Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Respiratory
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-23
2001-02-20
O'Connor, Cary (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Respiratory
C600S300000, C600S532000, C128S200240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190326
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to medical devices and, more specifically, to devices for measuring and logging patient respiratory information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Respiratory problems are relatively common in society today. For example, some estimate that nearly 5% of the population of the United States suffer from asthma. Effective treatment of respiratory conditions can be complicated, sometimes requiring continuous monitoring and recording of respiratory function and symptoms in conjunction with controlled application of medication to bring a condition under control. In such cases, a physician will generally review the recorded data for a particular patient to determine how the patient is reacting to a prescribed treatment plan and make modifications to the treatment plan based thereon. Over time, a treatment regimen is developed that stabilizes the patient's condition to allow normal daily functioning without fear of life threatening attacks or the like.
As can be appreciated, the procedures for monitoring and recording respiratory function and the use of medicines can be complicated and time consuming. Much of the responsibility for maintaining accurate records of respiratory function and administration of medication falls upon the patient, who must then report recorded information to the physician. In many cases, this information gathering task proves to be overly burdensome for a patient untrained in such matters, resulting in incomplete, inconsistent, and/or inaccurate data collection. This data is then made available to the attending physician, who uses it to determine whether adjustments need to be made in the patient's treatment regimen. Because the information being used by the physician is sketchy at best, the physician's ability to make the correct treatment decisions is compromised and an optimal treatment regimen takes longer to develop.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for accurately collecting information about a patient's respiratory condition from the patient. The method and apparatus will preferably be simple and straightforward to use, highly reliable, and relatively automatic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system that is capable of accurately collecting and recording patient respiratory information for use, for example, in developing/modifying a treatment regimen for the patient. The system includes both measurement functionality for measuring the patient's present respiratory condition and storage functionality for storing and organizing the measured information. In addition, the system includes patient management functionality for managing the activity of the patient to ensure that, for example, measurements are made at the appropriate times and in accordance with the physician's instructions. For example, the patient management functionality can prompt the patient when it is time to take an appropriate respiratory reading and also coach the patient during the reading to increase the likelihood of proper performance. Measurement results are then recorded by the patient management functionality with corresponding time/date information for later transmittal to the physician. In one embodiment, the system is capable of communicating with one or more medication dispensing apparatuses for obtaining confirmation that an appropriate dosage of medicine was actually administered by the patient at a particular time and in a proper fashion. As with the other information, this information is also stored by the system and eventually transferred to the physician.
In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a base unit that includes the intelligence for performing the management, measurement, and storage functions. That is, the base unit includes at least one processor that is programmed to perform the noted functions in conjunction with input/actions by the patient. In addition, the system includes at least one detachable mouthpiece unit for insertion into the base unit when a measurement is to be performed. The mouthpiece unit includes the sensors that are required for sensing respiratory function related parameters from a patient's breath when the patient blows, or possibly inhales during some of the times, into the mouthpiece unit. When the mouthpiece unit is attached to the base unit, the sensors are able to deliver raw measurement data to the measurement functionality within the base unit for processing. After the information has been processed, the measurement results are stored within the base unit for later review by a physician. The measurement results can also be displayed to the patient on a display of the base unit along with any relevant treatment suggestions.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, each detachable mouthpiece unit includes an internal memory for storing, among other things, identification information identifying a patient having exclusive use of that mouthpiece unit. When the mouthpiece unit is inserted into the base unit, the identification information stored in the mouthpiece unit is transferred to the base unit which stores the identification information in its internal memory. Results of all subsequent tests performed by the base unit using that inserted mouthpiece unit are then stored within the base unit in association with the identified patient. In this manner, multiple patients, each having their own dedicated mouthpiece unit, can make use of a single base unit without confusion as to which respiratory-related information corresponds to which patient. In addition, because each patient uses an entirely different mouthpiece unit, concerns about possible contamination within the system are significantly reduced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5518002 (1996-05-01), Wolf et al.
patent: 5606976 (1997-03-01), Marshall et al.
patent: 5623938 (1997-04-01), Addiss
patent: 5626144 (1997-05-01), Tacklind et al.
McKinnon Robert J.
Riley Patrick L.
Wolf James L.
Carter Ryan
Medtrac Technologies Inc.
O'Connor Cary
Sheridan & Ross P.C.
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