Claims
- 1. A medical monitoring system, comprising:
a central station adapted to receive vital signs data concerning a plurality of patients; one or more transmitter/receivers associated with the central station; and at least one patient monitor configured to monitor a particular one of the plurality of patients by collecting vital signs data from the particular patient, and configured to establish communications with the central station and communicate the collected vital signs data to the central station via the one or more transmitter/receivers; where the at least one patient monitor is operable by a user to identify the particular patient from the plurality of patients, and to inform the central station of the identity of the particular patient; and where the central station is configured to associate the vital signs data received from the at least one patient monitor with the particular patient.
- 2. The system of claim 1, where the central station is configured to transmit a list of the plurality of patients to the at least one patient monitor, and where the at least one patient monitor includes a display device adapted to display the list to the user.
- 3. The system of claim 2, where the central station is adapted to store the identity of the particular patient and, in the event that the communications with the central station are lost and then restored, to transmit a request to the at least one patient monitor for a confirmation that the at least one patient monitor is still configured to monitor the particular patient.
- 4. The system of claim 1, where the system, the one or more transmitter/receivers, and the at least one patient monitor is wireless.
- 5. The system of claim 4, where the central station is configured to transmit a list of the plurality of patients to the at least one patient monitor, and where the at least one patient monitor includes a display device adapted to display the list to the user.
- 6. The system of claim 5, where the central station is adapted to store the identity of the particular patient and, in the event that t he communications with the central station are lost and then restored, to transmit a request to the at least one patient monitor for a confirmation that the at least one patient monitor is still configured to monitor the particular patient.
- 7. A method for monitoring a patient, comprising:
establishing communications between a patient monitor and a central station via a transmitter/receiver associated with the central station, where the central station is adapted to receive vital signs data from a plurality of patients; configuring the patient monitor to collect vital signs data from a particular one of the plural patients; identifying, at the patient monitor, the particular patient; communicating the identity of the particular patient to the central station; communicating the vital signs data to the central station; and associating, at the central station, the vital signs data with the particular patient.
- 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
communicating a list of the plural patients from the central station to the patient monitor; and displaying the list to a user of the monitor.
- 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising,
if the communications between the patient monitor and the central station are lost, then:
restoring the communications between the patient monitor and the central station; communicating a request for confirmation from the central station to the patient monitor that the patient monitor is still configured to monitor the particular patient; and communicating the confirmation from the patient monitor to the central station.
- 10. The method of claim 7, where the step of establishing communications is between a wireless patient monitor and a central station via a wireless transmitter/receiver associated with the central station, where the central station is adapted to receive vital signs data from a plurality of patients.
- 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
communicating a list of the plural patients from the central station to the patient monitor; and displaying the list to a user of the monitor.
- 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising,
if the communications between the patient monitor and the central station are lost, then:
restoring the communications between the patient monitor and the central station; communicating a request for confirmation from the central station to the patient monitor that the patient monitor is still configured to monitor the particular patient; and communicating the confirmation from the patient monitor to the central station.
- 13. A medical monitoring system, comprising:
a central station associated with one or more transmitter/receivers, and adapted to receive vital signs data concerning a plurality of patients; and a patient monitor having a transmitter/receiver, the patient monitor being adapted to establish communications with the central station and transmit an identity of a particular one of the plural patients, and adapted to collect vital signs data from the particular patient when connected to the particular patient and to transmit the vital signs data to the central station; where the central station is configured to receive the identity of the particular patient and the vital signs data, and to associate the vital signs data with the particular patient when the communications are established; and where, in the event that the communications between the patient monitor and central station are lost for a period of time and then restored, the central station is configured to automatically determine whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient, and to associate the vital signs data with the particular patient if the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient.
- 14. The system of claim 13, where the central station is configured to determine whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient by measuring the period of time the communications are lost, and associating the vital signs data with the particular patient if the period of time is less than a predetermined length of time.
- 15. The system of claim 13, where the patient monitor is adapted to detect the disconnection of the particular patient from the patient monitor, and where the patient monitor is adapted to inform the central station if the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time the communications were lost.
- 16. The system of claim 13, where the central station is configured to transmit a request to the patient monitor for a patient identity if the central station does not determine that the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient.
- 17. The system of claim 13, where the system and the one or more transmitter/receivers are wireless.
- 18. The system of claim 17, where the central station is configured to determine whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient by measuring the period of time the communications are lost, and associating the vital signs data with the particular patient if the period of time is less than a predetermined length of time.
- 19. The system of claim 17, where the patient monitor is adapted to detect the disconnection of the particular patient from the patient monitor, and where the patient monitor is adapted to inform the central station if the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time the communications were lost.
