Monitoring apparatus and method

Abstract

A monitoring system for monitoring a patient using a device, such as all orthosis system is provided. The system includes a monitor that can be incorporated or otherwise coupled to the device. The monitor can have a position sensor, a temperature sensor, and a device type sensor for monitoring the patient's implementation of a protocol. The data obtained from the monitor can be remotely analyzed by a healthcare professional and the protocol can be adjusted accordingly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for monitoring the heart of a patient, the system comprising:
 a monitor configured to be firmly attached to a body part of the patient, the monitor including:
 at least one sensor positioned in the monitor and configured to measure the heart rate of the patient when the monitor is attached to the body part thereof and generate an analog electrical signal representative of the measured heart rate; 
 a data acquisition system comprised of a microprocessor and memory, the data acquisition system electrically coupled to the at least one sensor via an analog electrical connector, the microprocessor configured to convert the analog electrical signal representative of the measured heart rate of the patient to digital heart rate data, and the memory configured to store the digital heart rate data; 
 an electric power source electrically coupled to the data acquisition unit via one or more terminals, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control the electric power source to change the monitor from at least one of a powered non-sleep state and a low power sleep state; 
 a real time clock configured to provide time, wherein the microprocessor is configured to record, in the memory, the time provided by the real time clock during generation of the analog electrical signal by the at least one sensor to link the provided time to the digital heart rate data; and 
 a data transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the digital heart rate data and time linked thereto through a radio frequency (RF) link, wherein the transmission occurs at least one of instantaneously and at set intervals; and 
   a portable communication device configured to be communicatively coupled to the monitor through the RF link and the data transmitter, the portable communication device including:
 an input device configured to receive the digital heart rate data and time linked thereto from the monitor through the RF link; and 
 at least one display indicator communicatively coupled to the input device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the monitor includes a device identification sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the portable communication device is configured to transfer patient data through a cellular link. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the portable communication device is at least one of a laptop, a smartphone, a cellular device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a watch. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , the portable communication device further comprising a software application configured to acquire the digital heart rate data from the at least one monitor, store the digital heart rate data, and prepare the digital heart rate data. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the software application is configured to prepare the digital heart rate data to be viewed securely by at least one of the patient and a health care professional. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the software application is configured to display the digital heart rate data on the at least one display indicator in at least one of a grid or graph format. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the software application is configured to execute on the at least one portable communication device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the data transmitter is further configured to wirelessly transmit the digital heart rate data and time linked thereto through the RF link to a data storage unit where the digital heart rate data and time linked thereto is accessible to at least one user selected from a physician, an extended care practitioner, a nurse practitioner, a nurse, an insurance carrier, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . A system for monitoring the heart of a patient, the system comprising:
 a monitor configured to be firmly attached to a body part of the patient during a first mode of operation of the monitor and detached from the body part of the patient during a second mode of operation of the monitor, the monitor including:
 at least one sensor positioned in the monitor and configured to measure a heart parameter of the patient when the monitor is attached to the body part thereof during the first mode of operation of the monitor and generate an analog electrical signal representative of the measured heart parameter; 
 a data acquisition system comprised of a microprocessor and memory, the data acquisition system configured to be electrically coupled to the at least one sensor via an analog electrical connector when the monitor is attached to the body part of the patient during the first mode of operation of the monitor, the microprocessor configured to convert the analog electrical signal representative of the measured heart parameter to digital heart parameter data during the first mode of operation of the monitor, and the memory configured to store the digital heart parameter data during the first mode of operation of the monitor; 
 an electric power source electrically coupled to the data acquisition unit via one or more terminals when the monitor is attached to the body part of the patient during the first mode of operation of the monitor, wherein the microprocessor is configured to control the electric power source to change the monitor from at least one of a powered non-sleep state and a low power sleep state during the first mode of operation of the monitor; 
 a real time clock configured to provide time, wherein the microprocessor is configured to record, in the memory, the time provided by the real time clock during generation of the analog electrical signal by the at least one sensor to link the provided time to the digital heart parameter data; and 
 a data communication port, wherein the data acquisition system is configured to be communicatively coupled to a computer via the data communication port when the monitor is detached from the body part of the patient during the second mode of operation of the monitor, and 
   wherein the monitor is configured to transfer the digital heart parameter data from the memory to the computer through the data communication port during the second mode of operation of the monitor.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the monitor includes a device identification sensor. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the monitor is configured to transfer the digital heart parameter data to the computer through a data transfer cable. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the computer is configured to execute a software application, the executing software application configured to acquire the digital heart parameter data from the at least one monitor, store the digital heart parameter data, and prepare the digital heart parameter data. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the software application is configured to prepare the digital heart parameter data to be viewed securely by at least one of the patient and a health care professional. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the software application is configured to display the digital heart parameter data in at least one of a grid or graph format. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the digital heart parameter data is available on the computer to at least one user selected from a physician, an extended care practitioner, a nurse practitioner, a nurse, an insurance carrier, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , the monitor further comprising a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the digital heart parameter data through a radiofrequency link, and wherein the transmission occurs at least one of instantaneously and at set intervals. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the computer is a portable communication device configured to be communicatively coupled to the monitor, wherein the portable communication device includes:
 an input device configured to receive the digital heart rate data from the at least one monitor through a radiofrequency link; and   at least one display indicator coupled to the input device,   wherein the portable communication device is configured to transfer the digital heart rate data through a cellular link.   
     
