Implantable vital sign sensor

Abstract

An implantable vital sign sensor including a housing including a first portion, the first portion defining a first open end, a second open end opposite the first end, and a lumen there through, the first portion being sized to be implanted substantially entirely within the blood vessel wall of the patient. A sensor module configured to measure a blood vessel blood pressure waveform is included, the sensor module having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion being insertable within the lumen and the proximal portion extending outward from the first open end.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for monitoring a health status of an ambulatory patient in real-time using an application in communication with a processor comprising:
 receiving a plurality of baseline vital signs for an ambulatory patient;   recording the plurality of baseline vital signs in a memory database of an external controller, the external controller communicatively coupled to a processor in communication with an application;   receiving a set of real-time measurement data associated with a plurality of vital signs of the ambulatory patient in real-time, the set of real-time measurement data determined by an implantable vital sign measurement device implanted within at least a portion of a blood vessel wall of the ambulatory patient;   analyzing the set of real-time measurement data using the application operably configured to compare and determine a significant difference between the plurality of baseline vital signs and the set of real-time measurement data in real-time; and   sending an alert to at least one of the group consisting of the external controller and a remote processor in real-time when the significant difference between the plurality of baseline vital signs and the set of real-time measurement data is determined by the application and the significant difference is indicative of a risk of a medical condition.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a blood pressure waveform measurement measured with the implantable vital sign measurement device, and comparing the blood pressure waveform measurement to the plurality of baseline vital signs and sending the alert to the at least one of the group consisting of the external controller and a remote processor in real-time, the alert indicative of at least one of the group consisting of a diagnosis of hypertension, a diagnosis of hypotension, and a diagnosis of cardiovascular instability. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising detecting a decrease in a threshold arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation level using at least one pulse oximeter sensor of the implantable vital sign measurement device in communication with the application. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the implantable vital sign measurement device includes a plurality of implanted sensor modules in communication with the application, the plurality of implanted sensor modules including at least one of the group consisting of a plurality of EKG electrodes, a microphone, a GPS sensor, an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, and a body position sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , further comprising calibrating the plurality of implanted sensor modules with the application. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising calibrating a sensor module of the implantable vital sign measurement device using the application and a reference upper arm blood pressure cuff disposed on an upper arm of the ambulatory patient. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising sending the alert to the at least one of the external controller and the remote processor in real-time when the significant difference detected by the application includes a significant difference in a systolic, a diastolic, and a mean blood pressure when compared to the plurality of baseline vital signs, the alert indicative of one of the group consisting of a diagnosis of hypertension, a diagnosis of hypertension, and a diagnosis of cardiovascular instability. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising sending the alert to the at least one of the external controller and the remote processor in real-time when a medical diagnostic algorithm of the application determines a difference between the plurality of baseline vital signs and the set of real-time measurement data in real-time. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a second set of real-time measurement data including at least one of the group consisting of a plurality of blood pressure waveforms and a plurality of cardiac sounds measured by a plurality of implanted sensor modules implanted within a body of the ambulatory patient and coupled to the implantable vital sign measurement device;   analyzing the second set of real-time measurement data using the application operably configured to compare and determine a second difference between the plurality of baseline vital signs and the second set of real-time data in real-time; and   sending a second alert to the at least one of the group consisting of the external controller and the remote processor in real-time.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising sending the alert to the at least one of the group consisting of the external controller and the remote processor in real-time when the difference between the plurality of baseline vital signs and the set of real-time data corresponds to one of a diagnosis of a myocardial infarction, a diagnosis of ischemia, a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, and a diagnosis of heart failure. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising sending the alert to the ambulatory patient in real-time when the application detects a decrease in a threshold arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation level measured by at least one hemoglobin oxygen saturation sensor of the implantable vital sign measurement device.