System, medical item including RFID chip, data collection engine, server and method for capturing medical data

• US 9,569,589 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brain Trust Innovations I, LLC
• Original Assignee: David Laborde
• Inventors: LaBorde, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Blouin, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/004,535
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/04 Architecture, e.g. interconnection topology
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/08 Learning methods
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• 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 system includes a plurality of RFID chips affixed to medical items, a data collection engine device, and a server device. The data collection engine wirelessly transmits power to a first one of the RFID chips and receives first medical data from the first RFID chip while the first RFID chip is activated by the power receiver. The data collection engine generates a first message indicative of the first medical data to be sent to the server device. The server device can determine aspects of the medical items such as position and consumption based upon the first medical data.

Claims

1. A server device comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive one or more messages including a position signature of a plurality of first RFID chips affixed to a headrest and a patient operating table, a patient identification of a second RFID chip associated with a patient, and an identification of a third RFID chip associated with a medical consumable item, the transceiver further configured to receive an information request from a client device and to send an information reply including usage parameters associated with the third RFID chip to the client device;

wherein the position signature includes an angle of displacement from a baseline orientation of a first RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, a first distance between the first RFID chip and a second RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, a second distance between the first RFID chip and a third RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, and a pressure value associated with a fourth RFID chip,

wherein the first RFID chip is affixed to a base portion of the head rest, the second RFID chip is associated with a first pin portion of the headrest, the third RFID chip is associated with a second pin portion of the headrest, and the fourth RFID chip is affixed to the patient operating table;

a controller operatively coupled to the transceiver; and

one or more memory sources operatively coupled to the controller, the one or more memory sources storing;

a patient database including a plurality of patient identifications associated with a plurality of patients, and patient attributes for each of the plurality of patient identifications;

a medical item database including a plurality of identifications of medical items, and usage parameters for each of the medical items; and

instructions for configuring the controller to;

determine based upon the position signature, an orientation of the headrest and the operating table and a present patient orientation of the patient and to determine if the present patient orientation corresponds with one or more of the patient attributes associated with the patient in the patient database; and

determine data in the medical item database that is associated with the identification for the third RFID chip in the information request; and

generate the information reply including the usage parameters associated with the third RFID chip based upon the determined data, the usage parameters associated with the third RFID chip include an identification of a medical professional that used the medical consumable item, and an identification of a patient for whom the medical consumable item was used.

2. The server device of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more messages further include;

a first spatial orientation of a fifth RFID chip associated with an endotracheal tube in the patient;

a pressure of an air-filled cuff in the endotracheal tube; and

a temperature associated with the patient,

the patient attributes in the patient database include scheduled surgical procedure and a predetermined temperature and pressure range for the patient during the surgical procedure,

the controller is further configured to determine if the pressure and temperature indicated in the one or more messages corresponds to the predetermined temperature and pressure range for the patient.

3. A data collection engine (DCE) device comprising:

a power transmission subsystem including a power source and an antenna arranged to wirelessly transmit power from the power source to a first radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, wherein the first RFID chip is a passive-type RFID chip;

a transceiver configured to receive first medical data from at least one of the first RFID chip and a second RFID chip while the first RFID chip is activated by the power received, the medical data indicative of a first medical event and including identification information of the first and second RFID chips;

a controller operatively coupled to the transceiver; and

one or more memory sources operatively coupled to the controller, the one or more memory sources including instructions for configuring the controller to generate one or more messages indicative of the first medical event and identification information to be sent by the transceiver to a server device via a network connection,

wherein the first RFID chip includes an antenna for wirelessly receiving the power from the transceiver of the DCE and communicating with the second RFID chip, and control logic for generating the medical data.

4. The DCE of claim 3, wherein:

the second RFID chip is an active-type RFID chip which includes a power source and a proximity sensor; and

the first medical event is that the second RFID chip detects that the first RFID chip is more than a predetermined distance from the second RFID chip.

5. The DCE of claim 3, wherein:

the second RFID chip is associated with an identification item and the first RFID chip is associated with a medical consumable item;

the first medical data includes information representative of identification data for the second RFID chip, and a time duration for which the second RFID chip is less than the predetermined distance from the first RFID chip.

6. The DCE of claim 5, wherein:

the transceiver receives second medical data indicative of a second event from the first RFID chip or a third RFID chip associated with another identification item when the first RFID chip is less than a predetermined distance from the third RFID chip;

the second medical data includes identification information for the second and third RFID chips and a time duration for which the second and third RFID chips are less than the predetermined distance from each other; and

the controller is further configured to generate the one or more messages to be indicative of the second event.

7. The DCE of claim 3, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a data storage request from a client device, the data storage request including data associated with an RFID chip coupled to the client device, and the controller is further configured to generate another message including the data storage request to be sent to the server device.

