General Electric Company

Ge Precision Healthcare LLC

Ge Healthcare Finland Oy

Instrumentatium Corp.

Kimmo Henrik Uutela

Juha Virtanen

Matti VeliTapani Huiku

Hanna E Viertiö-Oja

Emma Elina Ikonen

Panu Antero Takala

Börje Rantala

Matti Veli Tapani Huiku

Erno Petteri Muuranto

Hanna Elina Viertio-Oja

Rene Johannes Coffeng

Heli Tolvanen-Laakso

Petteri Lapinlampi

Leena Pesu

Tapani Niklander

Liisa-Maria Järvelä

Mikael Bröckl

Risto Rossi

Sami Miettinen

Tor Börje Rantala

Markku Erik Spoof

Helena Liisa Anneli Batsman

A method and system for monitoring neuromuscular blockade in patients during surgical procedures. A stimulator provides stimulation to a nerve of the patient, such as train-of-four (TOF). Following such stimulation, the system and method creates a predicted recovery trend for the patient that is based upon measured recovery trend and a recovery model. The recovery model estimates a recovery trend for the patient based on initial model parameter values. The recovery model creates a predicted recovery trend that is used to estimate a recovery time for the patient. The trend values from the patient are monitored and compared to the predicted trend values throughout the operation as long as the NMT measurement is on. During recovery, the recovery model and recovery time estimates are updated based on the recovery trend being formed from measurements of the patient.

Method and system for predicting patient recovery time from neuromuscular block

A method of predicting physiological alarm frequency by patient monitors includes collecting patient monitoring data of multiple patients in at least a first healthcare environment, and then determining an alarm rate model based on the patient monitoring data, wherein the alarm rate model describes alarm rates at a range of alarm configurations in the first healthcare environment. Initial alarm rate data is collected for a second healthcare environment, wherein the initial alarm rate data includes at least one alarm rate at at least one known alarm configuration within the range of alarm configurations. An alarm rate transform is then calculated for the second healthcare environment comparing the initial alarm rate data for the second healthcare environment to the alarm rate model. Alarm rates are predicted for the second healthcare environment at a different alarm configuration than the at least one known alarm configuration of the initial alarm rate data by applying the alarm rate transform to the alarm rate model.

Method and system for predicting physiological alarm frequency by patient monitors

A method for detection of interference in impedance based monitoring of a subject by using a monitor is disclosed. The method comprising, connecting the subject to the monitor using one or more leads; and before current is applied to the subject, measuring voltage on the subject via at least one of the one or more leads and if any voltage is detected then the monitor indicates a warning. An impedance based monitor is disclosed, the monitor being connectable to a subject. The monitor is configured to measure voltage on the subject, before any current is applied to the subject, and if any voltage is detected then the monitor is configured to indicate a warning.

Method and apparatus for detection of interference in impedance based measurements

A method and device for calculating at least a first type and a second type of physiological parameter with a wireless measuring device adapted to acquire patient physiological data, the wireless measuring device is configured to operate in at least a first and a second operating mode for processing the physiological data. The method comprises acquiring with the wireless measuring device patient physiological data, and identifying a first identity for the wireless measuring device, the first identity being linked to a first context for operating the wireless measuring device. The method further comprises using the first identity to allow the wireless measuring device to operate in a first operating mode linked to the first identity, and processing the patient physiological data to calculate a first type of physiological parameter, linked to the first operating mode of the wireless measuring device.

Method and apparatus for measuring physiological parameters

In the present invention, a system and associated method is provided for monitoring vital parameters of a patient. The monitoring system includes sensors disposed on the patient and operably connected to a monitor. The parameters that are sensed by the sensors are transmitted to the monitor and compared with alarm thresholds stored within the monitor. The alarm thresholds stored within the monitor are modified by inputs supplied to the monitor regarding the particular condition(s) of the patient being monitored to provide more accurate alarm determinations for the patient. The dynamic adjustment of the alarm threshold during monitoring can be based on a set of proactive inputs to prevent and/or limit the occurrence of unnecessary or clinically irrelevant alarm conditions or a set of reactive inputs that follow immediately after an alarm event is detected, to enable medical personnel to appropriately respond to sensed alarm condition(s).

