U.S. patent application number 17/469411 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-30 for thermal control system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Stryker Corporation. Invention is credited to Marco Constant, Christopher John Hopper, Gregory S. Taylor.
Application Number | 20210401616 17/469411 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005827988 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210401616 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Taylor; Gregory S. ; et
al. |
December 30, 2021 |
THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM
Abstract
A thermal control unit controls the temperature of a fluid
delivered to one or more thermal transfer devices (e.g. thermal
pads) in contact with a patient. The thermal control unit generates
thermal data while being used to treat the patient and is adapted
to receive thermal history data previously generated by a different
thermal control unit in the treatment of that patient. Both the
current and previous thermal data are displayable on the thermal
control unit currently being used, thereby giving the caregiver a
complete picture of the thermal history of the patient. The thermal
control unit may also be adapted to transmit its thermal data, as
well as the thermal history data previously received from the other
thermal control unit, to still another thermal control unit. The
thermal history data transfer may take place via a cable,
wirelessly, by a portable flash drive, or by other means.
Inventors: |
Taylor; Gregory S.;
(Kalamazoo, MI) ; Hopper; Christopher John;
(Kalamazoo, MI) ; Constant; Marco; (Portage,
MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Stryker Corporation |
Kalamazoo |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005827988 |
Appl. No.: |
17/469411 |
Filed: |
September 8, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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15616574 |
Jun 7, 2017 |
11116656 |
|
|
17469411 |
|
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|
|
62346583 |
Jun 7, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 7/0097 20130101;
A61F 7/0085 20130101; A61F 7/02 20130101; A61F 2007/0295 20130101;
A61F 2007/0054 20130101; A61F 2007/0095 20130101; A61F 2007/0093
20130101; A61F 7/08 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61F 7/00 20060101
A61F007/00; A61F 7/02 20060101 A61F007/02; A61F 7/08 20060101
A61F007/08 |
Claims
1. A thermal pad for controlling a patient's temperature, the
thermal pad comprising: a flexible body adapted to be placed in
contact with the patient, the body defining an interior in which
fluid circulates; a fluid inlet in fluid communication with the
flexible body and adapted to receive the fluid from a thermal
control unit adapted to control a temperature of the fluid; a fluid
outlet in fluid communication with the flexible body and adapted to
return the fluid to the thermal control unit; a transceiver; a
memory; and a controller adapted to receive and store in the memory
thermal data received from the thermal control unit, the thermal
data relating to therapy applied to the patient using the thermal
pad.
2. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein at least some of the thermal
data is generated from a sensor on-board the thermal control
unit.
3. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the thermal data includes at
least two of the following data items: a patient target
temperature; a fluid target temperature; a patient temperature
reading; a fluid temperature reading; a time at which thermal
treatment started; a time at which thermal treatment ended; a flow
rate of the fluid; a rate of change of the patient's temperature; a
rate of change of the fluid's temperature; a time at which a
temperature reading was taken; an alarm; and an identification of
the thermal control unit.
4. The thermal pad of claim 2 wherein the controller is further
adapted to transfer the thermal data to another device using the
transceiver.
5. The thermal pad of claim 4 wherein the another device comprises
a second thermal control unit, the second thermal control unit
adapted to control a temperature of a fluid delivered from the
second thermal control unit to the thermal pad.
6. The thermal pad of claim 5 wherein the controller is further
adapted to receive and store in the memory additional thermal data
received from the second thermal control unit, the additional
thermal data relating to therapy applied to the patient using the
thermal pad while the thermal pad is coupled to the second thermal
control unit.
7. The thermal pad of claim 6 wherein the controller is further
adapted to separately maintain in the memory the thermal data and
the additional thermal data.
8. The thermal pad of claim 2 further comprising a port in
communication with the transceiver, the port adapted to receive a
physical communication medium that delivers the thermal data to the
transceiver.
9. The thermal pad of claim 8 wherein the physical communication
medium is a data cable adapted to couple to the thermal control
unit.
