Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-24
2004-11-23
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular system function
C340S573100, C340S521000, C600S322000, C600S300000, C600S301000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06822564
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Physiological measurement instruments employed in healthcare environments often feature visual and audible alarm mechanisms that alert a caregiver when a patient's vital signs are outside of predetermined limits. One example is a pulse oximeter, which measures the oxygen saturation level of arterial blood, an indicator of oxygen supply. A typical pulse oximeter displays a numerical readout of the patient's oxygen saturation, a numerical readout of pulse rate, and a plethysmograph, which is indicative of a patient's pulse. In addition, a pulse oximeter provides an alarm that warns of a potential desaturation event.
FIG. 1
illustrates a prior art pulse oximeter portion
100
having a signal input
101
and generating an oxygen saturation measurement output
103
and an alarm output
105
. The pulse oximeter portion
100
has an oxygen saturation (SpO
2
) processor
110
and an associated threshold detector
120
. The SpO
2
processor
110
derives an oxygen saturation measurement from the signal input
101
. The signal input
101
is typically an amplified, filtered, digitized and demodulated sensor signal. A sensor emits both red and infrared (IR) wavelength light, which is transmitted through a patient's tissue, detected and input to the pulse oximeter. The pulse oximeter calculates a normalized ratio (AC/DC) of the detected red and infrared intensities, and an arterial oxygen saturation value is empirically determined based on a ratio of these normalized ratios, as is well-known in the art. The oxygen saturation measurement output
103
is typically a digital signal that is then communicated to a display.
FIG. 2
illustrates the operation of a conventional threshold detector
120
(
FIG. 1
) utilizing a graph
200
of oxygen saturation
201
versus time
202
. The graph
200
displays a particular oxygen saturation measurement
210
corresponding to the measurement output
103
(
FIG. 1
) and a predetermined alarm threshold
206
. During an alarm time period
270
when the measured oxygen saturation
210
is below the threshold
206
, an alarm output
105
(
FIG. 1
) is generated, which triggers a caregiver alert. Adjusting the threshold
206
to a lower value of oxygen saturation
201
reduces the probability of an alarm, i.e. reduces the probability of a false alarm and increases the probability of a missed event. Likewise, adjusting the threshold
206
to a higher value of oxygen saturation
201
increases the probability of an alarm, i.e. increases the probability of a false alarm and decreases the probability of a missed event.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One performance measure for a physiological measurement instrument is the probability of a false alarm compared with the probability of a missed event. Missed events, such as an oxygen desaturation when measuring oxygen saturation, may detrimentally effect patient health. False alarms waste caregiver resources and may also result in a true alarm being ignored. It is desirable, therefore, to provide an alarm mechanism to reduce the probability of false alarms without significantly increasing the probability of missed events, and, similarly, to reduce the probability of missed events without significantly increasing the probability of false alarms.
An alarm processor has a signal input responsive to a physiological parameter and a plurality of parameter processors responsive to the signal input so as to provide a plurality of measurements of the parameter having differing characteristics. In addition, the alarm processor has an alarm condition applicable to at least one of the measurements so as to define a limit for the parameter. Further, the alarm processor has an alarm indicator operating on the measurements and the alarm condition so as to provide an alarm output that changes state to indicate that the parameter may have exceeded the limit.
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Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Masimo Corporation
Walk Samuel J.
Wu Daniel J.
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