Claims
- 1. A wireless medical telemetry system, comprising:
at least one wireless patient monitor configured to collect patient vital signs data; and at least one central station adapted to establish communications with the at least one patient monitor via a wireless transceiver, and to receive the patient vital signs data from the at least one patient monitor; where the at least one patient monitor is operable by a user to transmit an end-communications signal to the at least one central station; and where the at least one central station is configured to terminate the communications with the at least one patient monitor in response to the end-communications signal.
- 2. The system of claim 1, where the at least one central station is configured to communicate a confirmation of the end-communications signal to the patient monitor.
- 3. The system of claim 2, where the at least one patient monitor includes a display device adapted to display a message to the user in response to the confirmation.
- 4. The system of claim 1, where the at least one central station is configured to continue receiving the vital signs data until the communications with the at least one patient monitor are terminated.
- 5. A method for monitoring a patient, comprising:
establishing wireless communications between a patient monitor and a wireless transceiver connected to a remote central station; collecting, at the patient monitor, vital signs data from a patient and communicating the vital signs data to the central station via the wireless transceiver; communicating an end-communications signal from the patient monitor to the central station; and terminating the communications by the central station in response to the end-communications signal.
- 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising communicating a confirmation of the end-communications signal from the central station to the patient monitor.
- 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying a message to a user of the patient monitor in response to the confirmation.
- 8. The method of claim 5, further comprising discontinuing the step of collecting and communicating the vital signs data.
- 9. The method of claim 8, where the step of terminating is performed before the discontinuing.
- 10. The method of claim 8, where the step of terminating is performed after the discontinuing.
- 11. A system for monitoring the vital signs of a patient from a selected remote location, the system comprising:
at least one wireless patient monitor adapted to collect vital signs data from a patient; a medical telemetry network including a plurality of central stations adapted to receive vital signs data, and one or more wireless transceivers adapted to communicate with the at least one patient monitor; where the at least one patient monitor is operable by a user to select one of the plural central stations, and to transmit a request to establish communications to the selected central station via the one or more wireless transceivers.
- 12. The system of claim 11, where the selected central station is adapted to establish communications with the at least one patient monitor in response to the request, and to receive the vital signs data via the one or more wireless transceivers.
- 13. The system of claim 11, where at least one of the plural central stations is configured to communicate a list of the plural central stations to the at least one patient monitor, and where the at least one patient monitor includes a display device adapted to display the list of plural central stations to the user.
- 14. The system of claim 13, where the at least one patient monitor includes one or more input devices operable by the user to select one of the plural central stations on the list.
- 15. The system of claim 11, where the at least one patient monitor is operable by the user to select a different one of the plural central stations, and to transmit, to the selected central station, a request to change communications from the selected central station to the different central station.
- 16. The system of claim 15, where the selected central station is configured to terminate communications with the at least one patient monitor in response to the request to change communications.
- 17. The system of claim 16, where the different central station is configured to establish communications with the at least one patient monitor in response to the request to change communications, and to receive the vital signs data via the one or more wireless transceivers.
- 18. A method for monitoring a patient, comprising:
establishing wireless communications between a patient monitor and a communications network having at least one wireless transceiver and a plurality of central stations; selecting, at the patient monitor, one of the plural central stations; collecting, at the patient monitor, vital signs data from a patient and communicating the vital signs data to the wireless transceiver; and communicating the vital signs data from the wireless transceiver to the selected central station via the communications network.
- 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:
communicating a list of the plural central stations to the patient monitor via the wireless transceiver; and displaying the list to a user of the patient monitor.
- 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving an input from the user selecting one of the plural central stations on the list.
- 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
receiving a subsequent input from the user selecting a different one of the plural central stations; communicating subsequently collected vital signs data to the wireless transceiver; and communicating the subsequently collected vital signs data from the wireless transceiver to the different central station via the communications network.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. 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)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60205412 |
May 2000 |
US |