WO2018144893A2

WO2018144893A2 - Wireless digital blood pressure device and system

Info

Publication number: WO2018144893A2
Application number: PCT/US2018/016680
Authority: WO
Inventors: Efrem Ari ROBERSON; Timur Deniz OZEKEIN; Alexander Francois LEPELCH; Jonah Emanuel SALTZMAN
Original assignee: Heuristics Health, Llc
Priority date: 2017-02-03
Filing date: 2018-02-02
Publication date: 2018-08-09
Also published as: WO2018144893A3

Abstract

A system is provided for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body. The system according to the various embodiments can include a cluster, wherein the cluster comprises a plurality of blood pressure cuff devices. The system can also include a remote device. The remote device is associated with the cluster and connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster. The remote device also includes a user interface configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster. Furthermore, the system includes a storage system configured to receive data associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster.

Description

WIRELESS DIGITAL BLOOD PRESSURE DEVICE AND SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a blood pressure measuring apparatus and system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at more than one location on a patient's body.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Blood within a patient's body is characterized by a baseline pressure value, called the diastolic pressure. Diastolic pressure indicates the pressure in an artery when the blood it contains is static. A heartbeat forces a time-dependent volume of blood through the artery, causing the baseline pressure to increase in a pulse-like manner to a value called the systolic pressure. The systolic pressure indicates a maximum pressure in a portion of the artery that contains a flowing volume of blood. Pressure in the artery periodically increases from the diastolic pressure to the systolic pressure in a pulsatile manner, with each pulse corresponding to a single heartbeat. Blood pressure then returns to the diastolic pressure when the flowing pulse of blood passes through the artery.

[0003] Both invasive and non-invasive devices can measure a patient's systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A non-invasive medical device called a sphygmomanometer measures a patient's blood pressure using an inflatable cuff and a sensor (e.g., a stethoscope) that detects blood flow by listening for sounds called the Korotkoff sounds. During a measurement, a medical professional typically places the cuff around the patient's arm and inflates it to a pressure that exceeds the systolic blood pressure. The medical professional then incrementally reduces pressure in the cuff while listening for flowing blood with the stethoscope. The pressure value at which blood first begins to flow past the deflating cuff, indicated by a Korotkoff sound, is the systolic pressure. The stethoscope monitors this pressure by detecting periodic acoustic 'beats' or 'taps' indicating that the blood is flowing past the cuff (i.e., the systolic pressure barely exceeds the cuff pressure). The minimum pressure in the cuff that restricts blood flow is the diastolic pressure. The stethoscope monitors this pressure by detecting another Korotkoff sound, in this case a 'leveling off or disappearance in the acoustic magnitude of the periodic beats, indicating that the cuff no longer restricts blood flow (i.e., the diastolic pressure barely exceeds the cuff pressure).

[0004] Low-cost, automated devices measure blood pressure using an inflatable cuff and an automated acoustic or pressure sensor that measures blood flow. These devices typically feature cuffs fitted to measure blood pressure in a patient's wrist, arm or finger. During a measurement, the cuff automatically inflates and then incrementally deflates while sensing electronics (located in the cuff or in an external device) measure changes in pressure and consequently blood flow. A microcontroller in the external device then processes this information to determine blood pressure. Cuff-based blood-pressure measurements such as these typically only determine the systolic and diastolic blood pressures; they do not measure dynamic, time-dependent blood pressure.

[0005] Moreover, most hypertensive patients undergo treatment through a primary healthcare system. Accordingly, the exact measurement through the primary healthcare system is the first step to reduce a death rate caused by a cardiovascular disease. When hypertension is diagnosed, the blood pressures of both arms of a patient are measured. If the difference between the blood pressures of the both arms is made, the blood pressures of the both arms of the patient are measured again, and a higher blood pressure is selected. In addition, a guideline to measure the blood pressure from the arm having the higher blood pressure is suggested when the patient measures the blood pressures thereafter. The slight difference between the blood pressures of both arms is made even in the case of a normal person. However, the great difference between the blood pressures of both arms indicates the peripheral artery disease, and increases the morbidity rate to warn cardiovascular disease and the death rate resulting from the cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the difference between the blood pressures of both arms in the range of 10 mmHg to 20 mmHg serves as the risk factor of the diseases of the circulatory system.