10. The thermal pad of claim 2 further comprising a port for a
removable flash media storage device wherein the controller is
adapted to copy the received thermal data to the removable flash
media storage device.
11. The thermal pad of claim 2 wherein the thermal data received
from the thermal control unit does not include any identification
of the patient.
12. The thermal pad of claim 2 further comprising a clock in
communication with the controller, the controller adapted to record
times at which the thermal data is received from the thermal
control unit.
13. The thermal pad of claim 2 wherein the transceiver is a serial
communication transceiver.
14. The thermal pad of claim 2 wherein the transceiver is a
wireless transceiver.
15. The thermal pad of claim 14 wherein the transceiver is one of a
WiFi transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, or a ZigBee
transceiver.
16. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the controller is further
adapted to communicate with a patient sensor that senses
information about the patient.
17. The thermal pad of claim 16 wherein the patient sensor is
adapted to detect patient movement.
18. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the thermal data includes at
least three of the following data items: a patient target
temperature; a fluid target temperature; a patient temperature
reading; a fluid temperature reading; a time at which thermal
treatment started; a time at which thermal treatment ended; a flow
rate of the fluid; a rate of change of a patient's temperature; a
rate of change of the fluid's temperature; a time at which a
temperature reading was taken; an alarm; and an identification of
the thermal control unit.
19. The thermal pad of claim 18 wherein the thermal data further
includes at least one of the following: the patient's heart rate,
the patient's breathing rate, the patient's oxygenation levels,
another vital sign of the patient, an identification of a
medication administered to the patient, or a time of Return Of
Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC) of the patient.
20. The thermal pad of claim 1 wherein the thermal pad is adapted
to be wrapped around one of a torso of the patient or a leg of the
patient.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 15/616,574 filed Jun. 7, 2017, by inventors Gregory S.
Taylor et al. and entitled THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM, which in turn
claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.
62/346,583 filed Jun. 7, 2016, by inventors Gregory S. Taylor et
al. and entitled THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM, the complete disclosures
of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a thermal control system
for controlling the temperature of circulating fluid which is
delivered to one or more thermal pads positioned in contact with a
patient.
[0003] Thermal control systems are known in the art for controlling
the temperature of a patient by supplying temperature controlled
fluid to one or more pads, blankets, or similar structures, that
are positioned in contact with a patient. The temperature of the
fluid is controlled by a thermal control unit that provides fluid
to the pads or blankets. After passing through the pads or
blankets, the fluid is returned to the thermal control unit where
any necessary adjustments to the returning fluid temperature are
made before being pumped back to the pad or blanket. In some
instances, the temperature of the fluid is controlled to a target
temperature, while in other instances the temperature of the fluid
is controlled in order to effectuate a target patient temperature.
When controlling a patient's temperature, a patient temperature
probe may be attached to the control unit in order to provide
patient temperature readings as feedback to the control unit so
that it can make the necessary temperature adjustments to the
fluid.
[0004] When patients undergoing thermal treatment move from an
ambulance to a medical facility, or from one location within a
medical facility to another, or from one medical facility to
another medical facility, they often are disconnected from a first
thermal control unit that was applied at the first location and
connected to a second thermal control unit that is connected at the
second location. For example, when a patient undergoing thermal
treatment arrives at a medical facility via an ambulance (or
helicopter, or other emergency transport), the patient is typically
coupled to a smaller, less-featured thermal control unit. Upon
arrival at the hospital, however, the patient may be coupled to a
larger, more feature-rich, thermal control unit. Once at the
hospital, additional transfers between thermal control units may
occur during transport of the patient from one location to another
within the hospital, or when transporting the patient to a
different hospital or medical facility.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present disclosure provides various improved aspects for
sharing data gathered from a first thermal control unit with a
second thermal control unit. The first unit is adapted to generate
thermal data while it is being used to control the temperature of a
patient. When the patient is subsequently switched to having his or
her temperature controlled by a second thermal control unit, the
thermal data generated by the first thermal control unit is easily
transferred to the second thermal control unit, thereby enabling
the caregiver to view the thermal data generated from the first
thermal control unit on one or more displays of the second thermal
control unit. In this manner, the caregiver is able to see an
entire thermal history of the patient on one device, thereby giving
the caregiver a complete summary of thermal events and other
important thermal data regarding the treatment of the patient.
