparatus; and

wherein the measuring apparatus compares the determined quality with a preselected quality level and transmits the patient data wirelessly to the measurement apparatus in response to the determined quality meeting or exceeding the preselected level and signals the wearer in response to the determined quality falling below the preselected level.

2. The medical measuring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measuring apparatus includes an optical indicator which includes:

a light with a plurality of colors, each color being associated with one of a plurality of predetermined ranges of the at least one physiological data signal quality to indicate when the quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal is in the corresponding one of the plurality of predetermined ranges.

3. The medical measuring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measuring apparatus indicates the quality of the physiological data signal in response to one of the sensors being placed on another measuring site of the patient wearing the measuring apparatus.

4. The medical measuring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measuring apparatus indicates the quality of physiological data signal in response to a preselected change in the quality of the physiological data signal from the sensor.

5. The medical measuring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a pulsoximeter, an ECG recorder or ultrasound measuring head.

6. The medical measuring system of claim 1, wherein the measuring apparatus indicates the quality of the physiological patient data signals to the patient in response to the determined quality of the physiological patient data signals being below a threshold and generates at least one of:

an acoustic signal to the patient to which the measuring apparatus is mounted, and

an optical signal via a light mounted on the measuring apparatus.

7. The medical measuring system of claim 1, wherein the measuring apparatus does not display the physiological patient data.

8. The medical measuring system of claim 1, wherein the quality is indicated in a manner which is humanly perceivable to the patient locally adjacent the measuring apparatus, wherein the quality is not indicated at the measurement display apparatus.

9. A medical measuring system comprising:

a data device including a display screen for displaying at least one of medical measurement values and graphs;

at least one sensor worn by a patient which generates at least one physiological data measurement signal indicative of physiological data of the patient;

at least one mobile measuring apparatus worn by the patient which (1) receives the at least one physiological data measurement signal from the at least one sensor, (2) evaluates the at least one physiological data measurement signal from the at least one sensor for a change in a quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal and indicates the quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal generated by the at least one sensor, and (3) communicates the at least one data measurement signal wirelessly to the data device, wherein the mobile measuring apparatus evaluates a signal form of the at least one physiological data measurement signal from the at least one sensor to determine the quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal; and

wherein the data device is disposed remote from the patient, the wireless communication between the at least one mobile measuring apparatus and the data device enabling the patient to move freely without being tethered to the data device.

10. The medical measuring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one mobile measuring apparatus includes at least one of an acoustic indicator and an optical indicator which indicates the quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal to a wearer of the mobile measuring apparatus.

11. The medical measuring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one measuring apparatus signals the quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal on demand.

12. A medical measuring system comprising:

a data device including a display screen for displaying at least one of medical measurement values and graphs;

at least one sensor worn by the patient which generates at least one physiological data measurement signal indicative of physiological data of a patient; and

at least one mobile measuring apparatus worn by the patient which (1) receives the at least one physiological data measurement signal from the at least one sensor, (2) automatically evaluates the at least one physiological data measurement signal to determine change in a quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal and indicates to the patient at least one of the quality and the change in the quality of the at least one physiological data measurement signal generated by the at least one sensor, and (3) communicates the at least one data measurement signal wirelessly to the data device, wherein the mobile measuring apparatus evaluates the physiological data measurement signal based on an interference level;

wherein the data device is disposed remote from the patient, the wireless communication between the at least one mobile measuring apparatus and the data device enabling the patient to move freely without being tethered to the data device.