IP Library Granted Patent US 8,606,344
Granted Patent B2
US 8,606,344 · App. 12/433,597 · Granted Dec 10, 2013

Integrated patient bed system

Inventors: John Michael DiMaio (Dallas, TX); James Watson (Plano, TX); Jose Melendez (Lakeway, TX); Roma Moza (Plano, TX); Harry Tibbals (Dallas, TX)
Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,606,344
App. No.
12/433,597
Granted
Dec 10, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention includes an integrated system and methods for patient treatment, the system includes a hospital bed; a plurality of patient diagnostic and treatment devices connected to a network, wherein each of the devices can communicate to a network and exchange information with the network about the care of a patient; and a processor accessible adjacent to the bed and connected to the network to integrate information obtained from the devices through the network with one or more additional sources of information databases, wherein the processor can communicate to one or more patient treatment devices either directly or via the network and the processor directs the one or more patient treatment devices to change the treatment of the patient.

Claims (32)

1. A patient support system comprising:

a patient support comprising one or more substrates;

an electromagnetic detector positioned to detect one or more parameters of a patient's tissue health, wherein the detector measures tissue in contact with or adjacent to the patient support;

a light source that emits waves;

wherein the electromagnetic detector detects wave reflections from the patient's tissue, wherein the wave emissions and reflections are selected to traverse the one or more substrates positioned between the electromagnetic detector and the patient's tissue; and

a processor connected to the detector that stores one or more parameters of the tissue's condition that are indicative of tissue health, wherein an indication of tissue health is used to change conditions at or about the site of tissue contact.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is connected to one or more support repositioning devices that automatically move the patient if a change in tissue health is detected.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein portions of tissue that show a change in tissue health are marked for continued monitoring.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is connected to one or more devices at the patient support that heat, cool, increase or decrease humidity, deliver pharmaceuticals, increase oxygen delivery, decrease pressure, increase pressure of the tissue at or about a site in need of treatment.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient support comprises at least a portion of a hospital bed.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic detector detects electromagnetic waves that are visible, infrared, near infrared or hyperspectral.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic detector detects signals that the processor converts into at least one measurement of change in tissue conditions, wherein the at least one measurement is selected from tissue blood flow, tissue oxygenation, tissue temperature, tissue humidity, tissue compression, tissue shear or combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor may further store additional patient data selected from age, gender, weight, patient blood pressure, tissue oxygenation, body temperature, humidity or combinations thereof over time to create one or more images of locations for therapy prior to tissue degradation, during treatment of tissue degradation or following treatment for tissue degradation.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor generates an image of the potential tissue degradation on the patient's body for use in treating the tissue prior to tissue deterioration.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic detector comprises at least one of spectral imagers, digital sensors, analog sensors, photomultiplier tubes, bolometers or microbolometers, charge coupled device sensors, charge injection sensors, linear scan sensors, surface acoustic wave sensors, quartz crystal resonators, metal oxide sensors, dye-coated fiber optic sensors, dye-impregnated bead arrays, micromachined cantilever arrays, chemically-sensitive resistor or capacitor films, metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors, infrared sensors, ultraviolet sensors, and bulk organic conducting polymeric sensors.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient support comprises an array of chambers, wherein a pressure within each chamber can be varied individually or in groups.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tissue health is selected from bed sores, cancerous lesions, skin grafts, skin temperature, skin oxygenation, burns, skin trauma, skin diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and combinations thereof.

13. An integrated system for patient treatment,

the system comprising: a patient support comprising one or more substrates; an electromagnetic detector positioned to detect one or more parameters of a patient's tissue health, wherein the detector measures tissue in contact with or adjacent to the patient support;

a light source that emits waves;

wherein the electromagnetic detector detects wave reflections from the patient's tissue, wherein the wave emissions and reflections are selected to traverse the one or more substrates positioned between the electromagnetic detector and the patient's tissue;

a processor connected to the detector that stores one or more parameters of the tissue's condition that are indicative of tissue health, wherein an indication of tissue health is used to change conditions at or about the site of tissue contact; and

one or more patient diagnostic and treatment devices connected to a network, wherein each of the devices can communicate to a network and exchange information with the network about the care of a patient; and

wherein the processor is accessible adjacent to the bed and connected to the network to integrate information obtained from the devices through the network with one or more additional sources of information databases, wherein the processor can communicate to one or more patient treatment devices and the processor either directly or via the network directs the one or more patient treatment devices to change the treatment of the patient.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a storage media in communication with the processor to store the patient's tissue health information and a display monitor in communication with the processor to display the patient's tissue health information.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is connected to one or more support repositioning devices that automatically move the patient if a change in tissue health is detected.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein portions of tissue that show a change in tissue health are marked with a fiducial for continued monitoring.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is connected to one or more devices at the patient support that heat, cool, increase, decrease humidity, systemic pharmaceuticals, increased oxygen delivery, decrease pressure, increase pressure of the tissue at or about a site in need of treatment.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein one of the one or more patient treatment devices comprise at least one of a ventilator; a vacuum hose; an intravenous pump; a catheter; a dialysis machine; a blood occlusion regulator; an oxygen administration device; an infusion unit; and a nitrous oxide administration device; a chemotherapy device; a radiotherapy device; an enteral feeding device; or a defibrillator.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein one of the patient diagnostic devices is at least one of an x-ray detector, hematology measuring device, a sphygmomanometer; a tonometer; an electroencephalograph; an impedance cardiography device; a carbon dioxide measuring device, a pulse oximeter; an electrocardiogram; a bispectral index; a scale; a pressure, flow and/or volume measurement device; a non-invasive blood pressure device; an invasive blood pressure device; a thermometer; a transcutaneous Doppler device; a transesophageal Doppler device; or a fluorescence activated cell sorter; a conductance meter or a hyperspectral imager.

20. The system of claim 13 , wherein one of the patient diagnostic and treatment devices is a monitor for displaying a patient's condition.

21. The system of claim 13 , wherein the tissue health is selected from bed sores, cancerous lesions, skin grafts, skin temperature, skin oxygenation, burns, skin trauma, skin diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and combinations thereof.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 20, 2009
From: DIMAIO, JOHN MICHAEL; WATSON, JAMES; MELENDEZ, JOSE; MOZA, ROMA; TIBBALS, HARRY
To: BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
Reel/Frame 022978/0210 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 61049243 · Apr 30, 2008
Provisional Application 61146223 · Jan 21, 2009
Related Publication 20090275808A1 · Nov 5, 2009