Apparatuses for supporting and monitoring a condition of a person

• US 9,044,204 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Riley, Carl W., Receveur, Timothy J., Ribble, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US14/011,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/573.1, 340/573.7, 340/626, 340/666, 340/667, 340/668, 340/506, 340/540, 705/2, 705/3, 600/300, 600/301, 600/529, 600/534, 600/595, 600/574, 600/587
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/005 tiltable around transverse horizontal axis, e.g. for Trendelenburg position rocking beds for physical therapy A61H1/003; hanging patient inclined downwardly for drawing him out A61H2203/0493

Abstract

A person monitoring system is operable to predict the onset of an adverse condition of a person. The system receives first information corresponding to a feature of a person support apparatus and second information corresponding to a physiological characteristic of the person. The system calculates a condition score as a function of the first and second information. In some instances, the system alerts a caregiver if the condition score exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively or additionally, the person monitoring system alerts a caregiver when a person supported on a person support apparatus is regaining consciousness by monitoring one or more of a change in position, a heart rate, and a respiration rate. A person monitoring system that monitors a person'"'"'s quality of sleep and presents information concerning the quality of sleep to one or more interested parties is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of predicting the onset of an adverse condition, the method comprising:

receiving at a controller at least one data signal from a tissue contacting sensor and a non-tissue contacting sensor, the tissue contacting sensor being included as part of a person support apparatus having a surface sufficiently large to accommodate an entirety of a body of a person in a lying position, the tissue contacting sensor being located underneath a torso of the person when the person is lying on the surface facing upwardly, the non-tissue contacting sensor being located below the tissue contacting sensor and below the surface when the person is lying on the patient support apparatus facing upwardly;

calculating using the controller a condition score as a function of the at least one data signal; and

alerting using the controller a caregiver if the condition score is greater than a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is a function of information from at least one of an electronic medical record, a patient profile, and a caregiver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tissue contacting sensor is configured to measure blood pressure, tissue temperature, tissue blood oxygen content, heart rate, or respiration rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-tissue contacting sensor is configured to measure person support apparatus status, bladder pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, relative humidity, or an amount of force on a person support surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition score is calculated as a function of a status signal of the person support apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-tissue contacting sensor is included as part of the person support apparatus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition score is a Visensia index.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive information from an electronic medical record (EMR), the controller calculating the condition score as a function of the at least one data signal and the information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tissue contacting sensor is integrated into a person contacting surface of the person support apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the condition score as a function of a physiological characteristic and a characteristic or status of the person support apparatus.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive information from a patient profile, the controller calculating the condition score as a function of the at least one data signal and the patient profile information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller calculates the index as a function of information from at least one of an electronic medical record, a patient profile, and the at least one data signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a support apparatus parameter is displayed as a picture.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition score is displayed as a graph or a picture.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition score is a modified early warning score based on at least one of caregiver inputs and information from an electronic medical record.

16. A system to predict the onset of an adverse condition, the system comprising:

a patient support apparatus having a surface sufficiently large to accommodate an entirety of a body of a person in a lying position and having a controller that receives at least one data signal from a tissue contacting sensor and a non-tissue contacting sensor, the tissue contacting sensor being included as part of the person support apparatus, the controller being configured to calculate a condition score as a function of the at least one data signal, the tissue contacting sensor being located underneath a torso of the person when the person is lying on the surface facing upwardly, the non-tissue contacting sensor being located below the tissue contacting sensor and below the surface when the person is lying on the patient support apparatus facing upwardly; and

a remote computer device that receives an alert message if the condition score is greater than a predetermined threshold, the controller being configured to initiate the alert message being sent.