Patient monitoring device using RFID technology for use in a patient monitoring system - Patent Application 20070123633

Abstract

The patient monitoring device includes a sensor including a sensor identification information and a removable pack that is connected to and detached from the sensor. The removable pack includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that transmits the removable pack identification information and a memory that stores RFID data associated with the removable pack identification information. When the sensor is connected to a patient, the sensor senses patient data and the patient monitoring device communicates the patient data, the sensor identification information, and the RFID data to a remote computer system.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a patient monitoring device capable of sensing patient data and communicating the sensed patient data to a remote computing system, and more particularly to a patient monitoring device that communicates with a portable mobile device using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and with a remote computing system using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may be implemented, for example, using wireless fidelity (WiFi) technology or other suitable wireless communication technology. [Background technology]

[0002] FIG. 1 shows a known patient monitoring system including a patient monitoring device HW, a bedside monitor BSM, and a central server CS. The patient monitoring device HW is attached to a patient and can sense and transmit patient data including, for example, physiological data of the patient. The patient monitoring device HW and the bedside monitor BSM may be included in a personal area network (PAN) that communicates using Bluetooth technology. The bedside monitor BSM may be, for example, a tablet. The bedside monitor BSM may be located in the patient's room to provide access to and / or display the patient data. A WLAN may include both the bedside monitor BSM and the central server CS, where communication is performed electrically using WiFi technology. The known patient monitoring system may also include a central station monitor CSM and / or a remote monitoring service RMS connected to the central server CS. The central station monitor CSM may be included in the WLAN and may communicate with the central server CS using WiFi technology. To display the correct patient data, the caregiver can use the bedside monitor BSM to associate the patient monitoring device HW with the patient's patient ID, which allows the central server CS to send the correct patient data to the central station monitor CSM. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Challenges with known patient monitoring systems include the need for an expensive bedside monitor BSM for each patient, the need for use of Bluetooth technology which requires pairing between devices which may be slow and / or difficult to achieve, the need for the patient and bedside monitor BSM to be within a short Bluetooth communication range, the need for the bedside monitor BSM to be located at the patient's bedside, and the inability to easily use handheld mobile devices.

[0004] Even in a patient monitoring system without an expensive bedside monitor BSM, the caregiver must communicate the association between the patient monitoring device HW and the patient ID to the central server CS so that the central server CS can send the correct patient data.

[0005] A possible solution is to use a barcode or quick-response (QR) code on the patient monitoring device HW, but a barcode or QR code requires an optical reader, such as a camera or other similar optical device, a line of sight between the barcode and the optical reader, and enough light for the optical reader to read the barcode or QR code. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a patient monitoring device that can be used in a patient monitoring system and method to transmit sensed patient data to a remote computing system, and can communicate with a portable mobile device using RFID technology, such that the sensed patient data can be displayed on the portable mobile device. By using RFID technology, the patient monitoring device according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention avoids the problems associated with using Bluetooth technology, bar codes, and QR codes mentioned above.

[0007] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a patient monitoring device includes a sensor including a sensor identification information and a removable pack connected to and detached from the sensor. The removable pack includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that transmits the removable pack identification information and a memory that stores RFID data associated with the removable pack identification information. When the sensor is connected to a patient, the sensor senses patient data and the patient monitoring device communicates the patient data, the sensor identification information, and the RFID data to a remote computer system.

[0008] When the removable pack is connected to the sensor, the sensor can receive RFID data from the removable pack and can communicate the RFID data to a remote computer system. The removable pack may include a battery and / or a metal plate that covers or substantially covers the sensor. The memory may be a read-only memory. The RFID data may include removable pack identification information. The RFID tag may be readable by a portable mobile device, and once the removable pack identification information is received by the portable mobile device, the patient data may be displayed on the portable mobile device.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a patient monitoring system includes a patient monitoring device according to one of various preferred embodiments of the present invention, a remote computing system, and a portable mobile device that reads the RFID tag to receive the detachable pack identification information and transmits the detachable pack identification information to the remote computing system, the remote computing system being programmed and / or configured to receive the sensor identification information after the sensor is attached to the patient, receive RFID data from the patient monitoring device after the detachable pack is connected to the sensor, receive the detachable pack identification information from the portable mobile device, associate the sensor identification information with the patient identification information of the patient for a first period of time that the patient monitoring device is connected to the patient, associate the detachable pack identification information with the patient identification information of the patient based on the RFID data for a second period of time that the detachable pack is connected to the sensor, and transmit patient data to the portable mobile device after receiving the detachable pack identification information from the portable mobile device.

