10783 results about "Intensive care medicine" patented technology

A wound therapy and tissue management system utilizes fluid differentiation. Fluid is differentiated by establishing a gradient within the system. A gradient can be established with matter or energy. Patient interfaces for establishing, maintaining and varying one or more gradients include transfer elements with first and second zones having different flow coefficients. The transfer elements exchange fluid with a patient, generally through a wound site, and with external components of the system. Osmotic solution gradients are controlled by a methodology involving the present invention for extracting solutions, which can include toxins, from patients and for introducing fluids and sumping air to wound sites.

Method and system for integrating infusion device and analyte monitoring system including medication infusion device such as an insulin pump and an analyte monitoring system such as a glucose monitoring system are provided.

A method, system, and computer program product related to the diagnosis of diabetes, and is directed to predicting the long-term risk of hyperglycemia, and the long-term and short-term risks of severe hypoglycemia in diabetics, based on blood glucose readings collected by a self-monitoring blood glucose device. The method, system, and computer program product pertain directly to the enhancement of existing home blood glucose monitoring devices, by introducing an intelligent data interpretation component capable of predicting both HbA_1c and periods of increased risk of hypoglycemia, and to the enhancement of emerging continuous monitoring devices by the same features. With these predictions the diabetic can take steps to prevent the adverse consequences associated with hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

A system, method and apparatus for performing a renal replacement therapy is provided. In one embodiment, two small high flux dialyzers are connected in series. A restriction is placed between the two dialyzers in the dialysate flow path. The restriction is variable and adjustable in one preferred embodiment. The restriction builds a positive pressure in the venous dialyzer, causing a high degree of intentional backfiltration. That backfiltration causes a significant flow of dialysate through the high flux venous membrane directly into the patient's blood. That backfiltered solution is subsequently ultrafiltered from the patient from the arterial dialyzer. The diffusion of dialysate into the venous filter and removal of dialysate from the arterial dialyzer causes a convective transport of toxins from the patient. Additionally, the dialysate that does not diffuse directly into the patient but instead flows across the membranes of both dialyzers provides a diffusive clearance of waste products.

A system including methods and apparatus for treatment of a medical disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea or congestive heart failure. The system involves applying separate and independent gains to flow rates of pressurized gas delivered to a patient during inspiratory and expiratory phases of a respiratory cycle to deliver the pressurized gas in proportion to the respective gains during inspiration and expiration. A base pressure may be applied in addition to the gain-modified pressures and an elevated pressure profile may be employed to assist or control inspiration. The system may be fully automated responsive to feedback provided by a flow sensor that determines the estimated patient flow rate. A leak computer can be included to instantaneously calculate gas leakage from the system. The system may be utilized in connection with conventional continuous positive airway pressure (bi-level PAP) equipment to effect various beneficial treatment applications.

A method for transcutaneously delivering fluid to a patient including providing at least one disposable infusion pump, wherein the pump includes a housing adapted to be mounted on a patient's skin, a transcutaneous patient access tool for extending through the housing and providing transcutaneous access to the patient, a reservoir prefilled with a therapeutic fluid, a dispenser for causing fluid from the reservoir to flow to the transcutaneous patient access tool, a processor connected to the dispenser and programmed to cause a flow of fluid from the reservoir to the transcutaneous patient access tool based on flow instructions, and a wireless receiver connected to the processor for receiving flow instructions from a remote controller and for delivering the flow instructions to the processor.

