Personal health data collection

Abstract

This disclosure provides a personal hand-held monitor (PHHM) which comprises a signal acquisition device for acquiring signals which can be used to derive a measurement of a subject's blood pressure (BP), the signal acquisition device being integrated with a personal hand-held computing device (PHHCD). The signal acquisition device comprises a blood flow occlusion means adapted to be pressed against one side only of a body part or to have one side only of a body part pressed against it, a means for measuring the pressure applied by or to the body part, and a means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part in contact with the blood flow occlusion means. The blood flow occlusion means comprises at least part of an external surface of the PHHM and wherein the pressure is sensed by means of a flexible and essentially incompressible gel in which is immersed a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor is adapted to provide electrical signals to the processor of the PHHCD.

1 . A personal hand-held monitor (PHHM) which comprises a signal acquisition device for acquiring signals which can be used to derive a measurement of a subject's blood pressure (BP), the signal acquisition device being integrated with a personal hand-held computing device (PHHCD), wherein the signal acquisition device comprises a blood flow occlusion means adapted to be pressed against one side only of a body part or to have one side only of a body part pressed against it, a means for measuring the pressure applied by or to the body part, and a means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part in contact with the blood flow occlusion means, wherein the blood flow occlusion means comprises at least part of an external surface of the PHHM wherein the pressure is sensed by means of a flexible and essentially incompressible gel in which is immersed a pressure sensor which is adapted to provide electrical signals to the processor of the PHHCD. 
     
     
         2 . The PHHM of  claim 1 , wherein the essentially incompressible gel is a fluid covered by a flexible membrane forming some or all of the external surface. 
     
     
         3 . A PHHM adapted to provide a BP measurement comprising:
 a housing, the housing including a blood flow occlusion means in the form of an open surface against which, in use, a subject's body part can be pressed or which, in use, can be pressed against a subject's body part so that pressure can be applied to the subject's body part to occlude an artery in the body part;   a pressure sensor associated with the open surface for providing an electrical signal related to the pressure exerted by the open surface on the body part or vice versa; and   processing means for controlling the device and for receiving and analysing the electrical signals from the pressure measuring means to provide a measurement of the subject's systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP).   
     
     
         4 . A PHHM comprising a signal acquisition device for acquiring signals which can be used to derive a measurement of a parameter related to the health of the user, the signal acquisition device being integrated with a PHHCD, wherein the parameter is BP and the signal acquisition device comprises a blood flow occlusion means adapted to be pressed against one side only of a body part or to have one side only of a body part pressed against it, a means for measuring the pressure applied by or to the body part, and a means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part in contact with the blood flow occlusion means, wherein the blood flow occlusion means comprises a button which is at least a part of an external surface of the PHHM which is saddle-shaped. 
     
     
         5 . The PHHM of  claim 4 , where the button comprises a part of the saddle-shaped surface that is able to move independently of the remainder of the surface. 
     
     
         6 . The PHHM of  claim 5 , wherein the button is co-planar with the remainder of the surface. 
     
     
         7 . The PHHM of  claim 6 , wherein the button is covered by a thin continuous membrane to exclude contaminants. 
     
     
         8 . The PHHM of  claim 4 , wherein the button comprises the whole of the saddle-shaped surface. 
     
     
         9 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 4  to  8 , wherein the saddle-shaped external surface is continuous and sealed. 
     
     
         10 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 4  to  9 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a force-responsive device connected to the button. 
     
     
         11 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 4  to  10 , wherein the distance the button moves when subject to interaction with a body part, such as a finger, is no more than approximately 0.01 mm. 
     