- 20. The system of claim 17, where the central station is configured to transmit a request to the patient monitor for a patient identity if the central station does not determine that the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient.
- 21. A method for monitoring a patient from a central station configured to monitor a plurality of patients, where each of the plural patients has an identity, the method comprising:
establishing communications between a patient monitor connected to a particular one of the plural patients and the central station; communicating the identity of the particular patient from the patient monitor to the central station; collecting vital signs data from the particular patient at the patient monitor; communicating the vital signs data to the central station; associating, at the central station, the vital signs data with the particular patient; and in the event communications between the patient monitor and the central station are lost for a period of time:
reestablishing the communications between the patient monitor and the central station, automatically determining, at the central station, whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient, and if the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient, then associating the vital signs data with the particular patient.
- 22. The method of claim 21, where the step of determining includes determining that the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient if the period of time when the communications between the patient monitor and the central station were lost was less than a predetermined length of time.
- 23. The method of claim 21, where the step of determining includes
detecting, at the patient monitor, if the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time when the communications between the patient monitor and the central station were lost; and informing the central station whether the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time when the communications between the patient monitor and the central station were lost.
- 24. The method of claim 21, where the step of establishing communications involves wireless communications between a patient monitor connected to a particular one of the plural patients and the central station.
- 25. The method of claim 24, where the step of determining includes determining that the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient if the period of time when the communications between the patient monitor and the central station were lost was less than a predetermined length of time.
- 26. The method of claim 24, where the step of determining includes
detecting, at the patient monitor, if the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time when the communications between the patient monitor and the central station were lost; and informing the central station whether the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time when the communications between the patient monitor and the central station were lost.
- 27. A method for monitoring a patient, comprising:
collecting, by a patient monitor, vital signs data from the patient; establishing communications between the patient monitor and a central station; communicating the vital signs data from the patient monitor to the central station; analyzing the vital signs data to detect an alarm condition; indicating the alarm condition at both the patient monitor and the central station; receiving, at the patient monitor, an acknowledgement from a user of the patient monitor; communicating the acknowledgement from the patient monitor to the central station; and terminating the indication of the alarm condition at the central station in response to the acknowledgement.
- 28. The method of claim 27, where the step of indicating includes indicating the alarm condition at the patient monitor, and further comprising terminating the indication of the alarm condition at the patient monitor in response to the acknowledgement.
- 29. The method of claim 27, where the step of indicating includes producing an audible signal at the central station, and where the step of terminating includes terminating the audible signal.
- 30. The method of claim 27, where the step of indicating includes producing a visible signal at the central station, and where the step of terminating includes terminating the visible signal.
- 31. The method of claim 27, where the step of analyzing is performed by the central station.
- 32. The method of claim 27, where the step of analyzing is performed by the patient monitor.
- 33. The method of claim 27, where the step of establishing communications involves wireless communications between the patient monitor and a central station.
- 34. The method of claim 33, where the step of indicating includes indicating the alarm condition at the patient monitor, and further comprising terminating the indication of the alarm condition at the patient monitor in response to the acknowledgement.
- 35. The method of claim 33, where the step of indicating includes producing an audible signal at the central station, and where the step of terminating includes terminating the audible signal.
- 36. The method of claim 33, where the step of indicating includes producing a visible signal at the central station, and where the step of terminating includes terminating the visible signal.
- 37. The method of claim 33, where the step of analyzing is performed by the central station.
- 38. The method of claim 33, where the step of analyzing is performed by the patient monitor.
- 39. A medical monitoring system, comprising:
at least one patient monitor adapted to collect vital signs data from a patient; and a central station adapted to communicate with the at least one patient monitor via transmissions; where the at least one patient monitor includes a controller configured to analyze the vital signs data based on one or more variable parameter values; and where the central station is configured to communicate an instruction to the at least one patient monitor to change the value of at least one of the one or more variables to a new value, and where the controller is configured to analyze the vital signs data based on the new value in response to the instruction.
- 40. The system of claim 39, where the one or more variable parameter values includes a nominal data range, and where the controller is configured to analyze the vital signs data to determine whether the vital signs data is within the nominal data range and to indicate an alarm condition to a user if the vital signs data is outside the nominal data range.
- 41. The system of claim 40, where the vital signs data includes data indicating a heart-rate of the patient, and where the one or more variable parameter values includes a nominal range of heart-rate data.
- 42. The system of claim 40, where the vital signs data includes data chosen from the group consisting of the oxygen saturation of the patient's arterial blood, the patient's blood pressure, and the amount of carbon dioxide in the patient's breath, and where the one or more variable parameter values is respectively chosen from the group consisting of a nominal range of oxygen saturation data, blood pressure data, and carbon dioxide data.
