Adherent device for respiratory monitoring

Abstract

A respiratory monitoring system is provided. A measuring system is provided that includes, (i) an adherent device configured to be coupled to a patient, the adherent device including a plurality of sensors that monitor respiratory status, at least one of the sensors configured to monitor the patient's respiration, and (ii) a wireless communication device coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to transfer patient data directly or indirectly from the plurality of sensors to a remote monitoring system. A remote monitoring system is coupled to the wireless communication device.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A respiratory monitoring system for monitoring a patient, comprising:
 an adherent device comprising:
 an adhesive layer to hold the adherent device in contact with the skin of the patient; 
 four electrodes that couple to the skin of the patient when the adherent device is adhered to the skin of the patient; 
 a plurality of sensors configured to monitor physiological parameters of the patient to determine respiratory status, wherein one of the sensors measures a localized tissue impedance of the patient using the four electrodes; and 
 electronic circuitry coupled to the plurality of sensors, the electronic circuitry comprising a wireless communication device; and 
   a remote monitoring system coupled to the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device configured to transfer patient data from the plurality of sensors to the remote monitoring system.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , further wherein the four electrodes comprise current delivery electrodes and sensing electrodes, and wherein the system supplies current through the current delivery electrodes and monitors the respiration of the patient at least in part using signals from the sensing electrodes. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a combination of sensors and the combination of sensors comprises at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a heart rate sensor and a pulse oximeter sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a processor coupled to the plurality of sensors and to the wireless communication device, the processor configured to receive data from the plurality of sensors and process the patient data to generate processed patient data.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is located at the remote monitoring system. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor processes the patient data to detect an apnea of the patient. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the adherent device is configured to monitor the patient's respiration continuously. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the adherent device is configured to monitor a pulmonary disorder comprising at least one of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or sleep disordered breathing. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a posture sensor for orthopnea monitoring. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the system is configured to monitor the patient for a patient sleep study. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a patient movement sensor. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the adherent device comprises a plurality of patches, wherein at least a first patch of the plurality is configured for placement a thorax of the patient, and at least a second patch of the plurality is configured for placement at another patient site away from the thorax to measure patient movement. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a processor configured to determine the respiratory status in response to a weighted combination of change in sensor outputs. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a processor configured to:
 detect when a first rate of change of at least two sensor outputs measured over a first period of time is greater than a second rate of change in the sensor outputs measured over a second period of time that is longer than the first period of time; and   upon such detection, determine the respiratory status of the patient.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the first period of time comprises no more than about 10 seconds and the second period of time comprises at least about one hour. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a processor configured to determine a physiological event of the patient in response to a variance from baseline values of sensor outputs. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a flexible, breathable cover disposed over the electronic circuitry.