Non-contact early warning system for extubation prevention of conscious patients in ICU

Abstract

The application discloses an ICU awake patient non-contact anti-tube-withdrawal early warning intelligent bracelet, relates to the technical field of medical nursing instruments, and aims to solve the problems in the traditional ICU patient pipeline protection, such as that physical constraint can easily cause skin damage and psychological stress, that artificial patrol has the risk of omissions, and that the contact type monitoring equipment has poor adaptability, and realizes intelligent and humanized anti-tube-withdrawal management for awake and partially cooperative patients. The early warning intelligent bracelet mainly comprises a medical silica gel intelligent bracelet main body, a millimeter wave radar sensor, a vibration motor, a Bluetooth communication module, an integrated heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module, a control circuit board, a rechargeable battery, a waterproof shell and an adjusting ring, and each component cooperatively works to build a precise and efficient non-contact early warning system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of anti-extubation, specifically to a non-contact anti-extubation intelligent control device and method for conscious ICU patients. Background Technology

[0002] From a patient experience and safety perspective, while these devices forcibly immobilize a patient's fingers or limbs with restraints to some extent and reduce the risk of extubation, they impose a heavy physical and psychological burden on conscious ICU patients with the ability to move independently. The continuous pressure of physical restraints can hinder local blood circulation, and given the generally fragile skin of ICU patients, prolonged use can easily lead to complications such as skin abrasions and pressure sores, increasing patient suffering and infection risks. Simultaneously, the discomfort of being restricted can induce anxiety, irritability, and even resistance in patients. Some patients may even intensify their struggles due to the urge to break free, thus increasing the potential for unplanned extubation. The accompanying pressure-sensing technology only triggers an alarm when the patient pulls on the restraints, creating significant tension. This is a reactive warning system and cannot predict or intervene before the patient raises their hand towards the tubing, indicating an intention to extubate, often missing the optimal intervention window. From the perspective of nursing work execution, traditional extubation prevention measures require nurses to invest significant manpower in 24-hour continuous monitoring. On the one hand, ICU patients have complex conditions and various types of tubes (such as endotracheal intubation, central venous catheterization, and gastric tubes). Displacement or dislodgement of any tube can lead to serious clinical consequences. Nurses need to frequently travel to the ward to check the tightness of restraints and whether the pressure sensors are working properly, which greatly reduces the time available for providing meticulous care to patients. On the other hand, patients' extubation actions are sudden and instantaneous. Even with short intervals between nurse rounds, it is difficult to fully cover periods of low manpower, such as nighttime and shift changes. It is often difficult to effectively intercept patients' sudden extubation behavior, which not only affects the continuity of treatment but may also cause serious adverse events such as airway injury and bleeding due to unplanned extubation, posing a great safety hazard to clinical nursing work. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a non-contact anti-extubation smart ring for conscious ICU patients, solving the issues of pressure sores and emotional anxiety caused by continuous pressure from traditional ICU restraint straps. A non-contact anti-extubation smart ring for ICU use includes a silicone smart ring body, a millimeter-wave radar sensor, a vibration motor, a Bluetooth communication module, a heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module, a control circuit board, a rechargeable battery, a waterproof shell, and an adjustment ring. The silicone smart ring body serves as the wearable carrier, internally integrating the millimeter-wave radar sensor, vibration motor, Bluetooth communication module, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module, control circuit board, and rechargeable battery, and externally equipped with a waterproof shell and adjustment ring. All components work collaboratively: the millimeter-wave radar sensor non-contactly monitors the distance and movement trends of the patient's hand relative to the tubing; the control circuit board analyzes the data in real time and triggers an early warning; the vibration motor emits a vibration alert; the Bluetooth communication module enables wireless data transmission; and the heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module simultaneously collects the patient's physiological indicators, constructing a precise and efficient non-contact early warning system. Among them: The main body of the silicone smart ring is made of medical-grade flexible silicone material, with an arc-shaped