[0006] Furthermore, data indicating blood pressure are most accurately measured during a patient's appointment with a medical professional, such as a doctor or a nurse. Once measured, the medical professional manually records this data in either a written or electronic file. Appointments typically take place a few times each year. Unfortunately, patients often experience 'white coat syndrome' where anxiety during the appointment affects the blood pressure that is measured. For example, white coat syndrome can elevate a patient's heart rate and blood pressure; this, in turn, can lead to an inaccurate diagnosis.

SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the disclosure concern a system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body. A system according to the various embodiments can include a cluster, wherein the cluster comprises a plurality of blood pressure cuff devices. The system can also include a remote device. The remote device is associated with the cluster and connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster. The remote device also includes a user interface configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster. Furthermore, the system includes a storage system configured to receive data associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster.

[0008] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises two blood pressure cuff devices. In alternative embodiments of the disclosure, the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises four blood pressure cuff devices. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, the remote device comprises at least one portable device selected from the group of: a tablet, a mobile device, a laptop, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and a notebook computer. In some embodiments, the remote device is connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster wirelessly using any form of wireless connection. The type of wireless connection can include a local area network (LAN), a common standard, such as 802.11, Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, and an IrDA infrared protocol, or any other available connection. In some embodiments, the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster is represented illustratively on the user interface of remote device. In some embodiments, the remote device is configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements by sending a uniform network-wide broadcast signal to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the storage system includes an electronic medical record server stored on site or in a cloud based storage.

[0009] Embodiments of the disclosure concern a system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body. A system according to the various embodiments can include a cluster, wherein the cluster comprises a plurality of blood pressure cuff devices. The system can also include a remote device. The remote device is associated with the cluster and connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster. The remote device also includes a user interface configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on the multiple locations of the patient's body. The system also includes a server configured to receive a signal from the remote device to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. The server is also configured to transmit a uniform network-wide broadcast to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices. Furthermore, the system includes a storage system configured to receive data associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is an exemplary local area system in accordance with embodiments discussed herein;

[0011] Figure 2 is an alternative exemplary local area system in accordance with embodiments discussed herein;

[0012] Figure 3 is an alternative exemplary local area system in accordance with embodiments discussed herein;

[0013] Figure 4 is a flow chart for carrying out a method in accordance with the exemplary local area system as shown in Figure 1 ; [0014] Figure 5 is a flow chart for carrying out a method in accordance with the alternative exemplary local area system as shown in Figure 2;

[0015] Figure 6 is an exemplary cluster and remote device in accordance with embodiments discussed herein; and

[0016] Figure 7 is an exemplary blood pressure cuff device.

[0017] The present disclosure is susceptible of various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the inventive aspects are not limited to the particular forms illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention is described with reference to the attached figures, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the figures to designate similar or equivalent elements. The figures are not drawn to scale and they are provided merely to illustrate the instant invention. Several aspects of the invention are described below with reference to example applications for illustration. It should be understood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the invention. One having ordinary skill in the relevant art, however, will readily recognizes that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the invention. The present invention is not limited by the illustrated ordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts or events are required to implement a methodology in accordance with the present invention.

[0019] In order to resolve the issue of white coat syndrome and individual cuff-based blood- pressure measurements that prevents dynamic, simultaneous blood pressure, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at more than one location on a patient's body.

