Patient monitor with visual reliability indicator

• US 9,326,690 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Inventors: Petruzzelli, Joe, Rajagopalan, Cadathur
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDS, DAVIN K
• Application Number:
  US12/251,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20100094096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,758 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 128903-905, 128/920
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0276 Determining malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A patient monitor configured to display patient information in a display area. The patient information is indicative of at least one physiological parameter of a patient and includes at least one unitary display element in the display area that indicates simultaneously both a quantitative value and a reliability indication of the physiological parameter. An appearance of the display element transitions so as to represent a plurality of different reliability levels, including at least a first reliability level, a second reliability level, and at least one intermediary reliability level between the first and second reliability levels.

Claims

1. A patient monitor comprising:

a display device; and

a processor configured to acquire a physiological parameter of a patient and to direct the display device to display a value of the physiological parameter,

wherein the displayed value comprises text having a circumscribing outline and a fill populating the outline, and

wherein the processor is further configured to direct the display device to smoothly shrink a level of the fill populating the outline over time to indicate a continuum of decreasing intermediate levels of reliability for the physiological parameter, such that the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a first level of fill at a first time and the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a second, lower level of fill at a second time,

wherein the levels of reliability indicate at least in part an elapsed time since the physiological parameter was acquired.

9. The patient monitor of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to direct the display device to remove fill from an upper portion of the fill populating the outline with a lower portion remaining, and wherein the level of reliability is represented by the relative heights of the upper portion and the lower portion.

10. The patient monitor of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to direct the display device to remove fill from a left portion of the fill populating the outline with a right portion remaining, and wherein the level of reliability is represented by the relative sizes of the left portion and the right portion.

2. A method for patient monitoring comprising:

using a processor to acquire a physiological parameter of a patient;

displaying on a display device a value of the physiological parameter, wherein the displayed value comprises text having a circumscribing outline and a fill populating the outline; and

smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline over time to indicate a continuum of decreasing intermediate levels of reliability for the physiological parameter, such that the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a first level of fill at a first time and the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a second, lower level of fill at a second time,

wherein the levels of reliability indicate at least in part an elapsed time since the physiological parameter was acquired.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline comprises removing fill from an upper portion of the fill populating the outline with a lower portion remaining, and wherein the level of reliability is represented by the relative heights of the upper portion and the lower portion.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline comprises removing fill from a left portion of the fill populating the outline with a right portion remaining, and wherein the reliability level is represented by the relative sizes of the left portion and the right portion.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline begins after the physiological parameter is acquired.

3. A patient monitor comprising:

a display device; and

a processor configured to acquire a physiological parameter of a patient and to direct the display device to display a value of the physiological parameter,

wherein the displayed value comprises text having a fill of a first fill color, and

wherein the processor is further configured to direct the display device to smoothly shrink a level of the fill over time to indicate a continuum of decreasing intermediate levels of reliability for the physiological parameter by replacing the fill with an upper fill portion having a second fill color and with a lower fill portion having the first fill color, such that a circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a first level of fill with the first fill color at a first time and the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a second, lower level of fill with the first fill color at a second time, and wherein the levels of reliability indicate, at least in part, an elapsed time since the physiological parameter was acquired and wherein the reliability level is represented by the relative heights of the upper and lower portions.

4. A method for patient monitoring comprising the steps of:

using a processor to acquire a physiological parameter of a patient;

displaying on a display device a value of the physiological parameter, wherein the displayed value comprises text having a fill of a first color; and

smoothly shrinking a level of the fill over time to indicate a continuum of decreasing intermediate levels of reliability for the physiological parameter, wherein the replacing comprises replacing the fill with an upper fill portion having a second fill color and with a lower fill portion having the first fill color, such that a circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a first level of fill with the first fill color at a first time and the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a second, lower level of fill with the first fill color at a second time, and wherein the levels of reliability indicate, at least in part, an elapsed time since the physiological parameter was acquired and wherein the reliability level is represented by the relative heights of the upper and lower portions.

5. A patient monitor comprising:

a display device; and

a processor configured to acquire a physiological parameter of a patient and to direct the display device to display a value of the physiological parameter,

wherein the displayed value comprises text having a circumscribing outline and a fill populating the outline, and

wherein the processor is further configured to direct the display to smoothly shrink a level of the fill populating the outline over time to indicate a continuum of decreasing intermediate levels of reliability for the physiological parameter, such that the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a first level of fill at a first time and the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a second, lower level of fill at a second time, and wherein the levels of reliability being based, at least in part, on a statistical measure of accuracy of an algorithm used by the processor to determine the value of the physiological parameter.

6. The patient monitor of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to direct the display device to remove fill from an upper portion of the fill populating the circumscribing outline with a lower portion remaining, and wherein the level of reliability is represented by the relative heights of the upper and lower portions.

14. The patient monitor of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to direct the display device to remove fill from a left portion of the fill populating the outline with a right portion remaining, and wherein the level of reliability is represented by the relative sizes of the left portion and the right portion.

7. A method for patient monitoring comprising:

using a processor to acquire a physiological parameter of a patient;

displaying on a display device a value of the physiological parameter, wherein the displayed value comprises text having a circumscribing outline and a fill populating the outline; and

smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline over time to indicate a continuum of decreasing intermediate levels of reliability for the physiological parameter, such that the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a first level of fill at a first time and the circumscribing outline of the displayed text value has a second, lower level of fill at a second time, and wherein the levels of reliability being based, at least in part, on a statistical measure of accuracy of an algorithm used by the processor to determine the value of the physiological parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline comprises removing fill from an upper portion of the fill populating the outline with a lower portion remaining, and wherein the level of reliability is represented by the relative heights of the upper and lower portions.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein smoothly shrinking a level of the fill populating the outline comprises removing fill from a left portion of the fill populating the outline with a right portion remaining, and wherein the reliability level is represented by the relative sizes of the left portion and the right portion.