GB2216266A

GB2216266A - A patient monitoring system

Info

Publication number: GB2216266A
Application number: GB8805071A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Philip Lock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-03-03
Filing date: 1988-03-03
Publication date: 1989-10-04
Also published as: GB8805071D0

Abstract

A patient monitoring system comprising a patient transmitter capable of being attached to a patient's body and which will be coupled to one or more sensors 3 on said body for the purpose of transmitting a sensor output to a remote located monitoring receiver and display. The transmitter may be in the form of a medallion 1 on a necklace 2 and may incorporate a call button. A single receiver may scan transmitters varied by a plurality of patients and may include an alarm which is activated when an abnormal condition is detected. <IMAGE>

Description

PATIENT MONITORING SYSTEM This invention relates to a patient monitoring system. It relates particularly to means which can be attached to, for example, a hospital patient and which will enable various characteristics of the functioning of the patients body to be transmitted to a central control panel without any need for intervening electrical wiring.

In this way, a common control panel can be used to monitor a large number, possibly thirty, of hospital patients.

According to the invention there is provided a patient monitoring system comprising a patient transmitter capable of being attached to a patient's body and which will be coupled to one or more sensors on said body for the purpose of transmitting a sensor output to a remotely located monitor receiver.

The patient transmitter may be arranged in the form of a necklace for location about the patients neck. Conveniently, the part to be located about the patients neck also includes an aerial by which the sensor signals can be transmitted. The ends of the necklace part may be brought together in a medallion portion which includes an electronics board to which the various output leads from the sensor(s) are connected. The medallion portion may additionally include a call button capable of being operated by the patient and which will cause a call alert signal to be displayed when necessary on the control panel.

The patient transmitter may be arranged to measure such characteristics as temperature and heart rate by use of suitable sensors. The sensor output signals are initially delivered to the electronics board and applied to an analogue multiplexer. The signal from this is converted to representative digital code in an analogue to digital converter. The parallel outputs from this operation are then converted to a serial data stream which serves to modulate the output from a transmitter. In one embodiment, the output power of the transmitter was designed to be about 10 mW.

According to a further aspect, the invention comprises a patient monitoring system in which a patient receiver includes a receiver capable of accepting sensor information from a remotely located patient transmitter and indicating this on a display panel. The display panel may additionally include a call alert signal capable of being activated by operation of a call button on the patient transmitter.

The receiver may be arranged to display information from all of the sensors attached to the patient transmitter. The receiver may additionally be arranged to display information received from a number of patient transmitters. The receiver may include adjustable patient monitoring means so that if one of the patient body sensors should detect a body condition that appears to deviate from a present range then the display panel may give a warning notice that expert help is needed. The display panel of the patient receiver may give visual and/or audible indications.

According to yet a further aspect, the patient receiver may have one receiver that is arranged to scan in sequence the patient transmitter outputs so that a substantial number of patients can be monitored. In addition, the patient receiver may have one or more further receivers that can be suitable so that each one will provide continuous monitoring of one selected patient. The said further receiver may also be switched so that it will provide continuous monitoring of a single sensor output on the selected patient.

The patient receiver may further incorporate recorder means or an output terminal to which such means could be connected so that a permanent record can be made of the sensor output variations.

By way of example, a particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a patient transmitter, Figure 2 is a block diagram of a patient monitoring sytem transmitter, and, Figure 3 is a similar diagram of a patient monitoring system receive and monitor station.

As depicted in Figure 1, the patient transmitter comprises a medallion portion 1 which is arranged to be hung from a necklace portion 2 intended to be located about the patients neck. The medallion portion 1 includes an electronics board to which can be connected one or more output leads from sensors 3 which are located in various positions on the patients body. The medallion portion 1 also includes a transmitter by which the sensor output signals can be passed on to a remotely located patient receiver. The necklace portion 1 incorporates a long electrically conductive filament which acts as an aerial for the transmitter.

The medallion portion 1 additonally includes a call button (not shown) by which the patients may call for assistance, if this should be necessary. The assistance call will be passed on with the sensor signals to the patient receiver.

Figure 2 shows the components of the patient transmitter which are incorporated in the medallion 1.

Sensors measuring such things as temperature/heart rate to be connected to an analogue multiplexer. The signal from this is converted to representative digital code in an analdgue to digital converted to a serial data stream which modulates the transmitter.

The output power of this transmitter is intended to be approximately 10 mW.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of the patient receive and monitor station.

At the receiving station there will be two receivers.

Receiver 1 will be continuously scanning the 30 channels in sequence. The demodulated output from the receiver is fed into a demultiplexer which separates the sensor signals and the call signal.

A call alert panel will indicate if a patient has pressed his call button.

The patient condition alert panel monitors the incoming signals for any acute deviation from the norm and will alert the nurse of any such conditions.

Receiver 2 is channel selectable by the nurse or patient monitor. This allows the nurse to investigate a patients condition continously rather than scanning all 30 patients as with the previous receiver. It is envisaged that the sytem would make use of existing desplay equipment all controlled by the master control panel.

Claims

1. A patient monitoring system comprising a patient transmitter capable of being attached to a patient's body and which will be coupled to one or more sensors on said body for the purpose of transmitting a sensor output to a remotely located monitor receiver.

2. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 1, wherein the remotely located monitor receiver is capable of accepting sensor information from the patient transmitter and indicating this Qn a display panel.

3. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the patient transmitter is arranged in the form of a necklace for location about the patient's neck.

4. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 3, wherein the part to be located about the patient's neck also includes an aerial by which the sensor signals can be transmitted.

5. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the ends of the necklace part are brought together in a medallion portion which includes an electronics board to which the various output leads from the sensor(s) are connected.

6. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 2, or any one of Claims 3 to 5 when appendant to Claim 2, wherein the medallion portion additionally includes a call button capable of being operated by the patient and which will cause a call alert signal to be displayed when necessary on the display panel.

7. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 2, or any one of Claims 2 to 6 when appendant to Claim 2, wherein the receiver is arranged to display information from all of the sensors attached to the patient transmitter.

8. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 2, or anyone of Claims 3 to 7 when appendant to Claim 2, wherein the receiver is additionally arranged to display information received from a plurality of patient transmitters.

9. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 2, or any one of Claims 3 to 8 when appendant to Claim 2, wherein the receiver includes adjustable patient monitoring means so that if one of the patient body sensors should detect a body condition that appears to deviate from a preset range then the display panel gives a warning notice.

10. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 9, wherein the display panel of the patient receiver may give visual and/or audible indications.

11. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 2, or any one of Claims 3 to 10 when appendant to Claim 2, comprising a single patient receiver and a plurality of patient transmitters, the one receiver being arranged to scan in sequence the outputs of the plurality of patient transmitters so that a substantial number of patients can be monitored.

12. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 11, wherein the patient receiver includes one or more further receiver that can be switched so that each one will provide continuous monitoring of one selected patient.

13. A patient monitoring system according to Claim 12, wherein the said further receiver may also be switched so that it will provide continuous monitoring of a single sensor output on the selected patient.

14. A patient monitoring system according to any preceding claim, wherein the patient receiver further incorporates recorder means or an output terminal to which such means is connectable, so that a permanent record can be made of the sensor output variations.

15. A patient monitoring system in which a patient receiver includes a receiver capable of accepting sensor information from a remotely located patient transmitter and indicating this on a display panel.

16. A patient monitoring system substantially as herein before described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.