[0020] Figure 1 is an exemplary local area system 100 in accordance with embodiments discussed herein. In some embodiments, the system 100 includes a first cluster 150 with a corresponding remote device 140, and a storage system 170. The first cluster 150 can include a plurality of personal area network devices, such as for example, blood pressure cuff devices 160A-160D associated with patient 151. In the first cluster 150 shown, a first blood pressure device 160A is connected to patient 151. In some exemplary embodiments, the first blood pressure device 160A can be connected to the patient's left arm. In the first cluster 150 shown, a second blood pressure device 160B is connected to the patient 151. In some exemplary embodiments, the second blood pressure device 160B can be connected to the patient's right arm. The first blood pressure measuring device 160A and the second blood pressure measuring device 160B can be measured simultaneous to measure the inter-arm blood pressure differences.

[0021] In the first cluster 150 shown, a third blood pressure device 160C is connected to the patient 151. In some exemplary embodiments, the third blood pressure device 160C can be connected to the patient's right leg. Furthermore, a fourth blood pressure device 160D is connected to the patient 151. In some exemplary embodiments, the fourth blood pressure device 160D can be connected to the patient's left leg. The third blood pressure measuring device 160C and the fourth blood pressure measuring device 160D can be measured simultaneous to measure the inter-leg blood pressure differences. Furthermore, the blood pressure devices of the first cluster 150 are configured to measure the multiple systolic pressures of the patient 151 simultaneously to create inter alia, an ankle-brachial index. It should be noted that the first cluster 150 can include a plurality of blood pressure devices exceeding or less than those enumerated herein. It should also be noted that in other exemplary embodiments, the first cluster 150 can include other personal area network devices, such as for example, blood glucose meters, etc.

[0022] The remote device 140 is configured to connect to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 150 via a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11 , Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol. The remote device 140 can be portable device with a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), as well as an input device, such as buttons, a keyboard, mouse or a touch-screen. Other alternatives for the remote device 140 are discussed below in connection with Figure 3. With this arrangement, a medical practitioner can control the remote device 140 directly by interacting with the user interface(s) of the remote device 140. The remote device 140 can be used to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices within the first cluster 150. In some embodiments, the remote device 140 serves as an access point, accessible only to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 150. The remote device 140 can indicate on the display all of the personal area network devices of the first cluster 150 that are active, online, offline and not active. Each personal area network devices of the first cluster 150 can be represented on the display of the remote device 140 as an icon. Furthermore, each icon can be colored based on their individual status. For example, where the third blood pressure device 160C is inactive or offline, the icon associated with the third blood pressure device 160C can be greyed or transparent to indicate its status as being inaccessible. Moreover, where the first blood pressure device 160A is active or online, the icon associated with the first blood pressure device 160A can be green or opaque to indicate its status as being accessible. Furthermore, icons can be provided to the medical practitioner after the systolic pressures of the patient 151 are measured. For example, where the measurement compromised because there was too much motion from the patient, an icon prompting the medical practitioner to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices within the first cluster 150. Furthermore, the remote device 140 can include a diagram of the patient and the location assignments of the blood pressure cuff devices 160A-160D associated with patient 151. [0023] The blood pressure devices 160A-D of the first cluster 150 can include a wireless transmitter/receiver 116A-D, respectively. The wireless transmitter/receiver 116A-D can enable the blood pressure devices 160A-D to send and receive signals from a wireless transmitter/receiver 1 17N of the remote device 140. For example, a medical practitioner (not shown) servicing the patient 151 can be located at the remote device 140. The wireless transmitter/receivers 1 16A-D can be configured to receive a uniform network- wide broadcast to initiate measurement from the wireless transmitter/receiver 117N of the remote device 140. The uniform network-wide broadcast to initiate measurement from the wireless transmitter/receiver 117N of the remote device 140 can be directed to specific IP addresses of the blood pressure devices 160A-D of the first cluster 150. Upon receipt of such uniform network-wide broadcast signal, the blood pressure devices 160A-D can perform simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at the predetermined locations on the patient 151. Furthermore, the blood pressure devices of the first cluster 150 include the wireless transmitter/receiver 116 to transmit data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements to the wireless transmitter/receiver 1 17N of the remote device 140. Data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements can be sent to the storage system 170 via the wireless transmitter/receiver 117N of the remote device 140.