     
         19 . A method of monitoring the heart of a patient, the method comprising:
 measuring, via at least one sensor comprising a monitor, a heart rate of the patient, wherein the at least one sensor is positioned in the monitor, and wherein the monitor is firmly attached to a body part of the patient;   acquiring, via a data acquisition system comprising the monitor, patient data from the at least one sensor representative of the measured heart rate;   storing the acquired patient data in a memory comprising the data acquisition system;   controlling, via a microprocessor comprising the data acquisition system, power output of an electric power source to change the monitor from at least one of a powered non-sleep state and a low powered sleep state;   providing, by a real time clock comprising the monitor, a time;   linking the time to the patient data;   wirelessly transmitting the patient data through a radiofrequency link, wherein the transmission occurs at least one of instantaneously and at set intervals;   receiving, by an input device of a portable communication device via the radiofrequency link, the patient data from the at least one monitor; and   displaying, by at least one display indicator coupled to the input device, the patient data for a period of time based on the time linked thereto.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising providing a device identifier of the monitor to the portable communication device via the radiofrequency link. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising transmitting, by the portable communication device via a cellular link, the patient data. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the portable communication device is at least one of a laptop, a smartphone, a cellular device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a watch. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 acquiring, by at least one software application executing on the portable communication device, the patient data from the at least one monitor;   storing, by the at least one software application executing on the portable communication device, the patient data; and   preparing, by the at least one software application executing on the portable communication device, the patient data.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising preparing, by the at least one software application executing on the portable communication device, the patient data to be viewed securely by at least one of the patient and a health care professional. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising displaying, by the at least one software application executing on the portable communication device, the patient data in at least one of a grid or graph format. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one sensor is an analog to digital converter. 
     
     
         27 . A method of monitoring the heart of a patient, the method comprising:
 measuring, via at least one sensor comprising a monitor during a first mode of operation of the monitor, a heart parameter of the patient, wherein the at least one sensor is positioned in the monitor, and wherein the monitor is firmly attached to a body part of the patient;   acquiring, by a data acquisition system comprising the monitor during the first mode of operation of the monitor, patient data from the at least one sensor representative of the measured heart parameter;   storing, during the first mode of operation of the monitor, the acquired patient data in a memory comprising the data acquisition system;   controlling, by a microprocessor comprising the data acquisition system during the first mode of operation of the monitor, power output of an electric power source to change the monitor from at least one of a powered non-sleep state and a low powered sleep state;   providing, by a real time clock comprising the monitor during the first mode of operation of the monitor, a time; and   linking, during the first mode of operation of the monitor, the time to the patient data.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising transmitting, by the monitor during the second mode of operation of the monitor, the patient data from the monitor to the computer through a data transfer cable. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 acquiring, by at least one software application executing on the computer, the patient data from the at least one monitor;   storing, by the at least one software application executing on the computer, the patient data; and   preparing, by the at least one software application executing on the computer, the patient data to be viewed securely by at least one of the patient and a health care professional; and   displaying, by the at least one software application executing on the computer, the patient data in at least one of a grid or graph format.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising wirelessly transmitting, by the monitor during a second mode of operation of the monitor, the patient data through a radiofrequency link to a computer, wherein the transmission occurs at least one of instantaneously and at set intervals, and wherein the patient data is available on the computer to at least one user selected from a physician, an extended care practitioner, a nurse practitioner, a nurse, an insurance carrier, and combinations thereof.