     
         12 . A PHHM adapted to provide a BP measurement comprising:
 a housing, the housing including a blood flow occlusion means in the form of an open surface against which, in use, a subject's body part can be pressed or which, in use, can be pressed against a subject's body part so that pressure can be applied to the subject's body part to occlude an artery in the body part;   a pressure sensor located in the open surface for providing an electrical signal related to the pressure exerted by the open surface on the body part or vice versa;   an optical sensor associated with the open surface for providing an electrical signal related to the luminal area of the artery which, in use, is occluded by the open surface; and   processing means for controlling the device and for receiving and analysing the electrical signals from the pressure sensor and the optical sensor to provide a measurement of the subject's SBP and/or DBP.   
     
     
         13 . The PHHM of  claim 1 ,  claim 3  or  claim 12 , wherein the blood flow occlusion means is saddle-shaped. 
     
     
         14 . The PHHM of any one of  claim 3  to  13 , wherein the pressure sensor comprises a sealed vessel containing an essentially incompressible fluid in which is immersed a pressure sensing device which is adapted to provide electrical signals to the processing means or the processor of the PHHCD. 
     
     
         15 . The PHHM of any one of  claim 1  to  14 , which is arranged to act as a tonometer. 
     
     
         16 . The PHHM of  claim 15 , which is adapted to calibrate the tonometer by use of occlusion measurements obtained from the pressure sensor when used to occlude an artery. 
     
     
         17 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1 ,  4  and  12  or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part comprises a blood photosensor having one or more photo-emitters for transmitting light to a body part of a user and one or more photo-detectors for detecting light transmitted through or scattered by the body part, wherein the or each photo-emitter and/or the or each photo-detector is/are provided with one or more lenses to narrow the field of view. 
     
     
         18 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1 ,  4  and  12  or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part comprises a blood photosensor having one or more photo-emitters for transmitting light to a body part of a user and one or more photo-detectors for detecting light transmitted through or scattered by the body part, wherein there are either two photo-emitters or two photo-detectors arranged such that light emitted in two different directions can be detected, and the processing means of the processor of the PHHCD is adapted to process the signals received from each direction to locate a blood vessel in the user's body. 
     
     
         19 . The PHHM of  claim 18 , which is adapted to provide a visible or audible signal to the user to move a body part to optimise the position of the photo-sensor with respect to the blood vessel. 
     
     
         20 . The PHHM of  claim 18  or  claim 19 , which is adapted to compensate the signals from the photo-detector(s) when the blood vessel is not optimally positioned with respect to the photo-sensor. 
     
     
         21 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 17  to  20 , wherein the optical axes of the photo-emitter(s) and photo-detector(s) are aligned: to maximise the sensitivity of the signal produced by the photo-detectors to absorption of the emitted light by blood; and/or to minimise the sensitivity of the signal produced by the photo-detectors to the location of the blood vessel; and/or to optimise the performance of the personal hand-held monitor. 
     
     
         22 . The PHHM of  claim 1  or  claim 4  or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the PHHM also serves as the on/off switch or some other user-operated control for the PHHCD. 
     
     
         23 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1 ,  4  and  12  or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the processing means or the processor of the PHHCD is adapted to correlate the signals received from the pressure sensor with the signals received from the means for detecting the flow of blood or the optical sensor so that the pressure exerted between the occlusion means and the body part is correlated with the luminal area of the artery and to fit the correlated values to a curve to provide measurements of the subject's SBP and/or DBP. 
     
     
         24 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  23 , which includes an electrical sensor for providing an electrical signal related to the time at which an electrical signal which initiates a heartbeat in the subject occurs. 
     
     
         25 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  24 , which is of such a size and weight that it can readily be manipulated by a subject using one hand to hold the device against a part of the subject's body to make a measurement or by a medical practitioner holding the device against the subject. 
     
     
         26 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  25 , wherein the occlusion means is sized so that it can interact with a subject's finger. 
     
     
         27 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  26 , wherein the occlusion means is a concave area in one face of the PHHM. 
     
     
         28 . The PHHM of  claim 27 , wherein the concave area is part-circular and has a width of from 5 to 10 mm and a depth at its deepest of from 2 to 4 mm. 
     
