DE102011118389A1 - Monitoring system for medicinal intensive care unit for central monitoring of medicinal devices, has acoustic sensor per bed place for receiving alarm sounds emitted by acoustic alarm generators of diagnosis- and therapy units - Google Patents

Abstract

The monitoring system has an acoustic sensor (5,6,7) per bed-place (2) for receiving the alarm sounds emitted by the acoustic alarm generators of the diagnosis- and therapy units (1) assigned to the bed-place. A reference acoustic sensor (4) is provided to receive a reference spatial sound inside the patient room (3) of the medicinal intensive care unit (19). An output unit is provided for displaying the bed place during the local alarm. An independent claim is included for a method for central monitoring of medicinal devices for a medicinal intensive care unit.

Description

The invention relates to a monitoring system for medical intensive care units comprising a plurality of medical devices (US Pat. 19 ) and a method in which such a system is used.

In the course of permanent technical modernization and renewal, surveillance systems are being increasingly demanded for medical patient monitoring, especially in the field of intensive medical care. Such systems often require new and more complex solutions. The new systems are designed to improve both the security of technical monitoring systems and to lower the human error rate in patient monitoring. This is a requirement of medical care, because the state of health of intensive care patients can change life-threatening in seconds.

With more and more complex therapies of patients with increasingly severe clinical pictures, the assurance of continuous patient monitoring is becoming increasingly important, which leads to a higher burden on the care staff. These demands and burdens increase when patients need to be accommodated in a cohort insulation in which the room doors are always kept closed.

Basically, there are a variety of technical solutions and approaches to monitoring individual medical parameters. For intensive care units ( 19 ), in which several beds places ( 2 ), the merging of multiple medical patient assessment and patient monitoring systems into one room may result in a loss of surveillance quality, which may increase the error rates because the rapid intervention of the therapeutic team at the treatment site may be delayed by local misinterpretations of the alarm site. Medical diagnostic and therapy devices ( 1 ) are all equipped with audible and / or visual alarms, but - so the current state of technology - are placed directly on the bed of the patient and are usually applied directly on site. Just such an alarm on the ground by a variety of medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) directly adjacent to a plurality of simultaneously monitored patient beds ( 2 ) is a problem for the increasing burden of care staff.

It is common practice that the medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices used today ( 1 ) electronic outputs for external alarm transmitters and / or for connection to group alarm transmitters ( 13 ), but especially in intensive care units ( 19 ) with a plurality of such devices ( 1 ), the resulting wiring is neither desirable nor expedient, since such wiring would be a hindrance to a possibly necessary rapid replacement of equipment and / or for a rapid movement of the patient.

Nevertheless, and in the course of describing the known state of the art considered as the closest approach, the signals to be evaluated for the alarm are generally collected as electrical quantities by the individual stations or individual systems on site, signal-processed and evaluated according to specified parameters - usually in the form of threshold values to trigger an alarm with the aim of correct intervention by medical personnel in the patient / technology system. Modern signal-processing and system-evaluating devices today primarily use microcontrollers with fixed evaluation parameters or separate PC stations which are equipped with programs [for example, LabVIEW and the like] and which have a symbol surface for display.

Likewise to the state of the art to be appreciated here, in the case of the signal evaluation in the individual systems / monitors, the data-controlled focusing of sensor data is to be counted, which is often subject to a dynamic weighting of the measured parameters. Examples of a processing system for medical patient parameters are in the published patent application DE 10 2004 054 319 A1 demonstrated. By means of a transformation processor, medically significant signals are decomposed into a plurality of components, which are selected and processed by means of filter systems based on weighted criteria in order to exclude individual components or to provide filtered components. In this way, the medical data required for medical analysis can be made available case specifically.

For a less differentiated data analysis, only manual presettings are made for the selection of the measurement and sensor data to be evaluated, which formally corresponds to a simple, static focusing at low level in order to activate an alarm system.

Standard situation in an intensive care unit ( 19 ) may well be that in a larger patient room ( 3 ) several patients need to be treated, with each patient having different diagnostic and therapeutic systems ( 1 ) are connected to threatening changes in the recorded patient data acoustic and / or optical signals.

If it occurs that alarm signals occur simultaneously with several patients, valuable treatment time can be lost because the correct localization of the signal source by the care personnel, due to the same or similar signal tones already difficult and moreover complicated by the multiple reflections of the sound to the bald and smooth wall and floor surfaces, takes a lot of time. From a certain amount of beep, the human ear - even the trained - can locate the current signal sources only by directly approaching the patient bed. This condition occurs in the described environment of conventional intensive care units ( 19 ) often.

