Patient monitor as a minimally invasive glucometer
AssigneeCercacor Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsMarcelo M. Lamego, Jeroen Poeze, Cristiano Dalvi, Hung Vo, Ferdyan Lesmana, Gregory A. Olsen, Sean Merritt, Ashish Patel
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Abstract
In an embodiment, a patient monitor, such as a pulse oximeter, functions as a spot check glucometer when in communication with a blood glucose strip reader. In an embodiment, communications between the patient monitor and the strip reader may optionally be encrypted. Embodiments also include the strip reader housed in a dongle configured to mate with a sensor port of the pulse oximeter.
Claims20
A spot check monitoring system using a monitor configured to accept signals responsive to light attenuated by body tissue comprising:
- a minimally invasive glucose reader;
- and
- a patient monitor in communication with said minimally invasive glucose reader,
- wherein, when a glucose level is read by said minimally invasive glucose reader, said glucose level is transmitted to said patient monitor,
- wherein said patient monitor is configurable as an oximeter and is configurable to display said glucose level when said glucose level is transmitted to said patient monitor.
A method of converting a patient monitor to a spot check glucometer, comprising:
- providing a minimally invasive glucose reader configured to accept strips carrying samples to be analyzed;
- providing a patient monitor configured to communicate with an optical sensor to receive signals responsive to light attenuated by tissue of a patient carrying pulsing blood, to process said signals, to determine one or more measurements of physiological parameters of said patient including at least oxygen saturation;
- associating said reader with said patient monitor causing said patient monitor to change to a spot check glucometer;
- inserting one of said strips into said reader;
- and
- displaying on a display of said patient monitor measurement data responsive to said sample on said inserted strip.
An encrypted source-identifying glucose strip reader configured to change an oximeter into a glucometer, said reader comprising:
- a strip reader configured to accept samples on a strip and output a signal responsive to characteristics of said sample, said characteristics including a measure of glucose in said sample;
- a controller communicating with said strip reader to determine said measure of glucose from said sample and output data indicative of at least said measure;
- and
- an encryption controller configured to receive said data from said controller and output encrypted data to an oximeter configured to modify its operation to present display indicia to a user of the oximeter, the display indicia responsive to said measure of said glucose in said sample, the encrypted data identifying by its encryption the source of the reader.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.