# US 11,026,578 B2 · Alerting for loss of full skin contact of patient electrodes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,026,578 B2 - Document ID: US11026578B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/003,531 - Filed: 2018-06-08 - Published: 2018-10-11 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2011-02-09 - Assignees: West Affum Holdings Corp. - Applicants: West Affum Holdings Corp. - Inventors: Blaine Krusor; Isabelle Banville; Joseph Leo Sullivan; David Peter Finch; Daniel Ralph Piha; Laura Marie Gustavson; Kenneth Frederick Cowan; Richard C. Nova; Carmen Ann Chacon; Gregory T. Kavounas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11026578B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/002: {Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building (A61B5/0017 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/0002: {Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network (endoradiosondes A61B5/07)} - A61B 5/01: Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) - A61B 5/0531: Measuring skin impedance - A61B 5/276: Protection against electrode failure - A61B 5/28: for electrocardiography [ECG] - A61B 5/6843: {Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure} - A61B 5/7405: {using sound} - A61B 5/742: {using visual displays (displays for heart-related electrical signals, e.g. ECG, A61B5/339)} - A61B 5/7455: {characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation} - A61B 5/746: {Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms} - A61N 1/046: {Specially adapted for shock therapy, e.g. defibrillation} - A61N 1/0492: {Patch electrodes (A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence)} - A61N 1/3904: {External heart defibrillators [EHD]} - A61N 1/3925: {Monitoring; Protecting} - A61B 2560/0276: Determining malfunction - A61N 2001/083: {Monitoring integrity of contacts, e.g. by impedance measurement} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract Patient electrodes, patient monitors, defibrillators, wearable defibrillators, software and methods may warn when an electrode stops being fully attached to the patient's skin. A patient electrode includes a pad for attaching to the skin of a patient, a lead coupled to the pad, and a contact detector that can change state, when the pad does not contact fully the skin of the patient. When the detector changes state, an output device may emit an alert, for notifying a rescuer or even the patient. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for a patient electrode having a pad adapted to be attached onto a skin of a patient, a contact detector coupled to the pad and adapted to be in one of a plurality of detector states, and an output device, the method comprising: determining from a current one of the detector states whether the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient, the patient electrode further having an electrode lead coupled to the pad; and providing, by the output device, an alert responsive to determining from the current one of the detector states that the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient, the output device coupled to one of the pad and the electrode lead; wherein a sense signal is generated that encodes the current one of the detector states, wherein the sense signal comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) interrogation wave transmitted to an RIFD tag of the patient electrode, and wherein the output device provides the alert responsive to receiving a version of the sense signal when the version of the sense signal indicates the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, in which the detector states are different values of an electrical property of the contact detector. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, in which the contact detector comprises a capacitive sensor, the plurality of detector states indicate a detected capacitance from a mass of the patient, and determining from the current one of the detector states that the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient is performed responsive to the detected capacitance changing beyond a threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: querying the contact detector about the current detector state, and in which the determining is performed responsive to the querying. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: querying the contact detector about the current detector state, and the sense signal is generated responsive to the querying. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, in which the patient electrode further has a sense lead, and the sense signal is transferred by the sense lead. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, in which the sense signal is wireless. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, in which the patient electrode further comprises the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag coupled to the contact detector, the RFID tag is adapted to be interrogated by an RFID reader, and the RFID tag backscatters the sense signal responsive to being interrogated. ### Claim 9 A method for a combination of a patient electrode and an output device, the patient electrode having a pad adapted to be attached onto a skin of a patient, an electrode lead coupled to the pad, and a contact detector that is configured to be in one of a plurality of detector states, a current one of the detector states determinative that the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient, the method comprising: generating a wireless sense signal that encodes the current detector state, wherein the wireless sense signal comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) interrogation wave transmitted to an RIFD tag of the patient electrode; and the output device providing an alert responsive to receiving a version of the sense signal when the version of the sense signal indicates the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, in which the detector states are different values of an electrical property of the contact detector. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, in which the contact detector comprises a capacitive sensor, the plurality of detector states indicate a detected capacitance from a mass of the patient, and the current detector state is determinative that the pad has adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient responsive to the detected capacitance having a value beyond a threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: querying the contact detector about the current detector state, and in which the sense signal is generated responsive to the querying. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, in which the patient electrode further comprises the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag coupled to the contact detector, the RFID tag is adapted to be interrogated by an RFID reader, and the RFID tag backscatters the sense signal responsive to being interrogated. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pad is determined to have adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient when the temperature has dropped below a predetermined threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the pad is determined to have adversely affected contact with the skin of the patient when the electrode exhibits degraded properties.