Respiration monitoring system and method
AssigneeGE Medical Systems Information Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDonald E. Brodnick, Scott R Wiese
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An impedance variation respiration monitor determines the variation in human body impedance between two electrodes coupled to the surface of the body. One of the two electrodes is attached to the thorax below the armpit and the other of the two electrodes is attached to the leg extending from the opposing side of the thorax. The variation in impedance between these two electrodes measured by the monitor is closely correlated to the respiration rate of the subject and is particularly responsive to and indicates combined abdominal and thoracic breathing.
Claims24
A patient monitoring system comprising:
- a plurality of inputs, the plurality of inputs being configured to be coupled to a plurality of electrodes including first, second and third electrodes;
- a processing circuit coupled to the plurality of inputs, the processing circuit being configured to process signals from the plurality of electrodes to produce a respiration parameter for a patient, the processing circuit having a first mode of operation in which the processing circuit produces the respiration parameter by measuring impedance between the first and second electrodes and uses the third electrode to eliminate or reduce a common mode voltage present in the signals obtained from the first and second electrodes, and the processing circuit having a second mode of operation in which the processing circuit produces the respiration parameter by measuring impedance between the third electrode and an additional one of the plurality of electrodes.
An apparatus for monitoring the respiration rate of a human having a thorax and at least one lung, the apparatus comprising:
- a first input configured to be connected to a first electrode attached to the thorax;
- a second input configured to be connected to a second electrode attached to an opposite side of the thorax as the first electrode, and such that a first conductive path extends through a lower portion of the lungs between the first and second electrodes;
- a third input configured to be connected to a third electrode, the third electrode being a RL electrode that is configured to both eliminate or reduce a common mode voltage present in signals obtained from the first and second electrodes and provide a second conductive path with one of the first or second electrodes;
- and
- a processing circuit configured to detect fluctuations in impedance in the first or second conductive paths, and derive a respiration signal at least from the fluctuations.
A patient monitor comprising:
- an operator input device;
- a plurality of signal inputs, the plurality of signal inputs being configured to receive signals from electrodes attached to a patient;
- a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to process the signals received from the electrodes to generate a Lead I signal, a Lead II signal, and an abdominal respiration lead signal;
- a display, the display being configured to display options for selection by the operator using the operator input device, the options including an option to display a parameter associated with the abdominal respiration lead signal.
A method of monitoring the respiration rate of a human having an abdomen and at least one lung, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting fluctuations in impedance in a conductive path between first and second electrodes and using a third electrode to eliminate or reduce a common mode voltage present in signals obtained from the first and second electrode in a first mode of operation of a processing circuit, the first electrode and second electrode being attached to the human such that a straight line extending from the first electrode to the second electrode passes through a lower portion of the lungs adjacent to the abdomen;
- detecting fluctuations in impedance in a conductive path between the third electrode and one of the first and second electrodes in a second mode of operation of the processing circuit;
- and
- deriving a respiration parameter based at least on the fluctuations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.