Adaptive alarm for physiological monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016155309-A1
Application number	US-201514947688-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A technique for managing alarms includes acquiring a physiological parameter value and one or more alarm settings associated with the physiological parameter value. The technique also includes determining if the one or more alarm settings are associated with an adaptive alarm manager selecting an adaptive alarm condition from a plurality of adaptive alarm conditions when the one or more alarm settings are associated with the adaptive alarm manager; determining if the physiological parameter value meets the selected adaptive alarm condition; and generating an alarm in response when the physiological parameter value meets the selected adaptive alarm condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
acquiring a physiological parameter value and a first alarm setting defining a first alarm condition; generating a first alarm instruction upon a determination that the physiological parameter value meets the first alarm condition; identifying a sensitivity of the first alarm setting; generating a second alarm instruction upon a determination that the physiological parameter value meets a second alarm condition, wherein the second alarm condition is selected based on the sensitivity of the first alarm setting; and triggering an alarm in response to the first alarm instruction or the second alarm instruction.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensitivity is a first alarm sensitivity or a second alarm sensitivity, and wherein the first alarm sensitivity is a low alarm sensitivity associated with less frequent alarming under the first alarm condition and the second alarm sensitivity is a high alarm sensitivity associated with more frequent alarming under the first alarm condition.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the sensitivity of the first alarm setting comprises categorizing a stringency of the first alarm setting.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alarm setting comprises a threshold value, and wherein identifying the sensitivity of the first alarm setting comprises categorizing the threshold value with a level of sensitivity.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alarm setting comprises a first threshold value and an integral count value, and wherein the first threshold value and the integral count value are associated with a sensitivity score, and wherein identifying the sensitivity of the first alarm setting comprises categorizing the sensitivity score with a level of sensitivity.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the integral count value is determined by integrating the physiological parameter value relative to a physiological parameter value threshold.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more alarm settings comprise one or both of a physiological parameter value threshold and an alarm count threshold.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein a first physiological parameter value threshold and a first alarm count threshold are associated with low alarm sensitivity and wherein a second physiological parameter value threshold and a second alarm count threshold are associated with high alarm sensitivity, wherein the second physiological parameter value threshold is higher than the first physiological parameter value threshold and the second alarm count threshold is lower than the first alarm count threshold.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a set of physiological parameter values meets the second alarm condition but not the first alarm condition.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second alarm condition comprises a first number of breaches of a physiological parameter value threshold over a time period, wherein the physiological parameter value threshold is determined by the one or more alarm settings.

11 . The method of claim 1 , comprising acquiring a second alarm setting and identifying a sensitivity of the second alarm setting; and generating a third alarm instruction upon a determination that the physiological parameter meets a third alarm condition wherein the third alarm condition is selected based on the sensitivity of the second alarm setting.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second alarm condition comprises a pre-determined number of breaches of a first physiological parameter value threshold over a first time period and wherein the third alarm condition comprises the pre-determined number of breaches of a second physiological parameter value threshold over a second time period wherein the first time period is longer than the second time period and wherein the first physiological parameter value threshold is associated with a first alarm sensitivity and wherein the second physiological parameter value threshold is associated with a second alarm sensitivity.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second alarm condition comprises a first number of breaches of a first physiological parameter value threshold over a time period and wherein the third alarm condition comprises a second number of breaches of a second physiological parameter value threshold over the time period and wherein the first physiological parameter value threshold is associated with a first alarm sensitivity and wherein the second physiological parameter value threshold is associated with a second alarm sensitivity.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the physiological parameter value comprises an oxygen saturation value.

15 . The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving user input related to the first alarm setting.

16 . A method, comprising:
acquiring a physiological parameter value; acquiring one or more alarm settings associated with the physiological parameter value; determining if the one or more alarm settings are associated with an adaptive alarm manager; when the one or more alarm settings are associated with the adaptive alarm manager, selecting an adaptive alarm condition from a plurality of adaptive alarm conditions based on a sensitivity of the one or more alarm settings; determining if the physiological parameter value meets the selected adaptive alarm condition; and generating an alarm when the physiological parameter value meets the selected adaptive alarm condition.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more alarm settings associated with an adaptive alarm manager comprise a physiological parameter value threshold that is below a predetermined value.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more alarm settings associated with the adaptive alarm manager comprise a physiological parameter variability threshold that is above a predetermined value.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more alarm settings associated with the adaptive alarm manager comprise a alarm count threshold above a predetermined value and a physiological parameter value threshold below a predetermined value.

20 . A medical device comprising:
a signal input configured to acquire a physiological parameter value; a memory storing one or more alarm settings associated with the physiological parameter value, wherein the one or more alarm settings comprise a physiological parameter value threshold and an integral value threshold; a processor configured to determine if the physiological parameter value meets an alarm condition by integrating a difference between the physiological parameter value relative to the physiological parameter value threshold to generate an integral value and weighting the integral value; and an alarm generator configured to generate an alarm in response to a determination that the physiological parameter value meets the alarm condition, wherein the alarm condition is met when the weighted integral value is higher than the integral value threshold.

21 . The medical device of claim 20 , wherein physiological parameter value comprises a plurality of physiological parameter values acquired over a time period, and wherein the integral value comprises a combined integral value based on integral values of respective weighted relative physiological parameter values.

22 . The medical device of claim 20 , wherein the weighting is based on the change in the physiological parameter value relative to the alarm thresh

Assignees

• Covidien Lp

Inventors

• Watson James Nicholas
• Addison Paul S
• Lyon Graeme A

Classifications

• A61B5/746

  Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms · CPC title

• A61B5/7282 Primary

  Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition (cough events A61B5/0823; seizures A61B5/4094; sleep apnoea A61B5/4818) · CPC title

• A61B5/14552

  Details of sensors specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• G08B21/02 Primary

  Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons · CPC title