Outpatient monitoring systems and methods

• US 9,603,523 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medicalgorithmics Ltd. (Medicalgorithmics S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Medicalgorithmics S.A.
• Inventors: Dziubinski, Marek
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilligan, Luke
• Application Number:
  US12/865,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20110213620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,689 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 600/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for outpatient monitoring. In some examples, the outpatient monitoring technology includes a system for remote monitoring and consultations of patients'"'"' state associated with automated interpretation of vital signs signals. In other examples, the outpatient monitoring technology includes a system for remote monitoring of patients'"'"' state associated with analysis of full-disclosure vital signs digital signals with reduced bit data or channel data. In some examples, the outpatient monitoring technology includes a system for remote monitoring of patients'"'"' state associated with ongoing automated analysis and transmission of full-disclosure vital signs digital signals and automatically generated signals'"'"' interpretation results and manually marked patient symptoms.

Claims

1. A system for remote monitoring and consultations of a patients'"'"' state associated with automated interpretation of vital signs signals, the system comprising:

at least one monitoring computer station;

at least one portable monitor, each portable monitor configured to;

acquire data signals representative of a patient'"'"'s continuous full-disclosure vital signs during an entire monitoring session to be stored in a memory using at least one vital signs signal sensor;

interpret, by a processor, the representative data signals loaded from the memory;

generate, by the processor, interpretation result data to be stored in the memory;

transmit, over a computer network to the at least one monitoring computer station, the interpretation results and the vital signs signals continuously during the entire monitoring session, by creating a transmission vital signs signal that is a combination of;

uncompressed/unreduced and compressed/reduced vital signs signal strips representative of an entirety of the patient'"'"'s continuous full-disclosure vital signs of the monitoring session, wherein the at least one portable monitor selects the uncompressed/unreduced data fragments based on generated interpretation results and/or a signal condition representing at least one significant signal event; and

wherein-the monitoring computer station comprises;

a downloading module for obtaining, over the computer network, the data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs and the interpretation result data;

a display module for viewing the obtained data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs and the interpretation result data;

a revision module for receiving user input correcting and/or affixing comments to the interpretation result data shown on the display module; and

a synchronization module for synchronizing the revised interpretation result data with a data interpretation center and repository.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable monitor operates in real-time and continually generates the data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs, the interpretation result data, and a hardware status data of the at least one portable monitor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the hardware status data contains information describing the portable monitor'"'"'s battery status, memory status and mobile telephony communication error list.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data interpretation center and repository receives the data files from the at least one portable monitor, reads the data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs and inserts the interpretation result data, with links to the data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs, into the data repository.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitoring computer stations synchronizes remotely with the data interpretation center and repository.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the revised interpretation result data are propagated to the data interpretation center and repository and distributed further to at least one other monitoring computer station connected with the data interpretation center and repository.

7. A system for remote monitoring and consultations of a patients'"'"' state associated with automated interpretation of vital signs signals, the system comprising:

at least one monitoring computer station;

at least one portable monitor, each portable monitor configured to;

acquire data signals representative of a patient'"'"'s continuous full-disclosure vital signs during an entire monitoring session to be stored in a memory using at least one vital signs signal sensor;

interpret, by a processor, the representative data signals; and

generate, by the processor, interpretation result data to be stored in the memory; and

transmit, over a computer network to the at least one monitoring computer station, the interpretation results and the vital signs signals continuously during the entire monitoring session by creating a transmission vital signs signal that is a combination of;

uncompressed/unreduced and compressed/reduced vital signs signal strips representative of an entirety of the patient'"'"'s continuous full-disclosure vital signs of the monitoring session, wherein the at least one portable monitor selects the uncompressed/unreduced data fragments based on generated interpretation results and/or a signal condition representing at least one significant signal event; and

wherein the monitoring computer station is configured to;

obtain, over the computer network, the data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs and the interpretation result data;

display, on a viewer, the obtained data signals representative of the patients'"'"' vital signs and the interpretation result data;

receive user input for correcting and/or affixing comments to the interpretation result data shown on the viewer; and

synchronize the revised interpretation result data with a data interpretation center and repository.