[0010] The first period of time may be longer than the second period of time. The first period of time may be longer than about 24 hours and the second period of time may be shorter than about 24 hours. The patient monitoring system may further include a wireless local area network that may include the sensor, the handheld mobile device, and a remote computing system. The patient monitoring system may further include a remote monitoring system connected to the remote computing system.

[0011] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of patient monitoring includes the steps of attaching a patient monitoring device to a patient for a first period of time, the patient monitoring device including a sensor including sensor identification information and sensing patient data; attaching a first detachable pack to the sensor for a second period of time shorter than the first period of time, the first detachable pack including a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag transmitting the first detachable pack identification information and a first memory storing first RFID data associated with the first detachable pack identification information; and after the first period of time, removing the first detachable pack and attaching a second detachable pack to the sensor, the second detachable pack including a first RFID tag transmitting the first detachable pack identification information and a first memory storing first RFID data associated with the first detachable pack identification information. the pack includes a second radio frequency identification (RFID) tag transmitting a second detachable pack identification information and a second memory storing second RFID data associated with the second detachable pack identification information; and electrically communicating the patient data, the sensor identification information, the first RFID data, and the second RFID data to a remote computing system to associate the sensor identification information with the patient identification information of the patient during a first period of time, associate the first detachable pack identification information with the patient identification information during a second period of time based on the first RFID data, and change the association of the patient identification information from the first detachable pack identification information to the second detachable pack ID after the second period of time based on the second RFID data.

[0012] The patient monitoring method may further include using the portable mobile device to read the first RFID tag during a second time period to receive the first detachable pack identification information and transmit the first detachable pack identification information to the remote computing system, and after the second time period, read the second RFID tag to receive the second detachable pack identification information and transmit the second detachable pack identification information to the remote computing system; using the remote computing system to transmit patient data to the portable mobile device after receiving the first detachable pack identification information during the second time period, and transmit the patient data to the portable mobile device after receiving the second detachable pack identification information after the second time period.

[0013] The removable pack may include a battery and / or a metal plate covering or substantially covering the sensor. The first memory and the second memory may be read-only memories. The first RFID data may include the first removable pack identification information and the second RFID data may include the second removable pack identification information. The first period of time may be greater than about 24 hours and the second period of time may be less than about 24 hours.

[0014] The patient monitoring method may further include transmitting and receiving data using a wireless local area network including the sensor, the handheld mobile device, and a remote computing system. The patient monitoring method may further include transmitting and receiving data using a remote monitoring system connected to the remote computing system.

[0015] The above and other features, elements, characteristics, steps, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a known patient monitoring system that includes sensor hardware that communicates with a bedside monitor via Bluetooth. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a patient monitoring system including a sensor device capable of communicating using RFID technology and WLAN. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of a sensor device that can be used in the patient monitoring system of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a rear view of a sensor device that can be used in the patient monitoring system of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a removable puck used in the sensor device of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the removable pack of FIG. 5 without the upper housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of an upper housing of the removable pack of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the upper housing of FIG. 7 having an RFID tag. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a patient monitoring system including a patient monitoring device HW, a portable mobile device MD, and a remote computing system CS. The patient monitoring device HW includes a sensor that is attached to a patient, and different detachable packs can be connected to and detached from the sensor while the sensor is attached to the patient. A caregiver can use the portable device to read RFID tags connected to different detachable packs. When a caregiver uses the portable mobile device MD to read the RFID tag on a detachable pack connected to a sensor, the remote computing system CS should send the correct patient data to the caregiver's portable mobile device MD. To be able to send the correct patient data to the caregiver's portable mobile device MD, the remote computing system CS needs to dynamically associate (1) a detachable pack ID that uniquely identifies a detachable pack connected to a sensor with (2) a patient ID that uniquely identifies a patient. If the patient monitoring device HW transmits RFID data stored in the new detachable pack that uniquely identifies the new detachable pack after the new detachable pack is connected to the sensor, but before the caregiver uses the portable mobile device MD to read the RFID tag on or in the new detachable pack, transmission of correct patient data can be achieved.

