General Electric Company

Heikki Joensuu

Matti VeliTapani Huiku

A method for monitoring degradation a physiological sensor connected to a patient monitor is disclosed. A patient monitor, a patient monitor system, a physiological sensor, and a computer program product are also disclosed. In order to get an early warning of an imminent breakage or wear out of a physiological sensor and to increase the life time of the sensor without compromising patient safety, history data is collected for at least one sensor feature parameter into a predetermined memory location, wherein the collected history data is indicative of past characteristics of the sensor. The history data is retrieved from the predetermined memory location when the physiological sensor is connected to a patient monitor and a degradation measure indicative of the degree of degradation of the physiological sensor is determined for the physiological sensor based on the history data.

Method for monitoring sensor degradation, patient monitor, patient monitor system, physiological sensor, and computer program product for a patient monitor

In order to increase sensor manufacturing yield without compromising patient safety, at least one first value is determined respectively for at least one sensor feature parameter indicative of characteristics of a physiological sensor and the determined value(s) is/are stored in a predefined memory location prior to use of a physiological sensor. In response to the physiological sensor being connected to a patient monitor, at least one second value is defined respectively for the at least one sensor feature parameter and the at least one first value of each of the at least one sensor feature parameter is retrieved from the predefined memory location. Each of the at least one second value is compared with respective at least one first value and a decision is made, based on the comparison, on the acceptance of the physiological sensor.

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Vantaa, Finland

Heikki Joensuu