[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a
thermal control unit for supplying temperature controlled fluid to
a thermal pad is provided. The thermal control unit includes a
fluid outlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid supply line, a
fluid inlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid return line, a
heat exchanger, a pump, a transceiver, a memory, a display, and a
controller. The pump circulates the fluid from the fluid inlet
through the heat exchanger and to the fluid outlet. The controller
is adapted to receive previous thermal history data from a
secondary thermal device via the transceiver and display the
previous thermal history data on the display.
[0007] The thermal history data includes one or more of the
following data items: a patient target temperature; a fluid target
temperature; a plurality of previous patient temperature readings;
a plurality of previous fluid temperature readings; a time at which
previous thermal treatment started; a time at which previous
thermal treatment ended; a flow rate of the fluid; a rate of change
of a patient's temperature; a rate of change of the fluid's
temperature; a time at which a plurality of temperature readings
were taken; one or more alarms or errors; and an identification of
the secondary thermal device.
[0008] Additional data may also be included with the thermal
history data, or as a separate set of data that gets stored,
transferred, and/or displayed along with thermal history data. The
additional data may include any one or more of the following: the
patient's heart rate, breathing rate, oxygenation levels, other
vital signs of the patient, medications administered, time of
Return Of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC), and/or the history and
times of any one or more of these items.
[0009] According to other aspects of the disclosure, the thermal
control unit includes a port in communication with the transceiver.
The port receives a physical communication medium that delivers the
previous thermal history data to the transceiver. The physical
communication medium may be a serial communication transceiver,
such as, but not limited to, a flash memory device in which the
previous thermal history data is stored, or a cable coupled to the
second thermal device. When implemented as a flash memory device,
the flash memory device is a portable device adapted to be able to
plug into a secondary port on the secondary thermal device.
[0010] In other embodiments, the transceiver is a wireless
transceiver.
[0011] The thermal control unit is, in some embodiments, further
adapted to record primary thermal history data generated from using
the thermal control unit and to display the primary thermal history
data on the display. The controller is programmed to display the
primary thermal history data and the previous thermal history data
in different manners such that a viewer of the display is provided
a visual indication of whether the displayed thermal history data
corresponds to the primary thermal history data or the previous
thermal history data.
[0012] The control unit is further adapted, in at least some
embodiments, to be able to forward both the primary thermal history
data and the previous thermal history data to another device. When
forwarding the primary thermal history data, the controller
forwards a primary device ID identifying the thermal control unit.
When forwarding the previous thermal history data, the controller
forwards a secondary device ID that identifies the secondary
thermal device.
[0013] The secondary thermal device is adapted, in some
embodiments, to control a temperature of a patient being treated by
the secondary thermal device. When so adapted, the secondary
thermal device includes a pump, a heat exchanger, and a fluid whose
temperature is controlled by the heat exchanger of the secondary
thermal device.
[0014] The thermal control unit also includes, in some embodiments,
a user interface adapted to enable a user of the thermal control
unit to allow or disallow receiving the previous thermal history
data.
[0015] The secondary thermal device is a thermal pad, in some
embodiments. The thermal pad includes an inlet port adapted to
fluidly couple to the fluid outlet of the thermal control unit, an
outlet port adapted to fluidly coupled to the fluid inlet of the
thermal control unit, and an internal flow channel by which fluid
received from the inlet port travels to the outlet port. The
thermal pad further includes a memory for storing the previous
thermal history data.