A disadvantage of the known state of the art is also that the care staff in a plurality of beds places ( 2 ) receiving patient room ( 3 ) frequently requires medical-technical materials and for this the patient room ( 3 ) must leave. With an additional employee call device, implemented as an acoustic transmitter, the care staff can call for help. Unsatisfactorily solved is the fact that for these emergencies a further acoustic signal is generated, which is added to the already confusing alarm sound gain. He is also unsatisfactory when the signal is generated as a scheduled alarm, because even then added a further acoustic signal and must be recognized by an existing acoustic mix of the support staff.

Against the background of the above-described problems in the relevant prior art, it is an object of the invention to propose a system to the public, with the aid of a broadband acoustic signal and noise level / mixture the alarming acoustic signals can be easily assigned their place of origin, ultimately with the goal that the medical care personnel can immediately recognize the location of the alarm. The object of the present invention is also to propose to the public a method in which such a system is used.

• • mindestens eine Zuwegung zu der medizinischen Intensivstation (19),
• • mindestens einen Patientenraum (3),
• • mindestens ein Bettenplatz (2) im Patientenraum (3),
• • dem mindestens einen Bettenplatz (2) zugeordnete Diagnose- und Therapiegeräte (1) mit akustischen Alarmgebern,

wobei das vorgeschlagene Überwachungssystem dadurch gekennzeichnet wird, dass es zusätzlich aufweist:

• • mindestens einen Schallaufnehmer (5, 6, 7) pro Bettenplatz (2) zur Aufnahme der von den akustischen Alarmgebern der dem mindestens einen Bettenplatz (2) zugeordneten Diagnose- und Therapiegeräte (1) emittierten Alarmtöne,
• • mindestens einen Referenzschallaufnehmer (4) zur Aufnahme eines Referenzraumtons innerhalb des mindestens einen Patentientenraums (3) der medizinischen Intensivstation (19),
• • mindestens eine den mindestens einen Bettenplatz (2) bei dortigem Alarm ausweisende Ausgabeeinheit (13, 14, 16, 18),
• • eine Steuereinheit (35) zur Verarbeitung aufgenommener Alarmtöne und des Referenzraumtons sowie zur Ansteuerung der mindestens einen den mindestens einen Bettenplatz (2) bei dortigem Alarm ausweisenden Ausgabeeinheit (13, 14, 16, 18).

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) for central monitoring of medical facilities, comprising:

• • at least one access to the medical intensive care unit ( 19 )
• • at least one patient room ( 3 )
• • at least one bed place ( 2 ) in the patient room ( 3 )
• • at least one bed space ( 2 ) associated diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) with acoustic alarms,

the proposed monitoring system being characterized in that it additionally comprises:

• • at least one sound sensor ( 5 . 6 . 7 ) per bed space ( 2 ) for receiving the acoustic alarms of the at least one bed space ( 2 ) associated diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) emitted alarm tones,
• • at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) for receiving a reference room sound within the at least one patent room ( 3 ) of the medical intensive care unit ( 19 )
• • at least one of the at least one bed place ( 2 ) in case of alarm there indicating output unit ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 )
• • a control unit ( 35 ) for processing recorded alarm tones and the reference room sound and for controlling the at least one at least one bed space ( 2 ) in case of an alarm indicating output unit ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ).

It represents a preferred embodiment of the medical intensive care monitoring system proposed here ( 19 ), if the monitoring system per patient room ( 3 ) at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) for receiving a reference room sound within said assigned patent room ( 3 ) having. In the in 2 This means that both in the large patient room ( 3 ) as well as in the patient room at the bottom right ( 3 ) at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) is installed.

It may be useful, even outside the intensive care unit ( 19 ) an external reference sound pickup ( 28 ) to install in a particularly noisy place, the acoustic sum signal, suitably electronically filtered, the control unit ( 35 ) is supplied.

• • Bettenplatz-Signalleuchte (13),
• • externe Signalleuchte (14),
• • externer Akustikgeber (16),
• • externe Anzeigeoptik (18).

The alarm indicating output unit ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ) is preferably at least one by the control unit ( 35 ) driven element selected from the list, comprising:

• • Bed place signal light ( 13 )
• • external signal light ( 14 )
• • external acoustic generator ( 16 )
• External display optics ( 18 ).

The list in the previous paragraph is not exhaustive, but gives the list of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ) again, which can be used individually and also in any combination with each other and most preferably in combination of all listed output units. There are under the bed place signal lamp ( 13 ) directly at the bed place ( 2 ) signal lights, which are particularly radio-bound or by connection possibilities in the floor of the patient room ( 3 ) by the control unit ( 35 ) can be controlled.

