Healthcare data acquisition device

Details Healthcare data acquisition device Healthcare data acquisition device

1997-12-17

2001-06-05

Shah, Kamini (Department: 2857)

Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing

Measurement system in a specific environment

Biological or biochemical

C600S547000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06243651

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to healthcare management devices and, more particularly, to a healthcare data acquisition device which measures the impedance of the body and, based on the value obtained, provides various data which are useful with respect to healthcare management.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A healthcare data acquisition device belonging of the prior art is shown in FIG.
16
. On either side of device
200
are grips
205
and
206
. In the two grips
205
and
206
are cylindrical current electrodes
201
and
202
, respectively, which apply a current to a patient using the device. The two grips
205
and
206
further include measurement electrodes
203
and
204
, respectively, which measure voltage across the body of the patient.
Prior to measurement, the patient uses input unit
210
to enter physical characteristics, for example, data such as height, weight, age and sex. To measure the impedance of the body, the patient holds grips
205
and
206
with both hands so that current electrodes
201
and
202
are in contact with the parts of the hands between the thumbs and the index fingers, and measurement electrodes
203
and
204
are in contact with the palms of the hands below the fourth and fifth fingers. By measuring the potential developed across the body due to its resistance with respect to the current which is applied, the impedance of the body can be obtained. The general relationship between the impedance of the body and data relating to healthcare such as percentage of body fat is stored in a data base obtained by statistical methods. Using this data base and the measured impedance of the body, data are obtained which can be useful in managing the healthcare of the patient.
With the electrode configuration of device
200
, it was possible in the prior art to produce a small, light and inexpensive healthcare data acquisition device which could measure impedance with accuracy and repeatability as compared with the method shown in FIG.
17
. In
FIG. 17
, a current electrode
207
is attached to the back of the hand at the base of the index and middle fingers, and a measurement electrode
208
is attached to the top of the wrist. These electrodes are then connected to a healthcare data acquisition device (not shown) for measuring an impedance of the patient. The healthcare data acquisition device as used in the method of
FIG. 17
, however, is typically bulky and hard to operate. Accordingly, despite the improvements in the art of providing a smaller, lighter and less expensive healthcare data acquisition device such as device
200
, there remains an opportunity to make the device even smaller, lighter and cheaper.
Attempts have been made to reduce the size of the electrode structure by using electrodes in contact with the fingertips. This design, however, results in inferior accuracy and repeatability. When the electrodes for applying the current are attached to the fingertips, the resistance value becomes extremely large due to the presence of the joints and the small diameter of the fingers. This results in errors due to difficulty in maintaining a constant current source. Adjacent fingers may at different times be apart or in contact with each other, thereby resulting in a varying current path. As a result, this adversely affects the repeatability and stability of the measurement. As to the prior art method of
FIG. 17
, the further apart the electrodes are from the measurement device, or the further apart they are from the main current path, the more likely it is that measurement errors and inconsistencies will occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A feature of this invention is to reduce the size of the electrode structure of a healthcare data acquisition device in order to make the device even smaller, lighter and cheaper.
The present invention was developed to address the aforementioned problems in the existing technology by providing a smaller, lighter and cheaper healthcare data acquisition device which provides highly accurate and repeatable measurements.
In order to provide the feature mentioned above, a first embodiment of this invention is a healthcare data acquisition device with two electrodes which apply a current from a specified part of the body and two electrodes which measure the voltage generated in that part of the body by the current. The impedance of the body is measured using the current and voltage. Based on the measured impedance of the body, data are provided which are useful in healthcare management. This invention is distinguished from the prior art in that the only body parts to which current is applied are the patient's thumbs.
By the phrase “body parts to which current is applied” is meant those parts of the body which must be in contact with the electrodes which apply current.
By applying current only to the thumbs, which are the thickest digits and so have a low resistance value, errors relating to the constant current source are minimized, and a highly accurate impedance measurement may be achieved.
Moreover, since the thumbs are independent both structurally and functionally from the other four fingers, applying current only to the thumbs eliminates the possibility that the current path will vary. It is then possible to measure the impedance with good accuracy and repeatability.
The area of the skin where the current electrodes make contact with the thumbs is large enough to allow the use of smaller electrodes. This in turn allows the entire device to be made smaller, lighter and cheaper.
If the current to be applied to the pads is only going to the thumbs, then the electrodes can be installed on the surface of the device. The patient then need only place the thumbs on them or grasp them, and the impedance can be easily measured.
A second embodiment of this invention has a configuration identical to the first invention, except that it has position guides to insure that the thumbs make contact with the current electrodes. These position guides help the specified parts of the thumbs make proper contact with the current electrodes, thus providing a healthcare data acquisition device capable of a high degree of accuracy and repeatability.
The thumbs can also be positioned correctly by using current electrodes which are designed so as to maintain contact with the specified parts of the thumbs. Another alternative is to provide a structural component along the periphery of each electrode to limit the movement of the thumb and guide its placement.
A third embodiment is distinguished in that the current electrodes in either the first or the second embodiment are shaped to correspond to the thumbs. This third embodiment makes it easier to position the specified portions of the thumbs on the current electrodes. It thus makes it possible to provide a healthcare data acquisition device capable of high accuracy and repeatability.
The current electrodes may be three-dimensional and conform to the contours of the specified portions of the thumbs, or they may be flat but shaped in such a way that the user can confirm that the thumbs are in contact with the electrodes.
A fourth embodiment of this invention is distinguished in that in the first through third embodiments, the portion of each hand between the base of the thumb and the wrist is selected as the site where the voltage will be measured. The term “site where the voltage will be measured” refers to the portion of the body where the electrodes to measure voltage must be in contact with the skin. Although the thumbs are selected as the sites where the current is to be applied, they are not far from where the electrodes were attached in the prior art measurement method. The deviation of the current from the main current path is also slight, so the problems of measurement error and the incongruity of the measurement method with respect to the prior art method are minimized. A healthcare data acquisition device can thus be produced which is capable of highly accurate measurements. Because the current and measurement electrodes can be placed q

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Healthcare data acquisition device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Healthcare data acquisition device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Healthcare data acquisition device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2547406