[0024] The storage system 170 can include an electronic medical record server located on site or in a cloud based storage system. HealthCare facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories and medical offices can maintain the storage system 170 to include large volumes of patient information. For example, when a patient visits a physician for the first time, the physician generally creates a patient file including the patient's medical history, current treatments, medications, insurance and other pertinent information. This file can also include the results of the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements performed by the blood pressure devices of the first cluster 150. Furthermore, the file can also include other patient visits, including laboratory test results, physician's diagnosis, medications prescribed and treatments administered. During the course of the patient relationship, a medical practitioner can supplement the file to update the patient's medical history. When the physician refers a patient for treatment, tests or consultation, the referred physician, hospital, clinic or laboratory typically creates and updates similar files for the patient. These files may also include the patient's billing, payment and scheduling records.

[0025] It should be noted that system 100 can include a plurality of clusters 150N for multiple patients 15 IN. Each of the plurality of clusters 150N contain a plurality of personal area network devices 160N-1-N configured to perform simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements via a network- wide broadcast signal by the remote device 140N. The plurality of personal area network devices 160N-1-N can be configured to correspond with an associated remote device 140N via wireless transmitter/receivers 1 16N-1-N and 117N. Data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements can be sent to the storage system 170 via the remote device 140N.

[0026] Figure 2 is an alternative exemplary local area system 200 in accordance with embodiments discussed herein. In some embodiments, the system 200 includes a first cluster 250 with a corresponding remote device 240, a server 280, and a storage system 270. Similar to system 100 discussed in connection with Figure 1 , the first cluster 250 can include a plurality of personal area network devices, such as for example, blood pressure cuff devices 260A-260D associated with patient 251. Therefore, the components of first cluster 250, the remote device 240 and the storage system 270 are not described in great detail to avoid unnecessary repetition. [0027] Contrary to system 100, the remote device 240 does not directly send a uniform network-wide broadcast to the blood pressure cuff devices 260A-260D of the first cluster 250 to initiate measurement. Rather, the remote device 240 sends a request to the server 280 to request the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250 initiate measurements at the patient 251. The server 280 then sends a uniform network-wide broadcast directly to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250 to initiate measurement. A web-based application can be installed on the server 280 to dispatch uniform network-wide broadcast signals in a hospital, in real time to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250. The hospital can include a local area network infrastructure supporting the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements application installed on the server 280. The application installed on the server 280 can be configured to interact with multiple clusters 250N via their respective remote device 240N.

[0028] In some embodiments, the hospital can have a single server 280. In other embodiments, the hospital departments can have their own server 280 and associated cluster N recipients. In this embodiment, these servers can be consolidated into a single point, with a single manageable cluster N recipients list. The server 280 can be located on site at the hospital, remote, or in a cloud based storage. The remote device 240 is configured to connect to the server 280 via a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11, Bluetooth®, Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol. The server 280 is configured to connect to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 150 via a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11 , Bluetooth®, Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol. [0029] The server 280 can be portable device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet, a mobile phone, or notebook computer, or a larger device such as a desktop computer, appliance, etc. In some preferred embodiments, the server 280 can be a standalone device with a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), as well as an input device, such as buttons, a keyboard, mouse or a touch-screen. With this arrangement, a medical practitioner located at the remote device 240 can send a request to the server 280 to request the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250 initiate measurements at the patient 251. The server 280 then sends a uniform network-wide broadcast directly to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250 to initiate measurement. Upon receipt of such uniform network-wide broadcast signal, the blood pressure devices 160A-D can perform simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at the predetermined locations on the patient 151. Furthermore, the blood pressure devices of the first cluster 150 include the wireless transmitter/receiver 116 to transmit data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements to the server 280. Data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements can be sent to the storage system 170 via the server 280.