Dynamic automated adjustment of alarm threshold levels

The system and method of the present application includes a physiological sensor and a motion sensor connected to a patient. The physiological sensor detects patient connection to the sensor and collects a physiological signal while connected. When the physiological sensor is disconnected, the motion sensor data is analyzed. Patterns of sensor connection and patient movement typical for nurse initiated removal compared to accidental or patient initiated removals are created. The alarm protocol may be modified if the disconnection is due to patient movement. The detected movement patterns may include movement measurements that are close to the sensor that detects how the actual disconnection happens, or general movement information for the patient such as whether the patient has been still or has moved before the sensor gets disconnected. By using this information to classify the reason of the sensor removal, a more relevant alarm may be generated.

System and method of detection of sensor removal in a monitoring system

A system and method for beamforming in soft-field tomography are provided. One soft-field tomography system includes a plurality of transducers configured for positioning proximate a surface of an object and one or more excitation drivers coupled to the plurality of transducers and configured to generate excitation signals for the plurality of transducers. The excitation signals include at least one frequency component. The soft-field tomography system further includes one or more response detectors coupled to the plurality of transducers and configured to measure a response of the object at the plurality of transducers to the excitation applied by the plurality of transducers based on the excitation signals. The soft-field tomography system also includes a soft-field reconstruction module configured to reconstruct a property distribution based on the excitation signals and the measured response using an Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) beamformer.

System and method for beamforming in soft-field tomography

The invention relates to the determination of the clinical state of a subject. A respective adaptive transform is applied to at least one measurement signal acquired from the subject, each adaptive transform being dependent on previously acquired history data, and a diagnostic index is formed, which is dependent on the transformed measurement signal(s) and serves as a measure of the clinical state of the subject. In order to reliably evaluate the clinical state of a subject on a fixed diagnostic scale during changes in the state of the subject, some or all of the previously acquired history data on which an adaptive transform is currently dependent is replaced with other previously acquired history data when a predetermined event is detected. The predetermined event is indicative of a change in the respective measurement signal, and the introduction of the said other previously acquired history data sets the transform ready for the change.

Determination of the clinical state of a subject

The invention relates to a system for delivering anesthesia drugs to a patient. The system comprises means for feeding anesthesia drugs to the patient treated, a measuring device for measuring at least one parameter relating to the effects of the anesthetic drugs fed to the patient, a patient monitor to show the results measured by the measuring devices, and feeding means for feeding patient demographics to the system. The system further comprises means for visual planning of the anesthesia drug delivery before the drugs are actually fed. The system can also comprise means for anesthesia management for drug interaction during the treatment.

System for delivering anesthesia drugs to a patient

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring the responsiveness of a subject with lowered level of consciousness. Physiological signal data is obtained from the subject and a first measure indicative of the level of consciousness of the subject is derived from the physiological signal data. In order to obtain an objective measure of the responsiveness of the subject and to improve the specificity of patient monitoring, a sequence of the first measure is recorded without inducing arousals in the subject and a second measure indicative of a responsiveness of the subject is determined based on the recorded sequence. The determination of the second measure may be independent of the unintentional stimuli that cause arousals in the patient or the stimuli causing such arousals in the clinical environment may be detected to find out their effect on the first measure.

Measurement of responsiveness of a subject with lowered level of consciousness

The invention relates to a patient cable for medical measurements performed in connection with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In order to eliminate the risk of thermal injuries without compromising the signal-to-noise ratio more than what is required for patient safety, the patient cable comprises two successive cable elements having different resistance characteristics. The second cable element, which is connected by the first cable element to the patient, has a total resistance increased from a normal high-conductivity resistance value of a patient cable to suppress antenna resonances in the second cable element. The first cable element, which is connected to the electrodes on the skin of the patient, has a total resistance substantially greater than that of the second cable element to prevent electromagnetically induced currents from flowing to the patient and to prevent excessive heating of the cable by electromagnetic induction.

Patient cable for medical measurements

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for suppressing interference in an electric signal, particularly for suppressing interference in an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal in connection with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In order to improve the accuracy of the suppression, the electric signal is first sampled at a high sampling frequency, whereby a first sequence of samples is obtained. Some of the samples in the first sequence of samples are then selected on the basis of predetermined criteria. The first sequence is then downsampled using the selected samples, whereby a second sequence of samples is obtained. The second sequence forms a digital presentation of the electric signal in which the interference is suppressed.

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Helsinki, Finland

Kimmo Henrik Uutela