design that fits the finger perfectly. It has no sharp edges or pressure, is skin-friendly and breathable, antibacterial and hypoallergenic, and has passed biocompatibility testing, making it suitable for long-term continuous wear. Millimeter-wave radar sensor: Installed inside the smart device, it collects data on the distance, range of motion, movement trend and approach speed of the patient's hand and various tubes (endotracheal tube, gastric tube, drainage tube, intravenous catheter, etc.) in real time without contact, achieving non-contact, interference-free and highly stable monitoring; Control circuit board: This is the core control module. It receives radar data and physiological data, has built-in intelligent algorithms, presets multi-level safe distance thresholds, automatically judges the risk level, and realizes hierarchical early warning logic control. Vibration motor: Controlled by MCU, it outputs vibration reminders of different intensities and frequencies according to the risk level, gently alerting the patient while simultaneously transmitting warning signals to nursing staff; Bluetooth communication module: Supports low-power Bluetooth transmission, which can synchronously upload warning information, real-time distance data, heart rate and blood oxygen data to the nurse station terminal, mobile nursing equipment or medical APP to achieve remote real-time monitoring; Heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module: integrates an optical sensing unit to simultaneously collect physiological indicators such as patient heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and pulse waveform, to help assess the patient's state of consciousness and physical condition; Rechargeable battery: It adopts a high-capacity rechargeable lithium battery, supports cyclic charging and discharging, and its battery life meets the long-term continuous use needs of the ICU. Waterproof casing: The overall sealed waterproof design is suitable for the humid, disinfected, and clean environments of the ICU, preventing liquid from seeping in and damaging the internal circuitry, and improving the durability of the equipment. Adjustment ring: Enables stepless adjustment of wearing size to accommodate different finger sizes, improves wearing fit and comfort, and fits the skin to ensure the monitoring accuracy of sensors such as heart rate, blood oxygen, and millimeter-wave radar. Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. Non-contact monitoring, safe and harmless. Millimeter-wave radar is used to achieve completely non-contact distance and motion monitoring without any physical restraints, thus completely avoiding pressure sores, redness, blood circulation disorders and psychological stress caused by restraint straps, significantly improving patient comfort, cooperation and treatment compliance. 2. Intelligent hierarchical early warning system, accurate and efficient. Built-in multi-level threshold algorithm automatically judges the risk level based on the speed, distance and movement trend of hand approach, and triggers vibration warnings in stages. The response is rapid, without delay or omission, replacing manual inspection and greatly reducing the incidence of unplanned extubation. 3. Comfortable and skin-friendly, suitable for long-term wear. The medical-grade silicone body is soft, breathable, antibacterial, and hypoallergenic. Its curved, pressure-free design is lightweight and fits the body perfectly, without affecting the patient's limb movement. It can be worn continuously for 24 hours without interfering with turning over, moving around, or treatment procedures. 4. Multifunctional integration improves nursing efficiency Integrating anti-extubation warning, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, and Bluetooth wireless transmission, this device achieves dual functions of tubing safety and physiological monitoring in one unit, reducing the number of devices patients need to wear and facilitating centralized monitoring and rapid response by nursing staff. 5. Stable and reliable, suitable for ICU environments. The waterproof and sealed structure is resistant to moisture, disinfection, and interference, and is unaffected by sweat, body position, or activity, ensuring stable monitoring. The rechargeable battery provides long-lasting power and is easy to maintain, making it suitable for high-intensity, long-term clinical use in the ICU. 6. Humanistic intervention to improve the quality of nursing care The early warning method is gentle, mainly using vibration prompts, to avoid agitation caused by sound and light stimulation, which meets the psychological needs of conscious patients, and achieves a combination of intelligence and humanization to improve the overall quality of nursing care. Attached Figure Description

[0004] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the non-contact anti-extubation early warning system for conscious ICU patients of the present invention. Explanation of markings in the diagram: 1—Medical silicone smart ring body; 2—Millimeter-wave radar sensor; 3—Control circuit board; 4—Rechargeable battery; 5—Waterproof shell; 6—Vibration motor; 7—Bluetooth communication module; 8—Heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module; 9—Adjustment ring. Detailed Implementation