[0030] As a result, the server 280 can be used to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices within the first cluster 150. In this configuration, a single application located at the server 280 can service numerous clusters, i.e., patients 25 IN, and a plurality of personal area network devices configured to take simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the patients 25 IN.

[0031] Figure 3 is an alternative exemplary local area system 300 in accordance with embodiments discussed herein. In some embodiments, the system 300 includes a first cluster 350 with a corresponding mobile device 340, a server 380, and a storage system 370. Similar to system 300 discussed in connection with Figure 1 and Figure 2, the first cluster 350 can include a plurality of personal area network devices, such as for example, blood pressure cuff devices 360A-360D associated with patient 351. Therefore, the components of first cluster 350, the server 380, and the storage system 370 are not described in great detail to avoid unnecessary repetition.

[0032] Contrary to systems 100 and 200, the mobile device 340 can be a portable device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet, a mobile phone, or notebook computer, or a larger device such as a desktop computer, appliance, etc. In some preferred embodiments, the mobile device 340 can be a standalone device with a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), as well as an input device, such as buttons, a keyboard, mouse or a touch-screen. Similar to Figure 2, a medical practitioner can control the mobile device 340 directly by interacting with the user interface(s) of the mobile device 340. The mobile device 340 can be used to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices within the first cluster 150.

[0033] The mobile device 340 sends a request to the server 380 to request the personal area network devices of the first cluster 350 initiate measurements at the patient 351. The server 380 then sends a uniform network-wide broadcast directly to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 350 to initiate measurement. A web-based application can be installed on the server 380 to dispatch uniform network- wide broadcast signals in a hospital, in real time to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 350. The application installed on the server 380 can be configured to interact with multiple clusters 350N via their respective mobile device 340N.

[0034] A flow chart for carrying out the method 400 in accordance with the exemplary local area system 100 is shown in Figure 4. As detailed above, the remote device 140 can be used to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices within the first cluster 150. As an initial matter, the personal area network devices of a first cluster are connected to the remote device at step 410. The remote device 140 can serve as an access point, accessible only to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 150.

[0035] At step 420, the remote device can receive an input to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices. The remote device 140 can be portable device with a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), as well as an input device, such as buttons, a keyboard, mouse or a touch-screen. A medical practitioner (not shown) servicing the patient 151 can be located at the remote device 140. With this arrangement, a medical practitioner can control the remote device 140 directly by interacting with the user interface(s) of the remote device 140.

[0036] At step 430, the remote device can transmit a uniform network-wide broadcast to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices. The wireless transmitter/receivers 116A-D can be configured to receive a uniform network-wide broadcast to initiate measurement from the wireless transmitter/receiver 117N of the remote device 140. The uniform network- wide broadcast to initiate measurement from the wireless transmitter/receiver 1 17N of the remote device 140 can be directed to specific IP addresses of the blood pressure devices 160A-D of the first cluster 150. Upon receipt of such uniform network- wide broadcast signal, the blood pressure devices 160A-D can perform simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at the predetermined locations on the patient 151. [0037] At step 440, data measurements are received from the personal area network devices at the remote device. The blood pressure devices of the first cluster 150 include the wireless transmitter/receiver 1 16 to transmit data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements to the wireless transmitter/receiver 117N of the remote device 140. At step 450, the received data measurements from the personal area network devices are transmitted to an electronic medical record database. Data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements can be sent to the storage system 170 via the wireless transmitter/receiver 117N of the remote device 140. The storage system 170 can include an electronic medical record server located on site or in a cloud based storage system. HealthCare facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories and medical offices can maintain the storage system 170 to include large volumes of patient information.

[0038] A flow chart for carrying out the method 500 in accordance with the alternative exemplary local area system 200 is shown in Figure 5. As an initial matter, the personal area network devices of a first cluster are connected to the remote device at step 510. The remote device 140 can serve as an access point, accessible only to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 150.