[0018] The patient monitoring system of Figure 2 may include a WLAN including a patient monitoring device HW, a handheld mobile device MD, and a remote computing system CS. The WLAN may use WiFi technology or other similar wireless communication technology to communicate. The patient monitoring system of Figure 2 may also include a central station monitor CSM and / or a remote monitoring service RMS connected to a central server CS. The central station monitor CSM may be included in the WLAN and may communicate with the central server CS using WiFi technology or other similar technology.

[0019] The portable mobile device MD may include, for example, a mobile phone or other similar device capable of reading RFID tags and displaying the data. The remote computing system CS may be any suitable computing system or systems that may be programmed and / or configured to provide the functionality described below. The remote computing system CS may be located in a facility where the patient is located or may be a cloud-based server. The remote computing system CS may be located "remote" from the patient. For example, the remote computing system CS may be located in the same facility as the patient, e.g., in the same hospital, but may not be located in the same room as the patient. The remote computing system CS may also include an access point connected to a cloud-based server such that patient data may be transmitted from the patient monitoring device HW to the cloud-based server and from the cloud-based server to the portable mobile device MD.

[0020] A patient monitoring device 10 is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The patient monitoring device 10 can communicate with a remote computing system CS, for example using WiFi technology of a WLAN. The patient monitoring device 10 can include a sensor 20 that can be connected to and detached from the patient, and a detachable pack 30 that can be connected to and detached from the sensor 20. The sensor 20 and / or the detachable pack 30 can include a communication module that allows for the transmission and / or reception of data. The communication module can use WiFi technology, for example. Any suitable sensor 20 can be used, including, for example, a chest sensor that can sense data related to the patient's heart and / or breathing.

[0021] The sensor 20 may include leads 40 connected to electrodes that may be attached to the patient's skin. Although FIGS. 3 and 4 show three leads 40, any number of leads 40 may be used. As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor 20 may also include electrodes 21 on the back of the sensor 20 that may be attached to the patient's skin. Although FIG. 4 shows two electrodes 21, any number of electrodes 21 may be used. The sensor 20 includes a memory that stores a sensor ID that uniquely identifies the sensor 20. In the remote computing system CS, the sensor ID may be associated with a patient ID that uniquely identifies the patient to whom the patient monitoring device 10 is attached. For example, a caregiver may manually associate the sensor ID with the patient ID in the remote computing system CS or may use a portable mobile device to associate the sensor ID with the patient ID. When an old sensor 20 is removed from a patient and a new sensor 20 is connected to the patient, a new association between the new sensor ID of the new sensor 20 and the patient ID may be created, and the old sensor ID may no longer be associated with the patient ID. The new association between the new sensor ID and the patient ID may be created manually or through a portable mobile device.

[0022] A detachable pack 30 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The detachable pack 30 may, but need not, include a battery 33. To reduce the possibility of irritating the patient's skin, it is preferable to leave the sensor 20 connected to the patient's skin, avoiding the need to reattach the sensor 20. If the detachable pack 30 includes a battery 33, a new detachable pack 30 can be connected to the sensor 20 after a certain time has elapsed or when the battery 33 has discharged to a predetermined level. If a battery 33 is used, any suitable battery 33 can be used, including, for example, a rechargeable battery. By changing the battery 33 that powers the sensor 20, the sensor 20 can remain connected to the patient's skin, thereby allowing patient data to be sensed continuously. As a non-limiting example, the sensor 20 can be connected to the patient for a first period of time greater than about 24 hours, while the detachable pack 30 can be connected to the sensor 20 for a second period of time less than about 24 hours, allowing the battery 33 that powers the sensor 20 to be replaced approximately every 24 hours.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the removable pack 30 can include an upper housing 31 and a lower housing 32. The upper housing 31 and the lower housing 32 can be made of plastic or any other suitable material. FIG. 6 shows the removable pack 30 without the upper housing 31. In FIG. 6, the removable pack 30 includes a battery 33 and a printed circuit board (PCB) 36. A memory can be connected to the PCB 36 for storing data, including data that can be used to uniquely identify the removable pack 30, as described below. Any suitable memory can be used, including, for example, a read-only memory such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

