Device for remote monitoring of at least one medical device

• US 9,716,757 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Medical Co.
• Original Assignee: L3 Medical Co.
• Inventors: Fernandes, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry, Lance Leonard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mian, Mohammad Yousuf A
• Application Number:
  US14/295,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/028 Arrangements to prevent overuse, e.g. by counting the number of uses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/00 Suction or pumping devices for medical purposes; Devices for carrying-off, for treatment of, or for carrying-over, body-liquids; Drainage systems catheters A61M25/00; tube connectors, tube couplings, valves or branch units specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; devices for taking samples of blood A61B5/15; filters implantable into blood vessels A61F2/01
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/00 Sprayers or atomisers specially adapted for therapeutic purposes in general B05B; aerosol containers B65D83/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/021 operated by electrical means A61M16/202 – A61M16/205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/101 using an oxygen concentrator
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0208 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A device (9) for remotely monitoring at least one medical device (7) includes at least one portion (11) that vibrates when the medical device is used by a patient in order to receive a medical treatment. The monitoring device (9) includes: at least one sensor (15) intended to be in mechanical contact with the portion and suitable for detecting vibrations and for producing a primary electric or radio-electric signal (23) representing vibrations, and a local processing unit (13) suitable for receiving and extracting from the primary signal, at least one information item representing a duration of use of the medical device by the patient, and for producing at least one secondary signal (29) containing the information, the secondary signal being intended to be sent to at least one remote server (3) suitable for receiving and for extracting from the secondary signal, the information.

Claims

1. Device (9;

100) for remote monitoring of at least one medical device (7) comprising at least one portion (11) that vibrates when the medical device (7) is used by a patient in order to receive a medical treatment, the monitoring device (9) comprising;

at least one sensor (15) intended to be in mechanical contact with the portion (11) and suitable for detecting the vibrations when the medical device (7) administers the medical treatment to the patient and for producing a primary electric or radio-electric signal (23) representing the vibrations, and

a local processing unit (13) suitable for receiving the primary signal (23), for extracting from the primary signal (23) at least one information item representing a duration of use of the medical device (7) by the patient, and for producing at least one secondary signal (29) containing said information item indicating the duration of use of the medical device (7) in administering the medical treatment to the patient, the secondary signal (29) being intended to be sent to at least one remote server (3) suitable for receiving the secondary signal (29) and for extracting said information item from the secondary signal (29).

2. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, in which the information item extracted represents a duration of use of the medical device (7) by the patient within a time interval said information item indicating the duration of use of the medical device (7) administering the medical treatment to the patient during said time interval.

3. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, in which the sensor (15) comprises at least one piezoelectric gauge (19) suitable for converting the vibrations into an electric voltage.

4. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, also comprising at least one wire connection (17) connecting the sensor (15) to the local processing unit (13) and suitable for conveying the primary signal (23) from the sensor to the local processing unit (13).

5. Device (9;

100) according to claim 4, in which the wire connection (17) is suitable for supplying the sensor (15) with electric energy coming from the local processing unit (13).

6. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, in which the local processing unit (13) comprises a radio-electric transmitter (31) intended to transmit the secondary signal (29) to the remote server (3).

7. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, in which;

the sensor (15) comprises a radio-electric transmitter (21) suitable for transmitting the primary signal (23) to the local processing unit (13), and

the local processing unit (13) comprises a radio-electric receiver (26) for receiving the primary signal (23).

8. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, in which the local processing unit (13) comprises a processing module (27) suitable for performing a frequency analysis of the primary signal (23) over successive time periods.

9. Device (100) according to claim 8, in which the frequency analysis comprises a Fourier transform calculation on each of the successive time periods.

10. Device (100) according to claim 9, in which the processing module (27) comprises a memory suitable for storing:

values (F1, F2) representing a minimum frequency and a maximum frequency to be detected by the processing module (27) in the Fourier transform, or

values (A1, A2) representing a minimum weight and a maximum weight to be detected by the processing module (27) in the Fourier transform, or

values (F3, F4) representing a frequency range, the processing module (27) being suitable for taking into account a Fourier transform peak only if this peak has a width smaller than the frequency range.

11. Device (100) according to claim 10, comprising at least one connection jack (112), intended to enable a connection of the device with a computer suitable for configuring the device (100).

12. Assembly (5) comprising:

at least one medical device (7) comprising at least one portion (11) that vibrates when the medical device (7) is used by a patient in order to receive a medical treatment, and

a device (9;

100) according to claim 1, the sensor (15) being in mechanical contact with the portion (11) of the medical device (7).

13. Assembly (5) according to claim 12, in which the sensor (15) is attached on a receiving surface (24) of the portion (11), the assembly (15) comprising at least one adhesive strip (25) adhered to the sensor (15) and to the receiving surface (24) on either side of the sensor (15).

14. System (1) comprising at least one assembly (5) according to claim 12, and at least one remote server (3) suitable for receiving the secondary signal (29) and extracting said information item from the secondary signal (29), the secondary signal (29) being sent to the remote server (3).

15. System (1) according to claim 14, in which the device (100) comprises a SIM card (104) suitable for enabling the device (100) to be identified by the remote server (3).

16. Device (9;

100) according to claim 3, also comprising at least one wire connection (17) connecting the sensor (15) to the local processing unit (13) and suitable for conveying the primary signal (23) from the sensor to the local processing unit (13).

17. System (1) comprising at least one assembly (5) according to claim 13, and at least one remote server (3) suitable for receiving the secondary signal (29) and extracting said information item from the secondary signal (29), the secondary signal (29) being sent to the remote server (3).

18. Device (9;

100) according to claim 1, wherein the information item extracted represents the duration of use of the medical device (7) actually administering the medical treatment to the patient during a 24 hour time period.

19. The device (9;

100) according to claim 1 in combination with the at least one medical device (7) comprising the at least one portion (11),

wherein when the medical device (7) is operating to actually administer the medical treatment to the patient, the medical device (7) produces vibrations having an intensity exceeding a detection threshold of the at least one sensor (15), and

wherein, based on the vibrations having the intensity exceeding the detection threshold of the at least one sensor (15), said information item of the secondary signal (29) indicates an amount of time the medical device actually administered the medical treatment to the patient during a time period.

20. The device (9;

100) according to claim 1 in combination with the at least one medical device (7) comprising the at least one portion (11),

wherein during a time period, i) when the medical device (7) is not operating, the medical device (7) does not produce vibrations whose intensity exceeds a detection threshold of the at least one sensor (15), and ii) when the medical device (7) is operating to actually administer the medical treatment to the patient, the medical device (7) does produce vibrations whose intensity exceeds the detection threshold of the at least one sensor (15), and

wherein based on the vibrations having the intensity exceeding the detection threshold of the at least one sensor (15), said information item of the secondary signal (29) indicates an amount of time the medical device actually administered the medical treatment to the patient during the time period.