[0039] At step 520, the remote device can receive an input to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the personal area network devices. The remote device 140 can be portable device with a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), as well as an input device, such as buttons, a keyboard, mouse or a touch-screen. A medical practitioner (not shown) servicing the patient 151 can be located at the remote device 140. With this arrangement, a medical practitioner can control the remote device 140 directly by interacting with the user interface(s) of the remote device 140. [0040] At step 530, a request is sent to the server to request the personal area network devices of the first cluster initiate measurements. As detailed above, the remote device 240 sends a request to the server 280 to request the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250 initiate measurements at the patient 251. The server 280 then sends a uniform network-wide broadcast directly to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250 to initiate measurement. A web-based application can be installed on the server 280 to dispatch uniform network-wide broadcast signals in a hospital, in real time to the personal area network devices of the first cluster 250. The hospital can include a local area network infrastructure supporting the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements application installed on the server 280. The application installed on the server 280 can be configured to interact with multiple clusters 250N via their respective remote device 240N.

[0041] Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, Figure 6 is an exemplary cluster 600 and remote device 640 in accordance with embodiments discussed herein. In some embodiments, the cluster 600 includes a plurality of personal area network devices, such as for example, blood pressure cuff devices 700, 660B-660D associated with a patient 651. It should be noted that the cluster 600 can include a plurality of blood pressure devices exceeding or less than those enumerated herein. It should also be noted that in other exemplary embodiments, the cluster 600 can include other personal area network devices, such as for example, blood glucose meters, etc. The blood pressure cuff devices 700, 660B-660D can be configured to wirelessly connect to the remote device 640.

[0042] Figure 7 is an exemplary blood pressure cuff device 700. The blood pressure cuff device 700 can include a housing 701 that includes a receiver/transmitter 710, a user interface 720, a processor 730, a blood pressure recording device 740, a pressure transducer 750, and a pump 760. The blood pressure cuff device 700 can also include an inflation line 770 connected to the pump 760, and an inflatable bladder 780 configured to occlude a limb artery of the patient 651.

[0043] A signal can be received at the receiver/transmitter 710 to initiate a measurement sequence. As explained above, the signal can be received from the remote unit 640 or an application based on a hospital server (See above with reference to Figure 2). Furthermore, the signal can be received from another blood pressure cuff device. For example, the exemplary blood pressure cuff device 700 can be configured to act as a master device to the other blood pressure cuff devices in the cluster 600.

[0044] In some embodiments, the blood pressure cuff device 700 is configured to connect to other blood pressure cuff devices in cluster 600 via a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11, Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol. The blood pressure cuff device 700 can include user interface 720, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), as well as an input device, such as buttons, a keyboard, mouse or a touch-screen. With this arrangement, a medical practitioner or the patient 651 can control the blood pressure cuff device 700 directly by interacting with the user interface 720 of the blood pressure cuff device 700.

[0045] The blood pressure cuff device 700 can be used to initiate simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the other blood pressure cuff devices in cluster 600. In some embodiments, the blood pressure cuff device 700 serves as an access point, accessible only to the other blood pressure cuff devices in cluster 600. The blood pressure cuff device 700 can indicate on the user interface 720 all of the blood pressure cuff devices in cluster 600 that are active, online, offline and not active. Each blood pressure cuff devices in cluster 600 can be represented on the user interface 720 of the blood pressure cuff device 700 as an icon. [0046] Furthermore, each icon can be colored based on their individual status. For example, where the third blood pressure device 660C is inactive or offline, the icon associated with the third blood pressure device 660C can be greyed or transparent to indicate its status as being inaccessible. Moreover, where the fourth blood pressure device 660D is active or online, the icon associated with the fourth blood pressure device 660D can be green or opaque to indicate its status as being accessible. Furthermore, icons can be provided to the medical practitioner or the patient 651 after the measurements are completed. For example, where the measurement is compromised because there was too much motion from the patient 651, an icon can be provided on the user interface 720 prompting the medical practitioner or the patient 651 to reinitiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. Furthermore, the include user interface 720 can include a diagram of the patient 651 and the location assignments of the blood pressure cuff devices 660B-660D.