[0016] In some cases, the thermal pad receives the previous thermal
history data from a tertiary thermal device that includes a pump, a
heat exchanger, and a fluid whose temperature is controlled by the
heat exchanger of the tertiary thermal device. The fluid of the
tertiary thermal device is pumped by the tertiary thermal device to
the inlet port of the thermal pad.
[0017] The thermal pad is adapted to wrap around a portion of a
patient's body, in some embodiments, and to receive temperature
controlled fluid from the thermal control unit.
[0018] The controller records a time at which previous thermal
history data was received from the secondary thermal device and is
adapted to display the time on the display.
[0019] The controller of the thermal control unit, in some
embodiments, is adapted to send, in response to a user prompt, a
request to the secondary thermal device for the previous thermal
history data.
[0020] According to another embodiment, a thermal pad is provided
that includes a flexible body, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a
transceiver, a memory, and a controller. The flexible body is
adapted to be placed in contact with the patient and defines an
interior in which fluid circulates. The fluid inlet is in fluid
communication with the flexible body and is adapted to receive the
fluid from a thermal control unit adapted to control a temperature
of the fluid. The fluid outlet is in fluid communication with the
flexible body and adapted to return the fluid to the thermal
control unit. The controller receives and stores in the memory
thermal data received from the thermal control unit. The thermal
data relates to therapy applied to the patient using the thermal
pad.
[0021] In other aspects, the thermal data is generated from a
sensor on-board the thermal control unit.
[0022] The controller is adapted to transfer the thermal data to
another device, in some embodiments. The another device may
comprise a second thermal control unit adapted to control a
temperature of a fluid delivered from the second thermal control
unit to the thermal pad. In such embodiments, the controller is
further adapted to receive and store in the memory additional
thermal data received from the second thermal control unit. The
additional thermal data relates to therapy applied to the patient
using the thermal pad while the thermal pad is coupled to the
second thermal control unit. The controller is further adapted to
separately maintain in the memory the thermal data and the
additional thermal data.
[0023] The transceiver may be either a transceiver for wired
communication or for wireless communication, or for both.
[0024] The thermal pad may further include a clock in communication
with the controller that is adapted to record times at which the
thermal data is received from the thermal control unit.
[0025] According to another embodiment, a thermal control unit is
provided for supplying temperature controlled fluid to a thermal
pad. The thermal control unit includes a fluid outlet, a fluid
inlet, a heat exchanger, a pump, a transceiver, a first memory, and
a controller. The fluid outlet is adapted to fluidly couple to a
fluid supply line for the thermal pad. The fluid inlet is adapted
to fluidly couple to a fluid return line for the thermal pad. The
pump circulates a fluid from the fluid inlet through the heat
exchanger and to the fluid outlet. The controller records thermal
data in the first memory relating to therapy applied to a patient
using the thermal pad. The controller also is adapted to transfer
the thermal data via the transceiver to a second memory stored on
board the thermal pad.
[0026] According to other aspects, the controller periodically
transfers the thermal data to the second memory while the fluid is
being pumped from the thermal control unit to the thermal pad.
[0027] In some embodiments, the controller is further adapted to
transfer an identifier identifying the thermal control unit to the
second memory.
[0028] The controller may further be adapted to prevent the fluid
from being pumped out of the fluid outlet until the controller
detects that the transceiver is in communication with the thermal
pad.
[0029] According to still another embodiment, a method of applying
thermal therapy to a patient is provided. The method includes
supplying temperature controlled fluid from a first thermal control
unit to a thermal pad wrapped around a portion of the patient;
recording thermal data in a first memory of the first thermal
control unit wherein the thermal data relates to the supply of
temperature controlled fluid from the first thermal control unit to
the thermal pad; disconnecting the thermal pad from the first
thermal control unit and connecting the thermal pad to a second
thermal control unit; transferring the thermal data from the first
memory to a second memory located off-board the first thermal
control unit; and displaying the thermal data on a display coupled
to a second thermal control unit.
