Device and method for fast acquisition of vital signs

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a self-contained hand-held device that obtains vital signs accurately, simultaneously, comfortably, and quickly. Unlike currently used devices that require trained personnel and the attachment of sensors to the different parts of the patient's body, this device can obtain all vital signs+ECG and pulse-ox by being held by the patient for approximately half a minute. The device contains sensors on the hand-held unit as well as on the individual/disposable mouthpiece. The method of the present invention includes simultaneously acquiring the following measurements: temperature, pulse rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and pulse-ox waveform and blood oxygen level.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device for measuring vital signs of a user comprising:
 a device body configured to be held by the user's left hand;   one or more sensors for determining vital signs positioned and configured to be contacted by the user's left thumb, wherein the sensors include an ECG+ contact, a RED LED, an IR LED, and an optodetector; and   a mouthpiece that is coupled to the device body, wherein the mouthpiece includes an ECG− contact, an ECGref contact, an upper lip optodetector, and an IR LED.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a connector for coupling the mouthpiece to the device body, wherein the connector is insulated from saliva, and attached the mouthpiece to the device body both electrically and physically. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises at least one additional sensor and the device is further configured to simultaneously obtain two or more vital signs selected from a group consisting of breathing rate, blood pressure, temperature, electrocardiogram, pulse rate, blood oxygen levels, blood sugar levels, respiration biochemical analysis, saliva biochemical analysis, and metabolic rate. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one additional sensor comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a microphone and thermocouple. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the microphone is positioned on the device body. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a computing device with a non-transitory computer readable medium programmed to store and transmit data related to the vital signs. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the computing device is configured to be networked to a smartphone for transmitting the data to a server for processing. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the data transmitted to the server is accessible to a computer application for use with a user interface. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a user display. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the user display is configured to show at least one selected from a group consisting of instructions, data acquisition time required, results, and testing being completed. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the user display is incorporated into the device body. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the user display is positioned on a computing device remote from the device body configured to transmit information to and receive information from the device for measuring vital signs. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 4 , further comprising a pair of microphones having different sensitivities. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 4 , further comprising the microphone being configured with variable sensitivity. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the microphone further comprises a high-dynamic range microphone. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , further comprising a high-dynamic range analog to digital converter. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium is encoded with one or more computer programs for obtaining a measurement of blood pressure, the one or more computer programs including:
 an ECG detecting module in communication with the ECG− contact, the ECG+ contact, and the ECGref contact, the ECG detecting module configured to monitor an ECG waveform;   an IR LED detecting module in communication with the RED LED, the IR LED, and the optodetector of the device body and the IR LED and the upper lip optodetector of the mouthpiece, the IR LED detecting module configured to monitor a lip blood volume, a lip blood flow rate, a thumb blood volume, and a thumb blood flow rate; and   a blood pressure calculation module configured to monitor a lip blood flow duration and a thumb blood flow duration and to compare the lip blood flow duration and the lip blood flow rate to the thumb blood flow duration and the thumb blood flow rate.   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium is encoded with one or more computer programs for obtaining a measurement of lung function, the one or more computer programs including:
 a microphone signal processing module in communication with a microphone, the microphone signal processing module configured to:
 extract by low-pass filtering a rectified microphone signal from a patient inhalation or exhalation; 
 identify an amplitude of the microphone signal; 
 identify a flow rate from the amplitude of the microphone signal; and 
 integrate the flow rate with respect to time to obtain a volume inhaled or exhaled. 
   
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the mouthpiece includes an ID resistor including a random value. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the user interface includes a progress indicator.