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  Patient monitoring apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060036137Title: Patient monitoring apparatus Abstract: A patient monitoring system including a sensing-recording device that attaches to a patient and a probe utilized by attending personnel at a trauma site. After an initial interaction between the probe and the sensing-recording device, the sensing-recording device samples one or more physiological parameters and stores time stamped readings in a first memory. The probe is adapted to take other measurements, download the data from the first memory of the sensing-recording device, manipulate the collective data and return data to a second memory in the sensing-recording device. The sensing-recording device continues to accumulate data in the first memory during transport of the patient from a trauma site to a medical facility. (end of abstract) Agent: George A. Herbster - Manchester, MA, US Inventor: John Lewicke USPTO Applicaton #: 20060036137 - Class: 600301000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Surgery, Diagnostic Testing, Via Monitoring A Plurality Of Physiological Data, E.g., Pulse And Blood Pressure The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060036137. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention generally relates to monitoring physiological parameters of a patient and more specifically to the monitoring of such parameters in patients who are geographically remote from a medical facility. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART [0002] Monitoring of a patient's physiological parameters in a medical environment is an important element of patient diagnosis and treatment. Within a modern medical facility, such as a hospital, such monitoring is relatively easy to perform. The environment is controlled. The staff, including physicians, nurses, physician assistants and technicians, is qualified. Such facilities have equipment resources for enabling the monitoring of one or more patients for a variety of physiological parameters. [0003] Unfortunately the advantages of a hospital environment with its resources and personnel do not exist at many trauma sites, such as those at accident scenes or at battlefield sites. First responders to an accident scene generally include an emergency medical technician (EMT). The EMT assesses the patient and, in conjunction with advice from medical personnel established by radio contact, initiates treatment. Typically the EMT stays with the patient during transport to a medical facility. The EMT can transfer his or her observations to personnel at the facility by interview and/or by written record. [0004] An entirely different situation exists on a battlefield. On a battlefield a medic is attached to a particular unit. The medic treats a patient. When the medic completes treatment at the battlefield site, the patient is transported to another facility. However, the medic stays behind to attend to other patients. The medic's initial treatment protocol will be based on certain readings taken at the site. Then there are procedures for identifying the actions that were taken at the site. For example, if a sedative is administered, the medic may pin the syringe to the patient. Typically no interview occurs between the personnel at the medical facility, such as a field hospital, and the attending medic. Moreover, typically no information is recorded about the patient during initial treatment and transport for transfer to the field hospital. [0005] Recently proposals have been made for personal monitoring systems for use in a battlefield environment. U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,394 (2001) to Jacobsen et al. discloses one such system for remote monitoring of personnel. This system utilizes a harness with a number of sensors to be worn continuously by a soldier. The sensors monitor a number of parameters including physiological variables. The harness carries a transmitting unit for transferring data to a central site. [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,708 (2002) to Ferguson et al. discloses a portable remote patient tele-monitoring system using a memory card or a smart card. This system includes a multi-parameter sensor array applied to a patient's chest by means of a sensor band. The smart card or memory card stores measured data. Alternatively, a data logger carried by the patient receives the data. A base station receives the recorded information and transmits it to a remote monitoring site over a telecommunications link. The sensor band is disposable and has a limited life. For long-term monitoring, sensor bands may be replaced periodically. [0007] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0147818 (2004) to Levy et al. discloses a portable system for monitoring and processing patient parameters in multiple operational modes. Specifically a data acquisition processor receives data from sensors on a patient and processes that data. The processed data is communicated to a docking station with a portable monitoring unit in one operational mode or to a network access point in a wireless network in another operational mode. [0008] As will be apparent, each of these proposals requires the use of bulky equipment. The Jacobsen et al. patent requires a soldier to wear a harness to be worn at all times. First, such a requirement requires the soldier to carry extra weight and to take precautions to avoid damaging the equipment during normal use. It is not likely that such a harness would be an acceptable alternative for application to a trauma patient on a battlefield or at another trauma site. Such apparatus is bulky, so it would be difficult to inventory such harnesses for multiple patients. In addition, medical personnel would have the additional burden of placing the harness on a trauma patient under adverse circumstances. [0009] Each of these systems depends upon the availability of sophisticated communications links, such as those available in a hospital environment. They are not always available at a trauma site or on the battlefield. The use of smart cards or memory cards as suggested in the Ferguson et al. patent present problems because such devices are prone to being lost at a trauma site or during patient transport to a hospital or other central site. Further, only the data measured at the trauma site is recorded. [0010] What is needed is patient monitoring apparatus that includes a compact sensor and recording device that medical personnel on the battlefield or at a trauma site can readily inventory and apply to a patient in a positive, secure manner for recording various physiological data. What is also needed is such apparatus that facilitates use by medical personnel and that provides a continuum of data for use by personnel at a hospital or like facility. SUMMARY [0011] Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide patient monitoring apparatus that is adapted for use in a variety of environments including battlefield environments. [0012] Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for monitoring certain physiological parameters of a patient from the arrival of a first responder or medic at a site to the arrival of the patient at a medical facility. [0013] Yet another object of this invention is to provide patient monitoring apparatus that is easy to use and facilitates the measurement of physiological parameters. [0014] In accordance with one aspect of this invention, a sensing-recording device provides a history of a patient medical parameter to an output device. The sensing-recording device includes a housing that attaches to the patient. A sensor carried by the housing generates a signal that represents the medical parameter. A controller in the housing stores samples of the sensor output in a memory. A communications link enables the transfer of data from the memory to the output device. [0015] In accordance with another aspect of this invention a patient monitoring apparatus includes a sensing-recording device and a probe. The probe can establish a communications path to the sensing-recording device. The probe comprises a memory, a processor for processing data in the memory and a probe controller for generating commands to and for storing data from a sensing-recording device over the communications path. The sensing-recording device comprises a housing that attaches to a patient. A sensor carried by the housing generates a signal that represents the medical parameter. A memory and a control in the housing store samples of the sensor output in the memory. The control responds to commands from the probe by transferring data in the memory to the probe. [0016] In accordance with still another aspect of this invention, a patient monitoring system adapted for use by medical personnel at a trauma site comprises a plurality of sensing-recording devices and a probe. Each of the devices includes a housing that can be securely attached to a patient, a plurality of sensors, each of which generates a signal that represents a medical parameter, first and second memories, a controller for storing time-stamped data sample entries for each sensor in said first memory, a transceiver for establishing communications over an optical communications path wherein information from the transceiver is stored in the second memory. The probe includes a plurality of sensors, each sensor generating a signal that represents a medical parameter. a memory for storing time-stamped data entries representing samples of the signal from each sensor, a display, a processor for processing the data in the memory for viewing on the display, a keyboard, a probe operation control that processes one of a plurality of tasks in response to inputs from the keyboard, a transceiver for establishing communications over an optical communications path whereby data in the probe is conveyed to the second memory in the sensor-recording devices for a patient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0017] The various objects, advantages and novel features of this invention will be more fully apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: [0018] FIG. 1 depicts monitoring apparatus in accordance with this invention; [0019] FIGS. 2 and 3 are different perspective views of a sensing-recording device shown in FIG. 1; [0020] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the circuitry associated with the sensing-recording device shown in FIGS. 1 through 3; Continue reading... Full patent description for Patient monitoring apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Patient monitoring apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. 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