Under external signal lights ( 14 ) are permanently lit and flashing signal lights outside the patient rooms ( 3 ), for example, at the access to the intensive care unit ( 19 ) for the medical care staff. As external display optics ( 18 ) are intended in particular by the control unit ( 35 ) are proposed, which identify the bed space for the current alarm is issued.

The monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit proposed here ( 19 ) can according to a further embodiment also on the part of the control unit ( 35 ) controlled internal acoustic transmitter ( 15 ) and / or at least one internal display optics ( 17 ) within the at least one patient room ( 3 ) are positioned. Just as with the external display optics ( 18 ) should also the internal display optics ( 17 ), identify the bed space for which the alarm is currently being issued.

Particularly advantageous in the case of a status query at the central location of the patient monitoring within the entire area of an intensive care unit ( 19 ) are spoken bed space numbers as an acoustic output by external acoustic generator ( 16 ) and / or internal acoustic transmitters ( 15 ), which are created by a speech synthesizer, according to the prior art, which is why spoken bed space numbers as an acoustic output of the currently pending alarm by external acoustic generator ( 16 ) and / or internal acoustic transmitters ( 15 ) is considered to be very particularly preferred.

It represents a further preferred embodiment for the monitoring system proposed here if the monitoring system has employee call devices that each member of the therapeutic team carries with them, these employee call devices being used by those in the intensive care unit ( 19 ) installed sound sensors ( 5 . 6 . 7 ) and in the control unit ( 35 ) are displayed as a separately evaluated signal and / or controlled.

The monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit proposed here ( 19 ) for a particularly trouble-free functions at each access opening to the intensive care unit ( 19 ) at least one external sound sensor ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ), which in a sense together form a kind of difference signal of the entire acoustic activity in the intensive care unit ( 19 ) for each of the external transducers ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ) the acoustic picture is different. The electrical signals of the external sound sensors ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ) are preferably wired to the central control unit ( 35 ) - very particularly preferably an MSR unit - forwarded for further signal processing.

The control unit ( 35 ) can be located in a central location for patient monitoring outside the ICU ( 19 ), but it can also be used within the intensive care unit ( 19 ) queried here and the results by means of the alerting output units ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ) and also by means of the internal acoustic generator ( 15 ) and the internal display optics ( 17 ) being represented.

To increase the efficiency of the monitoring system proposed here, it is conceivable from the means of at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) reference space tone to create a reference file within the or for the control unit ( 35 ) and on the part of the control unit ( 35 ) is processed electronically.

Furthermore, it is conceivable and is preferred that characteristic features of acoustic signals of medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) are included as a priori values in the evaluation, which is why such signals as comparison files and within the or for the control unit ( 35 ) and on the part of the control unit ( 35 ) are processed electronically.

The monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit proposed here ( 19 ) in all of its disclosed embodiments is eminently suitable for displaying state changes in the monitoring of central and remote stations in a self-contained medical monitoring area and thus helps the caregiver in an elemental manner to quickly locate currently alerting diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ), whereby the problem underlying the invention is solved very well.

The invention is also directed to a method in which such a monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 in all its disclosed embodiments is used.

The invention will be explained further with reference to the following two figures.

In 1 - It shows the state of the art - is in a patient room ( 3 ) first the situation in an intensive care unit ( 19 ).

In such as part of an intensive care unit ( 19 ) created patient room ( 3 ) there are several - here five - individual stations each with a bed space ( 2 ) and per bed space ( 2 ) numerous medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) containing various medical measuring and recording devices. In the case of medically threatening changes to the recorded patient data, these diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) Depending on the condition of the patient concerned, acoustic, optical or opto-acoustic warning or emergency signals for the medical treatment personnel; at the same time - as in 1 shown - the diagnostic and therapy devices ( 1 ) via a cable obstructing the work in an intensive care unit - an electrical impulse to another bed space signal light ( 13 ), which starts to flash and / or flash as soon as one of the associated diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) Alarm, and which can usually only be switched off after alarm acknowledgment. In daily practice, it often happens that two or more medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) at the same time emit acoustic warning signals, which only by the spatial distance of the bed places ( 2 ) are separated from each other.

The task of the therapeutic team is to find out as soon as possible 2 ) the current signals come from. This is often only possible by choosing from Bettenplatz ( 2 ) to bed place ( 2 ) is hurried to locate the signal source. The situation is particularly critical if two or more signal sources simultaneously trigger signals, and the nursing officer for the purpose of obtaining medical items at this time just not in the patient room ( 3 ) is located. Upon reentering a room with spatially less distributed active signal sources, a trained therapeutic team also requires low latency for acoustic orientation.

