PC-based physiologic monitor and system for resolving apnea episodes during sedation

Abstract

An anesthesia delivery and monitoring system for use during outpatient surgery performed under sedation level anesthesia that includes a ventilatory system, a system for supplying sedation anesthesia, a respiratory sensor adapted to detect a respiration parameter of such a patient, and a system for supplying a timed back-up breath to such a patient through the ventilatory system. The timed back-up breaths are supplied in response to the respiration parameter falling outside a preset threshold and at a positive pressure exceeding a base operating pressure of the respiratory system. The system for supplying sedation anesthesia is an intravenous supply system for anesthesia, a ventilatory system coupled to the patient, a needle and syringe, or any combination thereof. The respiratory system includes a PC-based physiologic monitor with user modified feedback control signal.

1 . A personal computer based physiologic monitor system comprising: 
 a personal computer having a display and an input/output port for attachment to an external device;    a physiologic sensor coupled to the personal computer through the input/output port, wherein a modified output of the physiologic sensor is graphically displayed on the display; and    a controller for the physiologic sensor, wherein the controller is adapted to modify the output of the physiologic sensor, and wherein at least a portion of the controller is disposed in the personal computer and provides a feedback control signal for modifying the output of the physiologic sensor.    
   
   
       2 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the controller disposed in the personal computer forms a closed loop feedback control that drives at least one of a drive current, a drive voltage, a signal gain, a high pass filter point cutoff, a band pass filter range, or a low pass filter point cutoff for modifying the output of the physiologic sensor.  
   
   
       3 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 2 , wherein the portion of the controller disposed in the personal computer includes a user input device to allow a user to set and modify the feedback control signal for controlling the modification of the output of each physiologic sensor.  
   
   
       4 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 1 , wherein the physiologic sensor is selected from the group consisting of a blood pressure sensor, a blood flow sensor, a blood glucose sensor, a blood cholesterol sensor, a heart sound sensor, an EMG sensor, an EEG sensor, an EKG sensor, an EOG sensor, a pulse sensor, an oxygenation sensor, a blood perfusion sensor, a respiration flow sensor, a respiration rate sensor, a respiration pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a blood gas sensor, a motion sensor, a strain gauge, a body position sensor, a limb motion sensor, and any combinations thereof.  
   
   
       5 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 1 , wherein the personal computer is a laptop or a notebook computer.  
   
   
       6 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of physiologic sensors are coupled to the personal computer.  
   
   
       7 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 6 , wherein the personal computer includes a plurality of input/output ports, and wherein each physiologic sensor is coupled to the personal computer through a distinct one of the plurality of input/output ports.  
   
   
       8 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 7 , wherein the modified output of each physiologic sensor in the plurality of physiologic sensors is simultaneously displayed in a viewable format on the display.  
   
   
       9 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 6 , wherein the portion of the controller disposed in the personal computer is adapted to identify each physiologic sensor that is coupled to the personal computer and to size a respective display area for each modified output, whereby a size of a display area for a given modified output associated with a sensor varies depending upon the specific physiologic sensors coupled to the personal computer.  
   
   
       10 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 1 , wherein the physiologic sensor is adapted to be coupled to a patient, the system further comprising: 
 means for supplying sedation anesthesia to such a patient; and    means for supplying a timed back-up breath to such a patient, wherein the timed back-up breath is supplied in response to a respiration parameter falling outside a preset threshold.    
   
   
       11 . The physiologic monitor system of  claim 10 , wherein the means for supplying sedation anesthesia includes an intravenous supply system, a ventilatory system coupled to an airway of such a patient, or both.  
   
   
       12 . A ventilatory system for use during outpatient surgery performed under sedation level anesthesia comprising: 
 a pressure/flow generating system adapted to be coupled to a patient;    means for supplying sedation anesthesia to such a patient;    a sensor coupled to such a patient and adapted to detect a respiration parameter of such a patient; and    a controller that receives an output from the sensor and controls the pressure/flow generating system so as to provide a timed back-up breath to such a patient based on the output from the sensor, wherein the timed back-up breath is supplied in response to the respiration parameter falling outside a preset threshold, and wherein the timed back-up breath is supplied at a positive pressure exceeding a base operating pressure of the pressure/flow generating system.    
   
   
       13 . The ventilatory system of  claim 12 , wherein the means for supplying sedation anesthesia includes an intravenous supply system for anesthesia to such a patient.  
   
   
       14 . A method of monitoring a subject's physiologic parameters on a personal computer comprising the steps of: 
 attaching a physiologic sensor to the personal computer through an input/output port thereof;    graphically displaying a modified output of the physiologic sensor on the display of the personal computer; and    modifying the output of the physiologic sensor by providing a feedback control signal from the personal computer that controls the modification of the output of the physiologic sensor.    
   
   
       15 . The monitoring method of  claim 14 , wherein the step of modifying the output of the sensor forms a closed loop feedback control adapted to drive at least one of a drive current, a drive voltage, a signal gain, a high pass filter point cutoff, a band pass filter range, or low pass filter point cutoff.  
   
   
       16 . The monitoring method of  claim 15 , further including the step of inputting by the user on the personal computer to set the feedback control signal to control the modification of the output of each physiologic sensor.  
   
   
       17 . The monitoring method of  claim 14 , further including the step of selecting the sensor from the group consisting of a blood pressure sensor, a blood flow sensor, a blood glucose sensor, a blood cholesterol sensor, a heart sound sensor, an EMG sensor, an EEG sensor, an EKG sensors, an EOG sensor, a pulse sensor, an oxygenation sensor, a blood perfusion sensor, a respiration flow sensor, a respiration rate sensor, a respiration pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a blood gas sensor, a motion sensor, a strain gauge, a body position sensor, a limb motion sensor and a combination thereof.  
   
   
       18 . The monitoring method of  claim 14 , further including the step of coupling a plurality of physiologic sensors to the personal computer, wherein each physiologic sensor in the plurality of physiologic sensors is coupled to the personal computer through a distinct one of a plurality of input/output ports of the personal computer.  
   
   
       19 . The monitoring method of  claim 18 , wherein during the graphical displaying step, the modified output of each physiologic sensor in the plurality of physiologic sensors is simultaneously displayed in a viewable format on the display of the personal computer, and wherein the display area of a given modified output of a sensor on the display varies depending upon the specific physiologic sensors coupled to the personal computer.  
   
   
       20 . The monitoring method of  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of 
 supplying sedation anesthesia to a patient; and    supplying a timed back-up breath to such a patient, wherein the timed back-up breath is supplied in response to a respiration parameters falling outside a preset threshold.    
   
   
       21 . The monitoring method of  claim 20 , wherein the step of supplying sedation anesthesia includes delivering an anesthesia intravenously, delivering an anesthesia via an airway of such a patient, or both.  
   
   
       22 . A ventilatory method for a patient comprising the steps of: 
 supplying a flow of gas to an airway of a patient;    coupling a respiratory sensor to such a patient to detect a respiration parameter of such a patient; and    supplying a timed back-up breath to such a patient through the system used for supplying the flow of gas, wherein the timed back-up breath is supplied in response to the detected respiration parameters falling outside a preset threshold, and wherein the timed back-up breath is supplied at a positive pressure exceeding a base operating pressure of the system used for supplying the flow of gas gases.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the step of supplying a flow of gas is only operated during the supply of timed back-up breaths.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , further including the steps of calculating a total volume for each patient breath, and supplying the timed back-up breath responsive to the total calculated volume of at least one breath is outside a preset threshold.