- 43. The system of claim 39, where the system and the at least one patient monitor are wireless, and the central station is adapted to communicate with the at least one patient monitor via wireless transmissions.
- 44. The system of claim 43, where the one or more variable parameter values includes a nominal data range, and where the controller is configured to analyze the vital signs data to determine whether the vital signs data is within the nominal data range and to indicate an alarm condition to a user if the vital signs data is outside the nominal data range.
- 45. The system of claim 44, where the vital signs data includes data indicating a heart-rate of the patient, and where the one or more variable parameter values includes a nominal range of heart-rate data.
- 46. The system of claim 44, where the vital signs data includes data chosen from the group consisting of the oxygen saturation of the patient's arterial blood, the patient's blood pressure, and the amount of carbon dioxide in the patient's breath, and where the one or more variable parameter values is respectively chosen from the group consisting of a nominal range of oxygen saturation data, blood pressure data, and carbon dioxide data.
- 47. A medical monitoring system, comprising:
a central station adapted to receive vital signs data concerning a plurality of patients; one or more transmitter/receivers associated with the central station; and at least one patient monitor configured to monitor a particular one of the plurality of patients by collecting vital signs data from the particular patient, and configured to establish communications with the central station and communicate the collected vital signs data to the central station via the one or more transmitter/receivers; where the system is operable by plural users to identify the particular patient from the plurality of patients, and to inform the user of the identity of the particular patient; and where the system is configured to associate the vital signs data received from the at least one patient monitor with the particular patient.
- 48. The system of claim 47, where the central station is operable by a first user to identify the particular patient from the plurality of patients, and to inform a second user of the identity of the particular patient.
- 49. The system of claim 47, where the at least one patient monitor is operable by the second user to identify the particular patient from the plurality of patients, and to inform a second user of the identity of the particular patient.
- 50. The system of claim 48, where the central station is configured to maintain a list of the plurality of patients being monitored by the system.
- 51. The system of claim 48, where the central station is configured to transmit a list of the plurality of patients to the at least one patient monitor, and where the at least one patient monitor includes a display device adapted to display the list to the second user.
- 52. The system of claim 51, where the central station is adapted to store the identity of the particular patient and, in the event that the communications with the central station are lost and then restored, to transmit a request to the at least one patient monitor for a confirmation that the at least one patient monitor is still configured to monitor the particular patient.
- 53. A medical monitoring system, comprising:
a central station associated with one or more transmitter/receivers, and adapted to receive vital signs data concerning a plurality of patients; and a patient monitor having a transmitter/receiver, the patient monitor being adapted to establish communications with the central station and adapted to collect vital signs data from a particular one of the plural patients when connected to the particular patient and to transmit the vital signs data to the central station; where the central station is configured to receive the vital signs data, and to associate the vital signs data with the particular patient when the communications are established; and where, in the event that the communications between the patient monitor and central station are lost for a period of time and then restored, the central station is configured to automatically determine whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient, and to associate the vital signs data with the particular patient if the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient.
- 54. The system of claim 53, where the central station is configured to determine whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient by measuring the period of time the communications are lost, and associating the vital signs data with the particular patient if the period of time is less than a predetermined length of time.
- 55. The system of claim 53, where the patient monitor is adapted to detect the disconnection of the particular patient from the patient monitor, and where the patient monitor is adapted to send a patient-disconnection signal to the central station if the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time the communications were lost.
- 56. The system of claim 55, wherein the patient monitor is adapted to detect the identity of the particular patient and inform the central station of the identity.
- 57. The system of claim 53, where the central station is configured to transmit a request to the patient monitor for a patient identity if the central station does not determine that the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient.
- 58. The system of claim 53, where the system and the one or more transmitter/receivers are wireless.
- 59. The system of claim 58, where the central station is configured to determine whether the patient monitor is still connected to the particular patient by measuring the period of time the communications are lost, and associating the vital signs data with the particular patient if the period of time is less than a predetermined length of time.
- 60. The system of claim 58, where the patient monitor is adapted to detect the disconnection of the particular patient from the patient monitor, and where the patient monitor is adapted to send a patient-disconnection signal to the central station if the particular patient was disconnected from the patient monitor during the period of time the communications were lost.
- 61. The system of claim 60, wherein the patient monitor is adapted to detect the identity of the particular patient and inform the central station of the identity.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/205,412, filed May 19, 2000 and entitled PATIENT MONITORING SYSTEM. The subject matter of this application is incorporated herein by this reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60205412 |
May 2000 |
US |