[0030] According to other aspects, the second memory is located on
the thermal pad and the thermal pad further transfers the thermal
data to the second thermal control unit.
[0031] Alternatively, in other embodiments, the second memory is
located on board the second thermal control unit.
[0032] In some embodiments, the method further includes supplying
temperature controlled fluid from the second thermal control unit
to the thermal pad. The method may also include recording second
thermal data in the second memory wherein the second thermal data
relates to the supply of temperature controlled fluid from the
second thermal control unit to the thermal pad. Still further, in
some embodiments, the method includes displaying the second thermal
data on the display coupled to the second thermal control unit.
When so displayed, the thermal data may be displayed with a first
indicator and the second thermal data may be displayed with a
second indicator. The first indicator indicates that the thermal
data came from the first thermal control unit, and the second
indicator indicates that the second thermal data came from the
second thermal control unit.
[0033] The method may further include transferring the thermal data
and the second thermal data to a third memory located on another
thermal device.
[0034] Before the various embodiments disclosed herein are
explained in detail, it is to be understood that the claims are not
to be limited to the details of operation or to the details of
construction, nor to the arrangement of the components set forth in
the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The
embodiments described herein are capable of being practiced or
being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed
herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and
should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including" and
"comprising" and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items
listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional
items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in
the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly
stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting
the claims to any specific order or number of components. Nor
should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the
scope of the claims any additional steps or components that might
be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first thermal control unit
according to one aspect of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the thermal control unit of
FIG. 1 shown fluidly connected to several thermal pads wrapped
around a patient undergoing thermal treatment;
[0037] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a first thermal control unit, a
thermal pad, and a patient shown at a first location, such as a
location outside of a medical facility;
[0038] FIG. 4 is a diagram of the first thermal control unit,
thermal pad, and patient of FIG. 3, as well as a second thermal
control unit adapted to receive thermal data from the first thermal
control unit, all of which are shown at a second location, such as
a location inside of a medical facility;
[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram of the second thermal control unit and
thermal pad of FIG. 4, as well as a third thermal control unit
adapted to receive thermal data from the second thermal control
unit;
[0040] FIG. 6 is an illustrative screen shot of one manner in which
first thermal data generated from a first thermal control unit may
be displayed simultaneously with second thermal data generated from
a second thermal control unit on a display of the second thermal
control unit;
[0041] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the electrical components of a
pair of thermal control units illustrating a first manner for
transferring thermal data between the two;
[0042] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the electrical components of a
pair of thermal control units and a flash drive illustrating a
second manner for transferring thermal data between the thermal
control units;
[0043] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the electrical components of a
pair of thermal control units and a local area network illustrating
a third manner of transferring thermal data between the thermal
control units;
[0044] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the electrical components of a
pair of thermal control units and a thermal pad illustrating a
fourth manner of transferring thermal data between the thermal
control units;
[0045] FIG. 11 is a diagram of a thermal control unit communicating
with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device; and
[0046] FIG. 12 is a diagram of the USB device of FIG. 11
communicating with a laptop computer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0047] A thermal control unit 20 according to one embodiment of the
present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Thermal control unit 20 is
adapted to provide temperature controlled fluid to one or more
thermal pads that are positioned in contact with a patient to
thereby control the temperature of the patient. Thermal control
unit 20 includes a plurality of fluid outlet ports 22, a plurality
of fluid inlet ports 24, a plurality of patient temperature probe
ports 26, and a user interface 38. The outlet ports 22 are adapted
to be fluidly coupled to a corresponding fluid supply line 28a
(FIG. 2) that transports the temperature controlled fluid from the
thermal control unit 20 to a connected patient thermal therapy
device 30, which may be a pad, a blanket, a vest, or other
structure. For purposes of the following written description, the
term "thermal pad" will be used to generically refer to any of
these types of thermal therapy devices 30.