[0005] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments. I. Overall Structural Composition This smart ring is designed with safe and comfortable wear, non-contact and accurate monitoring, intelligent hierarchical early warning, and synchronous physiological monitoring as its core features. The overall structure is divided into four modules: the main wearer module, the intelligent monitoring module, the control and early warning module, and the communication and power supply module. The modules are electrically connected through flexible circuit boards and are integrated into the main body of the medical silicone smart ring, resulting in a compact structure and reasonable layout. 1. Wearing main module The smart ring's main body is made of medical-grade, food-grade flexible silicone in a single piece. Its overall curved design adapts to fingers of different sizes, with a smooth, non-protruding inner side and a rounded, non-angular outer side. It possesses antibacterial, sweat-proof, and hypoallergenic properties, has passed biocompatibility testing, does not irritate the skin, and does not cause contact dermatitis, making it suitable for long-term wear by ICU patients. The ring's thickness is controlled at 8–12mm, and its weight is ≤30g, providing a comfortable wearing experience without affecting the patient's limb movement, turning over, or daily treatment procedures. 2. Intelligent monitoring module (1) Millimeter-wave radar sensor Employing a 24GHz millimeter-wave radar chip, installed at the center of the smart device's inner side, with symmetrical arrangements of the transmitter and receiver, it features strong penetration, anti-interference, accurate ranging, and fast response. It can penetrate clothing, blankets, sheets, and other obstructions to non-contactly monitor the distance, direction of movement, approach speed, amplitude of movement, and trend of the hand and various tubes (endotracheal tubes, gastric tubes, drainage tubes, intravenous catheters, etc.) in real time, outputting high-precision distance data. The ranging range is 0–50cm, the ranging error is <±1cm, the data refresh rate is ≥50Hz, and the warning response time is <0.5 seconds. (2) Heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module Employing photoelectric sensing technology, it integrates green LED, infrared LED, and photoelectric receiver tube. It detects pulse waves through the reflection of green and infrared light, and calculates heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, pulse intensity, and pulse waveform in real time. The heart rate monitoring range is 30–240 beats / minute, and the blood oxygen saturation monitoring range is 70%–100%. The data is synchronously uploaded to the MCU to help determine the patient's level of consciousness, agitation, and physical condition, providing nursing staff with multi-dimensional monitoring data. 3. Control and Early Warning Module (1) Control circuit board Employing a low-power 32-bit processor, it features a built-in intelligent algorithm to prevent transistor unplugging and multi-level threshold judgment logic, with three preset warning thresholds: • Safe distance: If the distance between your hand and the pipeline is >20cm, there will be no warning, and the system will monitor normally. • Proximity warning: When the distance between your hand and the tubing is 10–20cm, it is considered low risk and a slight vibration will be triggered as a warning. • Dangerous distance: If the distance between the hand and the pipeline is less than 10cm, or if the hand moves rapidly toward the pipeline (approach speed > 5cm / s), it is considered a high risk and triggers a strong vibration continuous warning. The MCU receives data from millimeter-wave radar sensors and heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring modules in real time, performs fusion processing and risk assessment, and automatically switches the warning level to achieve intelligent prevention and control without delay or omission. (2) Vibration motor It adopts a silent flat columnar vibration motor with a rated voltage of 3.7V, low power consumption and low noise; controlled by MCU, it can output three vibration modes: slight intermittent vibration (proximity warning), moderate continuous vibration (moderate risk), and strong vibration continuous alert (danger warning); the warning method is gentle and non-stimulating, avoiding noise and light interference that may cause patient agitation, and meets the psychological needs of conscious patients. 4. Communication and power supply module (1) Bluetooth communication module It adopts a BLE5.0 low-power Bluetooth chip, with a transmission distance of ≥10m, high transmission rate, strong stability, and excellent anti-interference ability; it can establish wireless connection with terminals such as nurse station monitoring system, mobile nursing tablet, and medical staff mobile APP, and push real-time warning level, real-time distance between hand and tubing, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, pulse waveform and historical warning records, and supports data storage and query, which facilitates centralized monitoring and rapid response by nursing staff. (2) Rechargeable battery Built-in high-capacity lithium polymer battery with a rated voltage of 3.7V and a capacity of ≥450mAh, it supports magnetic charging or Type-C fast charging, with a charging time of ≤2 hours. A full charge allows for continuous operation for more than 72 hours, meeting the needs of ICU 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring. It also features overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent, and short-circuit protection functions to enhance safety. (3) Waterproof outer casing The entire machine adopts an IPX7 waterproof sealing structure, with the outer shell and silicone body seamlessly attached. It can be directly wiped