A method and apparatus for the transcutaneous monitoring of blood gases generally comprises a blood gas data acquisition device, a vacuum source and a blood gas transducer unit. The blood gas transducer unit is adapted for application to a patient's skin and administration of a local vacuum at the area of patient application. It further comprises an electrochemical blood gas transducer, well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, which is disposed entirely within the local vacuum at the area of patient application. The vacuum source is placed in fluid communication with the blood gas transducer unit, through a hydrophobic membrane filter for safety purposes, in order to induce a condition of hyperperfusion in the locality of the electrochemical blood gas transducer. Under the control of a microcontroller, or equivalent means, the blood gas acquisition device is then utilized to capture a measure of skin surface oxygen or carbon dioxide pressure. The microcontroller can then utilize this measure to arrive at an estimate of arterial partial pressure of oxygen or carbon dioxide, accordingly. Because vacuum induced perfusion produces the requisite condition of hyperperfusion without local heating and, therefore, without acceleration of the local metabolic function, the present invention results in more accurate than previously available estimates of partial pressure blood gas pressures and does so while eliminating a significant risk for injury to the patient.

Method and system for providing diabetes management is provided.

The invention relates to analyte monitoring/drug (pharmaceutical agent) delivery device. The invention is suited for monitoring various blood constituents such as glucose. The device has a housing that at least partially encloses a plurality of microneedles disposed on a carrier and an electronics portion. Each microneedle is in fluid communication with a corresponding microchannel. Each microneedle is individually addressable. That is, each microneedle can be extended and retracted individually via an actuator. The electronics portion includes a processor and associated circuitry (e.g., memory, supporting electronics and the like), a motor or the like, a sensor, a power supply (e.g., battery) and optionally an interface. In general, the processor controls the operation of the device and is data communication with the actuator, motor, sensor and interface. The invention provides for autonomous operation, that is, without intervention of the user. The invention can optionally provide for calibration without intervention of the user. The invention can also provide for semi-continuous monitoring for day and night time. The invention can provide for up to four, or more, weeks of operation. The invention can provide for a device that is relative small in size, and therefore unobtrusive. The invention can also provide for device with remote control and interactive electronics. The invention may be also used for the delivery of various pharmaceutical agents including high potency drugs to minimize patient intervention and minimize discomfort.

The invention provides a body-worn monitor that measures a patient's vital signs (e.g. blood pressure, SpO2, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature) while simultaneously characterizing their activity state (e.g. resting, walking, convulsing, falling). The body-worn monitor processes this information to minimize corruption of the vital signs by motion-related artifacts. A software framework generates alarms/alerts based on threshold values that are either preset or determined in real time. The framework additionally includes a series of ‘heuristic’ rules that take the patient's activity state and motion into account, and process the vital signs accordingly. These rules, for example, indicate that a walking patient is likely breathing and has a regular heart rate, even if their motion-corrupted vital signs suggest otherwise.

Methods and systems involve coordinating therapies used for treating disordered breathing. Disordered breathing therapies may include cardiac electrical stimulation therapy and external respiratory therapy as well as other therapies for treating disordered breathing in a patient. The therapies delivered to the patient may be coordinated to enhance effectiveness of the therapy, to reduce therapy interactions, to improve patient sleep, or to achieve other therapeutic goals.

The invention provides a body-worn monitor that measures a patient's vital signs (e.g. blood pressure, SpO2, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature) while simultaneously characterizing their activity state (e.g. resting, walking, convulsing, falling). The body-worn monitor processes this information to minimize corruption of the vital signs by motion-related artifacts. A software framework generates alarms/alerts based on threshold values that are either preset or determined in real time. The framework additionally includes a series of ‘heuristic’ rules that take the patient's activity state and motion into account, and process the vital signs accordingly. These rules, for example, indicate that a walking patient is likely breathing and has a regular heart rate, even if their motion-corrupted vital signs suggest otherwise.

Methods and systems for evaluating a pathological condition include acquiring movement information, such as electromyogram (EMG) information, and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) information, and detecting the presence of a pathological condition using both movement and SDB information. Methods may involve sensing physiological signals including at least muscle movement signals. Sleep-related disorders are detected using the sensed physiological signals, the sleep-related disorders including at least an involuntary muscle movement disorder and sleep-disordered breathing. Methods and systems also provide for detecting and treating a sleep-related disorder using movement and SDB information. Cardiac, respiratory, nerve stimulation, drug, or a combination of such therapies may be delivered to treat a detected or diagnosed pathological condition.