Pulse and confidence indicator displayed proximate plethysmograph

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636055-B2
Application number	US-201113280282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2011
Priority date	Jan 7, 1999
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a display is used to show an indication of the signal's quality. This indication of the signal's quality may be provided in a number of ways, including audibly or visually.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of indicating pulse occurrences and signal quality in an electronic patient monitor when a displayed plethysmograph alone may not be a sufficient visual indicator, the method comprising:
detecting at a patient's skin light attenuated by pulsing blood of the patient;
receiving a sensor output signal indicative of said detected light;
determining with a signal processor plethysmographic data responsive to said sensor output signal;
determining with said signal processor a measurement of confidence that displayed data accurately reflects physiological parameters occurring in said patient;
displaying said plethysmographic data on a display of a patient monitoring device at a time substantially proximate said detecting;
displaying at a time of said displaying said plethysmographic data, a visual pulse indicator in proximity to said plethysmographic data to indicate to a caregiver which of said displayed plethysmographic data corresponds to an occurrence of a pulse of said patient; and
modifying said visual pulse indicator, said modification responsive to said measurement of confidence.

2. The method of claim 1 , where said visual pulse indicator comprises a vertical lines coinciding with the peak of arterial pulsations in said plethysmographic data.

3. The method of claim 2 , where said modification comprises modifying a height of said vertical lines.

4. The method of claim 1 , where said modification comprises modifying a presentation attribute of said pulse indicator.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said attribute comprises a color.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising modifying an associated sound.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said attribute comprises a thickness.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein said attribute comprises a height.

9. An electronic patient monitoring system including a patient monitor having a signal processor, said patient monitor communicating with a noninvasive optical sensor and a display device, said display device responsive to measurements and calculation made by said signal processor, said patient monitor configured to indicate pulse occurrences and signal quality when a displayed plethysmograph alone may not be a sufficient visual indicator, the monitor comprising:
a sensor including a detector detecting light at a patient's skin attenuated by pulsing blood of the patient and outputting a sensor output signal responsive to said detected light;
a sensor signal input receiving said sensor output signal;
a signal processor receiving said sensor output signal, determining plethysmographic data responsive to said sensor output signal near a time said sensor outputs said sensor output signal, determining a measurement of confidence that displayed data accurately reflects physiological parameters occurring in said patient; and
a display device displaying said plethysmographic data, displaying a modified visual pulse indicator in proximity to said plethysmographic data to indicate to a caregiver which of said displayed plethysmographic data corresponds to an occurrence of a pulse of said patient, said modification to said visual pulse indicator being responsive to said measurement of confidence.

10. The system of claim 9 , where said visual pulse indicator comprises a vertical lines coinciding with the peak of arterial pulsations in said plethysmographic data.

11. The system of claim 10 , where said modification comprises modifying a height of said vertical lines.

12. The system of claim 9 , where said modification comprises modifying a presentation attribute of said pulse indicator.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein said attribute comprises a color.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising modifying an associated sound.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein said attribute comprises a thickness.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein said attribute comprises a height.

Assignees

• Al Ali Ammar
• Breed Divya S
• Novak Jerome J
• Kiani Massi E
• Masimo Corp

Inventors

• Al Ali Ammar
• Breed Divya S
• Novak Jerome J
• Kiani Massi E

Classifications

• A61B5/7214

  using signal cancellation, e.g. based on input of two identical physiological sensors spaced apart, or based on two signals derived from the same sensor, for different optical wavelengths · CPC title

• A61B5/1455

  using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters · CPC title

• A61B5/7221

  Determining signal validity, reliability or quality (preventing, reducing or removing noise induced by motion artefacts A61B5/7207; noise originating from a therapeutic or surgical apparatus A61B5/7217) · CPC title

• A61B5/746

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

• A61B5/14551 Primary

  for measuring blood gases · CPC title