Fever detection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924879-B2
Application number	US-201214117633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2012
Priority date	May 26, 2011
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a fever detection apparatus for detecting fever of a living being. A heart rate providing unit ( 3 ) provides a heart rate value and a peripheral physiological value providing unit ( 3 ) provides a peripheral physiological value, wherein a heart rate characteristics determination unit ( 4 ) determines heart rate characteristics from the heart rate value and a peripheral characteristics determination unit ( 5 ) determines peripheral characteristics from the peripheral physiological value. A fever detection unit ( 6 ) detects fever depending on the heart rate characteristics and the peripheral characteristics. Since the heart rate characteristics and the peripheral characteristics are influenced by fever, the fever detection apparatus can be used to reliably and preferentially unobtrusively detect fever.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fever detection apparatus for detecting fever of a living being, the fever detection apparatus comprising:
a pulse oximeter configured to measure:
a plurality of heart rate values being indicative of the heart rate of the living being measured over time, and
a plurality of peripheral blood perfusion values being indicative of a blood perfusion in the periphery of the living being measured over time,

at least one processor programmed to:
determine temporal heart rate characteristics including a temporal pattern from the heart rate values measured over time,
determine temporal peripheral blood perfusion characteristics including a temporal pattern from the peripheral blood perfusion values measured over time,
detect a fever of the living being depending on the temporal heart rate characteristics and the temporal peripheral blood perfusion characteristics; and
a display configured to display an indication of the fever when the fever is detected.

2. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the pulse oximeter is further programmed to:
measure a plurality of skin temperature values being indicative of a skin temperature of the living being; and
the at least one processor is further programmed to:
determine a temporal skin temperature pattern from the skin temperature values measured over time; and
detect a fever of the living being depending on the temporal skin temperature pattern.

3. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to apply predefined fever detection rules to the temporal heart rate pattern and the peripheral blood perfusion pattern.

4. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein the fever detection rules are predefined such that fever is detected if the heart rate value increases and the peripheral blood perfusion value decreases in a same time interval.

5. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to determine a heart rate gradient from the heart rate values measured over time and a peripheral blood perfusion gradient from the peripheral blood perfusion values measured over time.

6. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein the fever detection rules are predefined such that fever is detected, if the heart rate gradient is positive indicating a heart rate increase and the peripheral blood perfusion gradient is negative indicating an decrease of the peripheral blood perfusion value within a same time interval.

7. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 6 , wherein the fever detection rules are predefined such that fever is detected if an absolute peripheral blood perfusion gradient is larger than a peripheral threshold and an absolute heart rate gradient is larger than a heart rate threshold.

8. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is programmed to:
measure an initial heart rate value and an actual heart rate value and an initial peripheral blood perfusion value and an actual peripheral blood perfusion value, and
determine a heart rate change based on the provided initial and actual heart rates and a peripheral blood perfusion change based on the provided initial and actual peripheral blood perfusion values,
wherein the fever detection rules are predefined such that fever is detected, if the heart rate change indicates an increase of the heart rate and the peripheral change indicates a decrease of the peripheral blood perfusion value in a same time interval.

9. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to apply predefined fever probability rules to the temporal peripheral blood perfusion pattern and the temporal heart rate pattern for determining a fever property value being indicative of the probability of having fever.

10. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to apply predefined fever recovery rules to the temporal peripheral blood perfusion pattern and the temporal heart rate pattern for detecting recovery from fever, wherein the fever recovery rules being predefined such that recovery from fever is detected, if the peripheral blood perfusion value increases and the heart rate decreases in a same time interval.

11. The fever detection apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the fever detection apparatus further comprises a sensor configured to monitor a further measured property of the living being or a property of the surrounding of the living being, the measured property including at least one of ambient temperature, respiratory rate, physical activity type, physical activity level, body posture, body movement, and a position of the pulse oximeter;
wherein, the at least one processor is further programmed to detect fever depending on the peripheral blood perfusion value, the heart rate and the property provided by the sensor.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for performing a fever detection method for detecting fever of a living being, the fever detection method comprising:
with a pulse oximeter,
measuring a plurality of heart rate values being indicative of the heart rate of the living being measured over time;
measuring a plurality of skin temperature values being indicative of a skin temperature of the living being;
measuring a plurality of peripheral blood perfusion values being indicative of a blood perfusion in the periphery of the living being measured over time;
with at least one processor,
determining a temporal heart rate pattern from the heart rate values measured over time;
determining a temporal skin temperature pattern from the skin temperature values measured over time;
determining a temporal blood perfusion pattern from the peripheral blood perfusion values measured over time; and
detecting a fever of the living being depending on the temporal heart rate pattern, the temporal skin temperature pattern and the temporal blood perfusion pattern based on at least one when the heart rate value increases and the peripheral blood perfusion value decreases in a same time interval; and
detecting recovery from fever when the peripheral blood perfusion value increases and the heart rate decreases in a same time interval.

13. A fever detection apparatus for detecting fever of a living being, the fever detection apparatus comprising:
a pulse oximeter configured to measure a plurality of heart rate values being indicative of the heart rate of the living being measured over time a plurality of peripheral blood perfusion values being indicative of the peripheral blood perfusion of the living being measured over time and a plurality of skin temperature values being indicative of a skin temperature of the living being measured over time;
at least one processor programmed to:
measure heart rate values over time;
determine a temporal heart rate gradient of the heart rate values measured over time;
measure peripheral blood perfusion values over time;
determine a temporal peripheral blood perfusion pattern from the peripheral blood perfusion value measured over time;
measure skin temperature values over time;
determine a temporal skin temperature gradient of the skin temperature values measured over time; and
apply predefined fever detection rules to the temporal heart rate gradient, the temporal peripheral blood perfusion pattern, the temporal skin temperature gradient to detect a fever of the living being; and

a display configured to display an indi

Assignees

• Van Den Heuvel Teun
• Muehlsteff Jens
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Van Den Heuvel Teun
• Muehlsteff Jens

Classifications

• A61B5/02055 Primary

  Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature · CPC title

• A61B5/024

  Measuring pulse rate or heart rate · CPC title

• A61B5/7275

  Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor · CPC title

• A61B5/02438

  with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient · CPC title

• A61B5/026

  Measuring blood flow {(A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence)} · CPC title