[0024] The upper housing 31 is shown in Figures 7 and 8. As shown in Figure 8, an RFID tag 50 may be affixed to the inside surface of the upper housing 31. The RFID tag 50 may be used to transmit a detachable pack ID that uniquely identifies the detachable pack 30. A portable mobile device may read the RFID tag 50 on or in the detachable pack 30 to receive the detachable pack ID, which may be transmitted to a remote computing system CS.

[0025] In contrast to using a barcode or QR code, using an RFID tag 50 allows the detachable pack 30 to be easily identified by bringing a portable mobile device into proximity of the RFID tag 50 without the need for an optical reader, without having line of sight between the optical reader and the barcode or QR code, or without having sufficient light to read the barcode or QR code.

[0026] A memory connected to the PCB 36 in the detachable pack 30 can store RFID data associated with the detachable pack ID so that the detachable pack 30 can be uniquely identified. Typically, the RFID data is identical to the detachable pack ID, but the RFID data does not have to be identical to the detachable pack ID as long as the RFID data can be used to identify the associated detachable pack 30. The RFID data can be stored in the memory during manufacture of the detachable pack 30. When the detachable pack 30 is connected to the sensor 20, the RFID data can be transmitted from the memory to the sensor 20, and the sensor 20 can transmit the sensor ID, the RFID data, and the patient data to the remote computing system CS. Also, if a communication module is included in the detachable pack 30, the detachable pack 30 can receive the patient data and the sensor ID from the sensor 20, and the detachable pack 30 can transmit the sensor ID, the RFID data, and the patient data to the remote computing system CS. Data may be transmitted between the sensor 20 and the detachable pack 30 using any suitable communication protocol, including, for example, the inter-integrated circuit (I2C) protocol.

[0027] The removable pack 30 can cover or substantially cover the sensor 20, as shown in Figure 3. Substantially covering can mean, for example, that the removable pack 30 covers at least about 70% of the sensor 20. If the removable pack 30 includes a battery 33 or a metal plate, the RFID tag 50 cannot be placed on the sensor 20 because the battery 33 or the metal plate would prevent the RFID tag 50 from being read.

[0028] For simplicity, an example will be described which requires the patient monitoring device 10 to be connected to the patient for a first period of time, a first detachable pack 30 to be connected to the sensor 20 for a second period of time that is shorter than the first period of time, and then connecting the second detachable pack 30 to the sensor 20 after the second period of time.

[0029] First, the patient monitoring device 10 can be connected to the patient, and the patient monitoring device 10 can electronically communicate the sensor ID to the remote computing system. The first detachable pack 30 can be connected to the sensor 20 before the patient monitoring device 10 is connected to the patient, or can be connected after the sensor 20 is connected to the patient. The patient monitoring device 10 can electronically communicate the first RFID data to the remote computing system.

[0030] The remote computing system can then associate the sensor ID and the first RFID data with the patient ID. During the second time period, when the caregiver reads the RFID tag 50 of the first detachable pack 30 with the portable mobile device, the portable mobile device transmits the first detachable pack ID to the remote computing system. Because the first detachable pack ID is the same as or associated with the first RFID data, the remote computing system can transmit the correct patient data to the portable mobile device, which can then display the correct patient data to the caregiver.

[0031] After the second period of time, the first removable pack 30 can be removed from the sensor 20 and the second removable pack 30 can be connected to the sensor 20. The patient monitoring device 10 can then electronically communicate the second RFID data to a remote computing system. The remote computing system can dynamically change the patient ID association, removing the association with the first RFID data and adding an association with the second RFID data.

[0032] After the second period of time, when the caregiver reads the RFID tag 50 of the second removable pack 30 with the portable mobile device, the portable mobile device can transmit the second removable pack ID to the remote computing system. Because the second removable pack ID is the same as or associated with the second RFID data, the remote computing system can transmit the correct patient data to the portable mobile device, which can then display the correct patient data to the caregiver.