     
         29 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  28 , which includes a plurality of pressure-responsive or force-responsive devices. 
     
     
         30 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  30 , wherein the processing means or the processor of the PHHCD is adapted to provide audible or visual instructions, advantageously via a display means, if present, to the user to enable the user to use the device optimally. 
     
     
         31 . The PHHM of  claim 30 , wherein the processing means or the processor of the PHHCD is adapted so that the instructions are interactive and based on signals received from the sensor(s) which can be used to determine whether the device is in the best position or being used correctly. 
     
     
         32 . A PHHM according to  claim 1  or  claim 4  or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the PHHCD is a computer pointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse, or a remote controller for a television or other electronic equipment. 
     
     
         33 . The PHHM of  claim 32 , wherein the PHHM communicates with the computer with which the pointing device is being used or another PHHCD by means of a cable or by means of a wireless connection. 
     
     
         34 . A PHHM which comprises a signal acquisition device for acquiring signals which can be used to derive a measurement of a subject's BP, the signal acquisition device being integrated with a PHHCD, wherein the signal acquisition device comprises a blood flow occlusion means adapted to be pressed against one side only of a body part or to have one side only of a body part pressed against it, a means for measuring the pressure applied by or to the body part, a means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part in contact with the blood flow occlusion means, wherein the blood flow occlusion means and its associated electronic components are included in a weight for producing a force between the blood flow occlusion means and the body part by acceleration of the weight. 
     
     
         35 . The PHHM of  claim 34 , wherein the blood flow occlusion means is adapted to communicate with the PHHCD by means of a cable or wirelessly. 
     
     
         36 . The PHHM of  claim 34  or  claim 35 , wherein the weight is adapted to be fitted such that acceleration arises from natural movements of the body part. 
     
     
         37 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 34  to  36 , wherein the weight is adapted to be fitted such that acceleration arises from deliberate actions of the subject in response to visual or audible instructions from the PHHCD with which the PHHM communicates. 
     
     
         38 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  39 , which is adapted to estimate the height of the PHHM with respect to a fixed point on the subject's body. 
     
     
         39 . The PHHM of  claim 38 , wherein the fixed point is the subject's eyes and the PHHM is adapted to analyse an image of the subject's face obtained from a camera in a PHHCD to detect the eyes and a measure of the tilt angle of the PHHCD obtained from tilt sensors incorporated within the PHHCD. 
     
     
         40 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  39 , wherein the PHHM is used to provide a binary or continuously variable means for the subject to enter data to the PHHCD in order to control some function of the PHHCD other than the measurements that are made by the PHHM. 
     
     
         41 . A PHHM comprising a signal acquisition device for acquiring signals which can be used to derive measurements of one or more parameters related to the health of the user, wherein the signal acquisition device comprises a blood flow occlusion means adapted to be pressed against one side only of a body part or to have one side only of a body part pressed against it, a means for measuring the pressure applied by or to the body part, and a means for detecting the luminal area of an artery within the body part in contact with the blood flow occlusion means and wherein the PHHM is of such a size and weight that it can readily be manipulated by a subject using one hand to hold the device against a part of the subject's body to make a measurement or by a medical practitioner holding the device against the subject. 
     
     
         42 . The PHHM of  claim 41 , which is adapted to be connected to a dedicated computing module. 
     
     
         43 . The PHHM of  claim 41 , which is integrated with a PHHCD. 
     
     
         44 . The PHHM of  claim 43 , wherein the PHHCD is a games controller, a computer pointing device (usually referred to as a mouse) or remote controller for a television or other electronic equipment. 
     
     
         45 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 41  to  44 , wherein the blood flow occlusion means comprises an open surface which is at least a part of an external surface of the device and which is saddle-shaped with a central flat region and is sized so that it can interact with a subject's finger. 
     
     
         46 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 41  to  44 , wherein the body part is the wrist and the open surface is domed with a central flat region. 
     