and disinfected with alcohol and chlorine-containing disinfectants, making it suitable for the humid, liquid-rich, and high-frequency disinfection clinical environment of the ICU. It prevents sweat, medicine, and cleaning solution from seeping into and damaging the internal circuitry, thus improving the durability and service life of the equipment. II. Connection Relationship The silicone smart ring has a monolithic structure with internal mounting slots. A millimeter-wave radar sensor and a heart rate / blood oxygen monitoring module are fixed inside the ring, corresponding to the finger skin and hand movement direction, respectively. The control circuit board is centrally located and electrically connected to the millimeter-wave radar sensor, heart rate / blood oxygen monitoring module, vibration motor, Bluetooth communication module, and rechargeable battery via a flexible circuit board. The vibration motors are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the MCU, the Bluetooth communication module is located near the end of the ring, and the rechargeable battery is located at the bottom. A waterproof outer shell covers the outside of the silicone smart ring body, achieving overall sealing and protection. III. Working Principle After the patient puts on the smart ring, the system automatically turns on and enters a 24-hour real-time working state. The workflow is as follows: 1. Real-time monitoring phase The millimeter-wave radar sensor continuously transmits and receives echo signals, non-contactly collecting data on the distance between the hand and the tubing, direction of movement, approach speed, and amplitude of movement; the heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module simultaneously collects physiological indicators such as the patient's heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and pulse waveform, and all data are transmitted to the MCU in real time. 2. Intelligent Analysis Phase After receiving the monitoring data, the MCU processes it in real time using a built-in algorithm, and comprehensively judges the risk level of extubation by combining distance value, rate of change, movement trend and physiological indicators. When the patient unconsciously approaches the tube, exhibits agitated movements or abnormal physiological indicators, the system quickly identifies the risk. 3. Tiered Early Warning Stage • Low risk (close to warning): The MCU drives the vibration motor to emit slight, intermittent vibrations, gently prompting the patient to restrain hand movements; • High Risk (Danger Warning): The MCU drives the vibration motor to emit strong vibrations for continuous alerts. At the same time, it sends high-priority warning information to the nurse station terminal and medical care APP via Bluetooth communication module, including warning time, risk level, real-time distance, heart rate and blood oxygen data. 4. Remote monitoring phase Nursing staff can view real-time data, early warning records, and physiological curves through terminal devices and intervene in a timely manner; after the early warning is lifted, the system automatically resumes normal monitoring status, without the need for manual intervention throughout the process, achieving early detection, early warning, and early treatment. IV. Specific Application Scenarios This invention is applicable to conscious and partially cooperative patients in the ICU, including but not limited to: • Patients with endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy with indwelling tubing; • Patients with indwelling gastric tubes, feeding tubes, nasoenteric tubes, or drainage tubes; • Patients with indwelling central venous catheters, PICC lines, arterial catheters, or infusion lines; • Postoperative agitation, fluctuations in consciousness, pain and discomfort but who are still communicable; • High-risk patients with cognitive impairment and who are prone to unconsciously extubating at night. V. Instructions for Use 1. Wearing: Open the curved adjustment ring of the smart ring and wear it on the patient's finger. Adjust it to a comfortable position and ensure that the millimeter-wave radar sensor is facing the patient's hand. 2. Powering on: Press and hold the power button on the side of the smart locker for 3 seconds. The system will start automatically, and the indicator light will flash to indicate that it has entered the working state. 3. Pairing: Upon first use, scan the smart locker's QR code via the medical care APP to complete Bluetooth pairing and bind patient information to the nurse station terminal; 4. Monitoring: The system automatically enters real-time monitoring and early warning mode, requiring no additional operation; 5. Charging: The smart charger will remind you of low battery when the battery level is below 20%. Use a magnetic charger or Type-C cable to charge. 6. Disinfection: Wipe the surface of the smart ring with medical alcohol daily. No disassembly is required. The waterproof structure can be directly disinfected. VI. Implementation Results Through clinical simulation and multiple trial verifications, this invention can achieve: • The early warning response time for unplanned extubation is less than 0.5 seconds, enabling immediate intervention; • Monitoring distance error < ±1cm, accurate positioning and high stability; • Early warning accuracy rate > 95%, with significantly reduced false alarm and false alarm rates; • Patients experience no pressure, no allergies, and no skin damage when wearing the device, resulting in significantly improved comfort and cooperation. • Reduce the number of times nursing staff make rounds, lower the risk of nighttime fatigue and oversight, and improve monitoring efficiency by more than 60%; • Integrated physiological monitoring functions reduce the number of devices patients need to wear and improve the overall quality of care in the ICU.