[0047] The blood pressure cuff device 700 can include a receiver/transmitter 710. The wireless receiver/transmitter 710 can enable the blood pressure cuff device 700 to send and receive signals from the other blood pressure cuff devices 660B-660D in cluster 600. For example, the medical practitioner or the patient 651 can initiate a request for all of the blood pressure cuff devices in the cluster 600 to perform simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. The wireless transmitter/receivers 616B-D can be configured to receive a uniform network- wide broadcast to initiate measurement from the receiver/transmitter 710 of the blood pressure cuff device 700. The uniform network-wide broadcast to initiate measurement from the wireless receiver/transmitter 710 of the blood pressure cuff device 700 can be directed to specific IP addresses of the blood pressure devices 660B-D of the cluster 600. Upon receipt of such uniform network-wide broadcast signal, the blood pressure cuff devices 700 and 660B-D can perform simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at the predetermined locations on the patient 651. Specifically, the uniform network- wide broadcast signal is sent to the processor 730 located within the housing 701 of the blood pressure cuff device 700. The processor 730 activates the pump 760 to pump air through the inflation line 770 to the bladder 780.

[0048] The bladder 780 is designed to be wrapped around a limb of the patient 651 such as an upper arm, with an inner surface of the bladder 780 applied to the limb. To maintain the bladder 780, a fastening portion is then wrapped about the former and suitably fastened thereto. For this purpose there may be provided on such two portions any appropriate cooperative fastening means such as that sold under the trademark Velcro, which comprises small barbs 26 formed on the outer surface of the bladder 780 and small loops formed on the inner surface of the fastening portion for mutual cooperative action. The length of the bladder 780 should, of course, be sufficient that the brachial artery is properly overlaid thereby. Any suitable flexible material, whether a fabric, a plastic, or otherwise, can be utilized in the manufacture of the bladder 780 so long as it is non-elastic or non-stretchable. In this way, when the bladder 780 is inflated during a blood-pressure determination, the resulting bladder pressure serves to occlude the flow of blood through the artery, as is desired.

[0049] The blood pressure recording device 740 can include a low frequency microphone configured to record inner-tube sounds associated with oscillations in the bladder 780. In addition, the blood pressure transducer 750 is simultaneously measuring the blood pressure of the patient 651. In initial inflation stage, as the pressure is increasing within the bladder 780 the low frequency microphone is detecting sounds associated with the pulse. As the bladder 780 completely inflates, the detected measurement entirely includes the patient's blood pressure. At which point, the low frequency microphone will stop generating sounds associated with the patient's pulse. Upon deflation, the heart beat can be detected by the low frequency microphone, and the resulting oscillations are recorded. At which point, the systolic pressure is measured. In the process of deflation maximum heart sounds are recorded where there are maximum pressure oscillations. Upon complete deflation, the pressure signal is totally absent, and diastolic pressure is measured.

[0050] Both the blood pressure recording device 740 and blood pressure transducer 750 data is transmitted to the processor 730 to measure the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The measurement data can be saved on board via a memory card or transmitted to a single repository. The blood pressure cuff device 700 can transmit data obtained from the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the blood pressure cuff devices 700 and 660B-D to a remote device 640 or an application based on a hospital server (See above with reference to Figure 2). The obtained data can be sent to a storage system, e.g. electronic medical record (See above with reference to Figure 2).

[0051] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

[0052] Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

[0053] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including", "includes", "having", "has", "with", or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and/or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising."

[0054] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure

measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body, comprising:

a cluster, wherein the cluster comprises a plurality of blood pressure cuff devices;

a remote device, wherein the remote device is associated with the cluster and connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster, the remote device comprising a user interface configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure

measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster; and

a storage system configured to receive data associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises two blood pressure cuff devices.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises four blood pressure cuff devices.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote device comprises at least one portable device selected from the group of: a tablet, a mobile device, a laptop, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and a notebook computer.