     
         47 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 41  to  46 , which includes a means for locating the artery and the PHHM is adapted to process the signals from the pressure sensing means to locate the artery and/or to confirm the correct location of the artery. 
     
     
         48 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 41  to  47 , wherein the PHHM is adapted to estimate the luminal area by the oscillometric method. 
     
     
         49 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 41  to  48 , which is arranged to act as a tonometer. 
     
     
         50 . The PHHM of  claim 49 , wherein the PHHM is adapted to calibrate the tonometer by use of occlusion measurements obtained from the pressure sensor when used to occlude an artery. 
     
     
         51 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1  to  50 , which includes a body temperature sensor which is a bolometer. 
     
     
         52 . The PHHM of  claim 51 , wherein the temperature of the cold junction of the bolometer is measured using the same sensor as is used to measure the temperature of the pressure sensing means and/or an integrated circuit within the PHHM. 
     
     
         53 . The PHHM of  claim 51  or  claim 52 , wherein the field of view of the bolometer is displayed on a screen of a PHHCD superimposed on an image derived from a camera of the PHHCD. 
     
     
         54 . The PHHM of any of  claims 1 ,  4 ,  34 ,  39 ,  43  and  53  or any claim dependent thereon, which is adapted to use other sensors incorporated within the PHHCD to detect if the PHHCD has been agitated in the period before the measurement and hence to warn the user of possible errors in blood pressure measurement or to prevent such measurements until the PHHCD has been essentially at rest for sufficient time. 
     
     
         55 . The PHHM of any one of  claim 1  to  claim 54 , which is adapted to provide audible or visual instructions requesting the user to adopt two or more phases of operation, the first of which is used to measure the approximate values of SBP and DBP and/or to check that the user's body part is correctly located and/or at a suitable temperature, the second of which is used to make measurements of the said SBP and DBP and the subsequent phases (if any) are used to refine those measurements. 
     
     
         56 . The PHHM of  claim 55 , wherein the processing means is adapted so that the instructions are interactive and based on signals received from the sensor(s) which can be used to determine whether the device is in the best position or being used correctly. 
     
     
         57 . The PHHM of any of  claims 1  to  56 , wherein the PHHM has a unique identifier that may be read by the associated processing means. 
     
     
         58 . The PHHM of  claim 57 , wherein the sensors are calibrated on manufacture and the calibration data for each device associated with its unique identifier so that they may be downloaded to the device via the interne. 
     
     
         59 . A PHHM comprising an optical sensor and optionally an electrical sensor, which PHHM is adapted to make an estimate of the rate and depth of respiration by analysing some or all of: the interval between heart beats independently from each of the signals of the optical means and from the signal from an electrical sensor (if fitted), the variations of the mean amplitude and peak to peak amplitude of the signal from the optical means, the amplitude of the signal from the electrical sensor (if fitted) and the variations of the phase difference between the signal from the optical means and the signal from the electrical sensor (if fitted), optionally making a quality assessment of each of those signals and combining them, optionally with a weighting based on the quality assessments. 
     
     
         60 . A module comprising a housing, an occlusion means, a pressure sensor, optionally an optical sensor, optionally at least one of the electrodes of an electrical sensor and connections for electrically connecting those components to the remainder of a PHHM according to any one of  claims 1  to  59  to form a connected device. 
     
     
         61 . A module comprising a housing, an occlusion means, a pressure sensor, optionally an optical sensor, optionally at least one of the electrodes of an electrical sensor and connections for mechanically and electrically connecting those components to the remainder of a PHHM according to any one of  claims 1  to  59  to form an integrated device. 
     
     
         62 . The PHHM of any one of  claims 1 ,  4 ,  12 ,  34  and  41  or any claim dependent thereon, wherein the means for detecting the flow of blood through the body part or the luminal area of an artery comprises a blood photosensor having one or more photo-emitters for transmitting light to a body part of a user, wherein the light is green.