Chair and ancillary apparatus with medical diagnostic features in a remote health monitoring system

Abstract

A medical examination chair includes a group of sensors including electrodes in finger-tip sensors, various other types of sensors incorporated in straps for the patient in the chair and load cells supporting the chair, all of which provide data which is partially processed in the electronics mounted in the chair and then transmitted to a central station for patient diagnosis.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A medical examination diagnostic device comprising: 
 a generally horizontal seat;    at least four support members for the seat, said seat having a front edge and a back edge, two of said support members generally aligned with the back edge and two of said support members generally aligned with the front edge;    an independent load sensor device located under each of said support members, each of said load sensors comprising an element for detecting the load independently on each of the load sensors to provide a set of four independent data signals for medical diagnosis;    means for collecting and comparing the four signals thereby providing at least one of the following: 
 a diagnostic ecg;  
 a diagnostic respiration rate;  
 neurological disorders;  
 neuromuscular pathology;  
 stroke;  
 balance.  
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  further including one or more of the following supplemental sensor elements: 
 blood pressure sensor;  
 pulse oximetry sensor;  
 sound sensor;  
 skin resistance sensor;  
 manual grip sensor;  
 fluid flow rate sensor;  
 glucometer.  
 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1  further including a processor element for providing a base reference signal for each of said load sensors; a differential amplifier to amplify the changes in signal for each of said load sensors; a high task filter to remove the DC component of each of said signals from said amplifier and a low pass filter to remove the AC component of each of said signals.  
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  further including a sensor element to sense the voltage associated with each of said load sensors independently and a bandpass filter to filter out select signals.  
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4  further including a signal processor for processing the voltage signals from the independent load sensors to measure the differential signal between at least two pairs of load sensors.  
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  further including a hand grip monitoring device including: 
 a blotter;  
 a tube connected to the bladder;  
 a source of pressurized fluid for the bladder connected through the tube;  
 a check valve for monitoring the bladder and tube filled with a volume of fluid;  
 a pressure sensor connected to the bladder for measuring the fluid pressure in the bladder and providing a first signal representative of the absolute pressure in the bladder and a second signal representative of the change in pressure over time in the bladder; and  
 a recorder for recording the first signal over a measured increment of time and for recording the second signal over said measured increment of time said first signal being integrated and recorded, said second signal being recorded to provide frequency and amplitude over the said increment of time.  
 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  further including means for historical recording of like signals to provide a record and a comparator for comparing the record with other recordings.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7  wherein the other recordings are derived from the same patient.  
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8  wherein the recordings are derived at least in part from a nonpatient source.  
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9  further including an alarm for denoting the departure from a source of other recording.  
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1  in combination with a central station, said device maintained at a remote station, said stations being linked by two-way communications medium.  
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1  in combination with multiple remote station devices and a single station and further including a control system for monitoring each device.  
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1  wherein there is provided a control system for monitoring a plurality of remote stations and further including a switch for connecting a central station to each remote stations individually and sequentially.