Claims

1. A non-contact anti-extubation early warning system for conscious ICU patients, characterized in that: include: Main components: Medical silicone smart ring body (1), waterproof shell (5) and adjustment ring (9); Sensing and monitoring module: Millimeter wave radar sensor (2), heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module (8); Control and execution module: Control circuit board (3), vibration motor (6); Communication and power supply module: Bluetooth communication module (7), rechargeable battery (4); The millimeter-wave radar sensor (2), control circuit board (3), rechargeable battery (4), vibration motor (6), Bluetooth communication module (7), and heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module (8) are all integrated inside the medical silicone smart ring body (1), and the waterproof shell (5) and adjustment ring (9) are covered on the outside of the medical silicone smart ring body (1). The millimeter-wave radar sensor (2), vibration motor (6), Bluetooth communication module (7), heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module (8), and rechargeable battery (4) are all electrically connected to the control circuit board (3). Functionality limitations: The millimeter-wave radar sensor (2) is used for non-contact real-time acquisition of distance data, amplitude data, motion trajectory data and approach speed data between the patient's hand and the target tube; The control circuit board (3) has a built-in intelligent hierarchical early warning algorithm. It assesses the risk level based on the data collected by the millimeter-wave radar sensor (2) and controls the vibration motor (6) to output a tactile early warning signal corresponding to the risk level. The heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module (8) is used to simultaneously collect the patient's heart rate data, blood oxygen saturation data and pulse waveform data; The Bluetooth communication module (7) is used to upload the risk level, distance data, physiological data and early warning event information to the external nursing terminal in real time; The rechargeable battery (4) provides power to each functional module.

2. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body (1) of the medical silicone smart ring is made of medical-grade liquid silicone material in one piece. It has an ergonomic arc-shaped structure that fits the finger and has antibacterial, anti-allergic, skin-friendly and breathable properties. The whole ring is designed without sharp edges and without pressure.

3. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent hierarchical early warning algorithm includes: Safety mode: When the distance between hand and pipe is greater than the safety threshold, no warning is issued; Approach warning mode: When a hand enters the warning area, the vibration motor is controlled to output a low-frequency, slight vibration; Danger warning mode: If a hand enters a dangerous distance or a rapid approach is detected, the vibration motor is controlled to output high-frequency strong vibrations to continuously warn until the risk is eliminated.

4. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The vibration motor (6) is a silent flat linear motor that supports multi-level intensity adjustment and multi-frequency mode output, and can realize gradual, pulse or continuous tactile feedback.

5. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Bluetooth communication module (7) is a low-power Bluetooth module of BLE 5.0 and above, which supports concurrent connection of multiple devices, encrypted data transmission and remote firmware upgrade.

6. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The waterproof outer shell (5) adopts an IPX7 waterproof sealing structure, and the overall encapsulation process adopts ultrasonic welding or laser welding.

7. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module (8) adopts PPG photoplethysmography technology, integrates red and infrared dual-wavelength LED light sources and high-sensitivity photodiodes, and can detect pulse waveform, heart rate variability and blood oxygen saturation in real time.

8. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment ring (9) is a detachable elastic adjustment structure used to adapt to different finger sizes and enhance wearing stability. Regardless of whether this specific structure is used, any equivalent alternative scheme that achieves the same finger adaptation, size adjustment or wearing fixation function as this invention falls within the protection scope of this invention.

9. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control circuit board (3) has a built-in multimodal data fusion algorithm that correlates the motion data collected by the millimeter-wave radar sensor (2) with the physiological data collected by the heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring module (8). When the hand is detected to be approaching the pipeline and accompanied by an abnormal increase in heart rate, the warning level is automatically raised.

10. The early warning and intelligent alert system according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the Bluetooth communication module (7) establishes a communication connection with the external nursing terminal, it can perform the following functions: Real-time data visualization; Early warning information is simultaneously alerted by sound and light; Remote early warning threshold configuration; Historical data storage and analysis; Centralized monitoring and management of multiple patients.

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