8. A system for capturing medical data and determining medical event, the system including the first and second RFID chips, the DCE and the server device of claim 3, wherein the server device comprises:

a transceiver configured to receive the one or more messages from the DCE, wherein the one or more messages from the DCE includes at least an identification associated with the first RFID chip, the transceiver further configured to receive an information request from a client device and to send an information reply including usage parameters associated with the first RFID chip to the client device;

a controller operatively coupled to the transceiver; and

one or more memory sources operatively coupled to the controller, the one or more memory sources including a medical item database and instructions for configuring the controller,

wherein the instructions configure the controller to;

determine data in the medical item database that is associated with the identification for the first RFID chip in the information request;

generate the information reply including the usage parameters associated with the first RFID chip based upon the determined data; and

store data in the one or messages from the DCE in the medical item database to be associated with the identification of the first RFID chip.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first RFID chip is associated with a medical consumable item, and the usage parameters associated with the first RFID chip include an identification of a medical professional that used the medical consumable item, and an identification of a patient for whom the medical consumable item was used.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first RFID chip is associated with an identification of a medical professional, and the usage parameters associated with the first RFID chip include a time duration for which the medical professional was in a certain location.

11. A server device comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive the one or more messages from the DCE of claim 3,

a controller operatively coupled to the transceiver; and

one or more memory sources operatively coupled to the controller, the one or more memory sources including instructions for configuring the controller to determine based upon the medical event included in the one or more messages and a machine learning algorithm whether a medical consumable item associated with the first RFID chip has been consumed.

12. A server device comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive one or more messages including a position signature of a plurality of first RFID chips affixed to a medical item and a patient identification of a second RFID chip associated with a patient;

a controller operatively coupled to the transceiver; and

one or more memory sources operatively coupled to the controller, the one or more memory sources storing a patient database including a plurality of patient identifications associated with a plurality of patients, and patient attributes for each of the plurality of patient identifications;

wherein the one or more memory sources further include instructions for configuring the controller to;

determine based upon the position signature, a present patient orientation of the patient and to determine if the present patient orientation corresponds with one or more of the patient attributes associated with the patient in the patient database.

13. The server device of claim 12, wherein the medical item is a patient operating table, wherein the position signature includes one or more pressure values associated with a portion of the patient operating table.

14. The server device of claim 13, wherein the position signature further includes:

a first distance between first and second RFID chips of the plurality of first RFID chips, the first RFID chip associated with a head portion of the patient operating table and the second RFID chip associated with a center portion of the patient operating table; and

a second distance between a third RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips and the second RFID chip, the third RFID chip associated with a foot portion of the patient operating table,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine components in place on the operating table and the orientation of the patient on the operating table based upon the one or more pressure values and the first and second distances.

15. The server device of claim 12, wherein:

the medical item is a patient operating table and a headrest;

the position signature includes;

a first distance between first and second RFID chips of the plurality of first RFID chips, the first RFID chip associated with the headrest and the second RFID chip associated with a first edge portion of the patient operating table; and

a second distance between the first RFID chip and a third RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, the third RFID chip associated with a second edge portion of the patient operating table,

the controller is further configured with logic derived from machine learning algorithms to determine an orientation of the headrest and the operating table based upon the first and second distances.

16. The server device of claim 12, wherein the one or more messages further include:

a first spatial orientation of a third RFID chip associated with an endotracheal tube in the patient;

a pressure of an air-filled cuff in the endotracheal tube; and

a plurality of temperature values associated with the endotracheal tube where positioned in a patient.

17. The server device of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of messages further include a second spatial orientation value of a fourth RFID chip associated with an eyelid occlusive dressing; and

the controller is further configured to determine the patient orientation based upon the first and second spatial orientation values.

18. The server device of claim 12, wherein:

the database further includes medical professional identifications associated with medical professionals, and attributes related to each of the medical professional identifications;

the plurality of messages further include an indication that a third RFID chip associated with one of the medical professionals is less than a predetermined distance from the second RFID chip associated with the patient.

19. The server device of claim 12, wherein:

the patient attributes includes a surgical procedure scheduled for the patient; and

the controller is further configured to determine if the present patient orientation of the patient corresponds with the surgical procedure scheduled.

20. The server device of claim 12, wherein:

the medical item is a headrest or a headclamp;

the position signature includes;

an angle of displacement from a baseline orientation of a first RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, the first RFID chip affixed to a base portion of the headrest or the headclamp;

a first distance between the first RFID chip and a second RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, the second RFID chip associated with a first pin portion of the headrest or the headclamp;

a second distance between the first RFID chip and a third RFID chip of the plurality of first RFID chips, the third RFID chip associated with a second pin portion of the headrest or the headclamp,

the controller is further configured with logic derived from machine learning algorithms to determine an orientation of the headrest on the operating table based upon the angle of displacement and the first and second distances.