The monitoring system according to the invention for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) - this is a room complex with as sound-insulated walls, the at least one patient room, in the case shown here exactly two patient rooms ( 3 ) - is in the 2 shown. In the two connected patient rooms ( 3 ) are several, spatially separated beds places ( 2 ) with associated diagnostic and therapy devices ( 1 ) - for each a sound sensor ( 5 . 6 . 7 ) are set up as a single receiver. So: a transducer ( 5 ) for the first bed space ( 2 ), a transducer ( 6 ) for the 2nd bed place ( 2 ) and a sound pickup ( 7 ) for the 3rd bed place ( 2 ). In the intensive care unit ( 19 ) should the for the three beds places ( 2 ) distributed acoustic sensors ( 5 . 6 . 7 ) be positioned so that they are within the acoustic range to be detected as possible acoustically directly only within their respective individual station.

As an intensive care unit ( 19 ) can also have multiple access routes for the medical care staff - in this case after the 2 case four, and these openings are continuous for the sound, there is at least one external sound sensor at each access opening ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ), which in a sense together form a kind of difference signal of the entire acoustic activity in the intensive care unit ( 19 ) take up. These external sound sensors ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ) are particularly recommended in a preferred embodiment, since alarms from other intensive care facilities, not the supervised intensive care unit ( 19 ) that may distort the acoustics field for monitoring. The electrical signals of the external sound sensors ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ) are wired in the case shown here the central control unit ( 35 ) - not shown here - forwarded for further signal processing.

The schematized monitoring system is completed by external signal lights ( 14 ), by an internal acoustic generator ( 15 ), by external acoustic sensors ( 16 ), by an internal display optics ( 17 ) as well as by external display optics ( 18 ) at the intensive care unit ( 19 ) are mounted. Furthermore, per bed space ( 2 ) here each radio-bound a Bettplatz signal lamp ( 13 ).

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Diagnostic and therapy device, simultaneously their acoustic alarm

2

bed space

3

patient room

4

Internal reference sound pickup

5

Sound sensor - 1st bed place

6

Sound sensor - 2nd bed place

7

Sound pickup - 3rd bed place

9

External sound pickup

10

External sound pickup

11

External sound pickup

12

External sound pickup

13

Bed space signal light

14

External signal light

15

Internal Acoustic Generator

16

External acoustic transmitter

17

Internal display optics

18

External display optics

19

intensive care unit

28

external reference sound pickup

35

control unit

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102004054319 A1 [0007]

Claims (9)

Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) for the central supervision of medical facilities, comprising: • at least one access to the medical intensive care unit ( 19 ), • at least one patient room ( 3 ), • at least one bed space ( 2 ) in the patient room ( 3 ), • at least one bed space ( 2 ) associated diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) with acoustic alarms, characterized in that the monitoring system additionally comprises: • at least one sound sensor ( 5 . 6 . 7 ) per bed space ( 2 ) for receiving the acoustic alarms of the at least one bed space ( 2 ) associated diagnostic and therapeutic devices ( 1 ) emitted alarm tones, • at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) for receiving a reference room sound within the at least one patent room ( 3 ) of the medical intensive care unit ( 19 ), • at least one of the at least one bed place ( 2 ) in case of alarm there indicating output unit ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ), • a control unit ( 35 ) for processing recorded alarm tones and the reference room sound and for controlling the at least one at least one bed space ( 2 ) in case of an alarm indicating output unit ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ). Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring system per patient room ( 3 ) at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) for receiving a reference room sound within said assigned patent room ( 3 ) having. Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to one of the claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the alarm-indicating output unit ( 13 . 14 . 16 . 18 ) preferably at least one by the control unit ( 35 ) driven element selected from the list, comprising: • chain position signal lamp ( 13 ), • external signal light ( 14 ), • external acoustic generator ( 16 ), • external display optics ( 18 ). Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the monitoring system has internal acoustic emitters ( 15 ) and / or at least one internal display optics ( 17 ) having. Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to one of the claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the external acoustic transmitter ( 16 ) and / or internal acoustic generator ( 15 ) are designed to deliver spoken bed space numbers as an acoustic output of the currently pending alarm. Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the monitoring system comprises employee call devices, whereby these employee call devices from the intensive care unit ( 19 ) installed sound sensors ( 5 . 6 . 7 ) and in the evaluation unit ( 35 ) are displayed as a separately evaluated signal and / or controlled. Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the monitoring system at each access opening to the intensive care unit ( 19 ) at least one external sound sensor ( 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 ). Monitoring system for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ) according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that from the means of the at least one reference sound pickup ( 4 ) received reference space sound a reference file for electronic processing by the control unit ( 35 ) is created. Method for centrally monitoring medical facilities for a medical intensive care unit ( 19 ), the method characterized by the use of a monitoring system according to one of the claims 1 to 8.

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