[0033] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention. Various alternatives and modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. a sensor including sensor identification information; a detachable pack connected to and detached from the sensor, the detachable pack comprising: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that transmits removable pack identification information; a memory for storing RFID data associated with the removable pack identification information; When the sensor is connected to a patient, The sensor senses patient data; The patient monitoring device communicates the patient data, the sensor identification information, and the RFID data to a remote computer system.

2. The patient monitoring device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor receives the RFID data from the detachable pack and communicates the RFID data to the remote computer system when the detachable pack is connected to the sensor.

3. The patient monitoring device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the removable pack includes at least one of a battery and a metal plate that covers or substantially covers the sensor.

4. A patient monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the memory is a read-only memory.

5. A patient monitoring device according to any preceding claim, wherein the RFID data includes the removable pack identification information.

6. 6. The patient monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is readable by a portable mobile device and, once the detachable pack identification information is received by the portable mobile device, the patient data is displayed on the portable mobile device.

7. A patient monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; the remote computing system; and a handheld mobile device that reads the RFID tag to receive the removable pack identification information and transmits the removable pack identification information to the remote computing system, The remote computing system includes: receiving the sensor identification information after the sensor is attached to the patient; receiving the RFID data from the patient monitoring device after the detachable pack is connected to the sensor; receiving said removable pack identification information from said portable mobile device; associating the sensor identification information with a patient identification information of the patient for a first period of time during which the patient monitoring device is connected to the patient; associating the removable pack identification information with the patient identification information for a second period during which the removable pack is connected to the sensor based on the RFID data; A patient monitoring system programmed and / or configured to: transmit patient data to the portable mobile device after receiving the removable pack identification information from the portable mobile device.

8. The patient monitoring system of claim 7 , wherein the first period of time is greater than the second period of time.

9. 9. The patient monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the first period of time is greater than about 24 hours and the second period of time is less than about 24 hours.

10. The patient monitoring system of any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising a wireless local area network including the sensor, the handheld mobile device, and the remote computing system.

11. The patient monitoring system of any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising a remote monitoring system connected to the remote computing system.

12. attaching a patient monitoring device to a patient for a first period of time, the patient monitoring device including a sensor that includes sensor identification information and that senses patient data; attaching a first removable pack to the sensor for a second period of time that is shorter than the first period of time, the first removable pack comprising: a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that transmits first removable pack identification information; a first memory for storing first RFID data associated with the first removable pack identification information; After the second period of time, removing the first removable pack and attaching a second removable pack to the sensor, the second removable pack comprising: a second radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that transmits second removable pack identification information; a second memory for storing second RFID data associated with the second removable pack identification information; electrically communicating the patient data, the sensor identification information, the first RFID data, and the second RFID data to a remote computing system; associating the sensor identification information with patient identification information of the patient during the first period of time; during the second period, associating the first removable pack identification information with the patient identification information based on the first RFID data; and after the second period of time, changing an association of the patient identification information from the first detachable pack identification information to the second detachable pack ID based on the second RFID data.

13. Use a handheld mobile device during the second period, reading the first RFID tag to receive the first removable pack identification information and transmitting the first removable pack identification information to the remote computing system; after the second period of time, reading the second RFID tag to receive the second removable pack identification information and transmitting the second removable pack identification information to the remote computing system; Using the remote computer system, transmitting patient data to the portable mobile device after receiving the first detachable pack identification information during the second period; 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: transmitting patient data to the portable mobile device after receiving the second removable pack identification information after the second period of time.

14. 14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the removable pack includes at least one of a battery and a metal plate that covers or substantially covers the sensor.

15. The method for monitoring a patient according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first memory and the second memory are read-only memories.

16. the first RFID data includes the first removable pack identification information; A method of patient monitoring according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the second RFID data includes the second detachable pack identification information.

17. The method of patient monitoring according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the first period of time is greater than about 24 hours and the second period of time is less than about 24 hours.

18. The method of patient monitoring according to any one of claims 12 to 17, further comprising transmitting and receiving data using a wireless local area network including the sensor, the handheld mobile device and the remote computing system.

19. The method of any one of claims 12 to 18, further comprising the step of transmitting and receiving data using a remote monitoring system connected to the remote computing system.

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