5. The system claim 1, wherein the remote device is connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster wirelessly.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless connection comprises a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11 , a Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster is represented illustratively on the user interface of remote device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote device is configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements by sending a uniform network- wide broadcast signal to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the storage system includes an electronic medical record server stored on site.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage system includes an electronic medical record server in a cloud based storage.

11. A method for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body, comprising:

connecting to a cluster, wherein the cluster comprises a plurality of blood pressure cuff devices; and

receiving an input to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on the multiple locations of the patient's body;

transmitting a uniform network- wide broadcast to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements;

receiving data from the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements; and

transmitting the data to an electronic medical record database.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises two blood pressure cuff devices.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises four blood pressure cuff devices.

14. The method claim 11 , further comprising wirelessly connecting to the cluster.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless connection comprises a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11, a Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing an illustrative representation of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster on a user interface.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electronic medical record is stored on site.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electronic medical record is stored in a cloud based storage.

19. A system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure

measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body, comprising:

measurements on the multiple locations of the patient's body;

a server configured to receive a signal from the remote device to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements and transmit a uniform network-wide broadcast to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices; and

a storage system configured to receive data from the server associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises two blood pressure cuff devices.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises four blood pressure cuff devices.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the remote device comprises at least one portable device selected from the group of: a tablet, a mobile device, a laptop, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and a notebook computer.

23. The system claim 19, wherein the remote device is connected to the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster wirelessly.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the wireless connection comprises a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11, a Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster is represented illustratively on the user interface of remote device.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the storage system includes an electronic medical record server stored on site.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the storage system includes an electronic medical record server in a cloud based storage.

28. A method for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body, comprising:

receiving an input to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements on the multiple locations of the patient's body; and

sending a request to a server to request the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises two blood pressure cuff devices.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices comprises four blood pressure cuff devices.

31. The method claim 28, further comprising wirelessly connecting to the cluster.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the wireless connection comprises a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11, a Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing an illustrative representation of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster on a user interface.

34. A system for providing simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure

measurements on multiple locations of a patient's body, comprising:

wherein at least one blood pressure cuff device of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices is connected to the remaining plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster, the at least one blood pressure cuff device comprising a user interface configured to initiate the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster;

a storage system configured to receive data associated with the simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements.

35. The system claim 34, wherein the at least one blood pressure cuff device is connected to the remaining plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster wirelessly.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the wireless connection comprises a local area network (LAN), a common standard such as 802.11, a Bluetooth®, wireless protocol, or an IrDA infrared protocol.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the remaining plurality of blood pressure cuff devices of the cluster is represented illustratively on the user interface of the at least one blood pressure cuff device.

38. A blood pressure cuff device comprising:

a wireless transmitter configured to receive a uniform network-wide broadcast to initiate a simultaneous systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements;

a processor, upon which the uniform network- wide broadcast is received, configured to activate a pump to pump air through an inflation line to a bladder; wherein the bladder is configured to occlude a limb artery;

a blood pressure recording device configured to record inner-tube sounds associated with oscillations in the bladder; and

a pressure transducer configured to measure blood pressure.

39. The blood pressure cuff of claim 38, wherein the uniform network- wide broadcast is received from a remote device.

40. The blood pressure cuff of claim 38, wherein the uniform network- wide broadcast is received from a server based application.

41. The blood pressure cuff of claim 38, wherein the uniform network- wide broadcast is received from a second blood pressure cuff device.

42. The blood pressure cuff of claim 38, wherein the blood pressure recording device comprises a low frequency microphone.

43. The blood pressure cuff of claim 38, wherein the processor is configured to receive data from the blood pressure recording device and the pressure transducer.

44. The blood pressure cuff of claim 43, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to send the data from the blood pressure recording device and the pressure transducer to an electronic medical record repository.