[0048] The inlet ports 24 are each adapted to be fluidly coupled to
a corresponding fluid return line 28b that returns the temperature
controlled fluid from the thermal pad 30 back to the control unit
20. Control unit 20 senses the temperature of the fluid returning
via inlet ports 24 and either heats or cools the fluid, as
necessary, in order to change the temperature of the fluid to a
desired temperature. After any necessary changes are made to the
fluid's temperature, control unit 20 pumps the fluid back to the
thermal pad(s) 30. Control unit 20 therefore pumps temperature
controlled fluid in one or more fluid circuits that are in thermal
communication with the patient via one or more thermal pads 30.
[0049] In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, thermal control unit
20 circulates temperature controlled fluid to three separate
thermal pads 30a, b, and c. A first one of the thermal pads 30a is
wrapped around the patient's right leg. A second one of the thermal
pads 30b is wrapped around the patient's left leg. And a third one
of the thermal pads 30c is wrapped around the patient's torso.
Other configurations can be used and different numbers of thermal
pads 30 may be used with thermal control unit 20, depending upon
the number of inlet and outlet ports 24 and 22 that are included
with thermal control unit 20. Still further, in some embodiments of
thermal control unit 20, one or more branching connectors (not
shown) may be coupled to a single pair of inlet and outlet ports 24
and 22, if desired, so that multiple lines 28 and multiple thermal
pads 30 may be supplied via a single inlet/outlet pair.
[0050] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the fluid that returns to
control unit 20 from each return line 28b is mixed in a common
manifold, and the temperature of that mixed fluid is controlled to
a single desired temperature (which may vary, as will be described
more below) by passing it through a heat exchanger inside of
control unit 20. The temperature controlled fluid is then pumped to
each of outlet ports 22 for delivery to each supply line 28a, so
that the temperature of the fluid delivered to each outlet port 22
is the same. In this embodiment, each thermal pad 30 is supplied
with fluid that is at the same temperature. In an alternative
embodiment, control unit 20 is configured to be able to maintain
temperature isolation between one or more of the fluid outlets 22
so that fluid of differing temperatures may be delivered from
control unit 20 to the thermal pads 30.
[0051] It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that
the number of ports 22 and 24 can be varied to include either a
smaller or a greater number than the three illustrated in FIGS. 1
& 2. Still further, it will understood by those skilled in the
art that the ports 22, 24 may be provided in various physical
configurations and combinations to facilitate the connection and
disconnection of the lines 28a, 28b and/or thermal pads 30. As but
one example, instead of using a separate pair of ports 22 and 24
for each individual thermal pad 30a, 30b, and 30c, as shown in FIG.
2, it is possible to modify control unit 20 to include a single
multi-tube outlet port 22 and a single multi-tube inlet port 24
that simultaneously couples and de-couples multiple sets of supply
lines 28a and return lines 28b to and from control unit 20. Still
other variations are possible.
[0052] The patient temperature probe ports 26 of thermal control
unit 20 (FIG. 1) are adapted to couple to patient temperature
probes that are used to sense the temperature of the patient at one
or more locations of the patient's body. The patient temperature
probes that couple to ports 26 may be any suitable patient
temperature probe that is able to sense the temperature of the
patient at the location of the probe. In one embodiment, the
patient temperature probes may be conventional YSI 400 probes
marketed by YSI Incorporated of Yellow Springs, Ohio, or probes
that are YSI 400 compliant. In other embodiments, other
conventional 400 series thermistors may be used, or still other
types of probes. Regardless of the specific type of patient
temperature probe used, each temperature probe is connected to a
patient temperature probe port 26 positioned on control unit 20.
Patient temperature probe ports 26 are in electrical communication
with a controller 66 inside of control unit 20 that is adapted, in
at least some situations, to use the temperature sensed by at least
one of the probes to control the temperature of the fluid
circulated through control unit 20 and pads 30.
[0053] User interface 38 of thermal control unit 20 includes, in
the illustrated embodiment, a display 40 on which data, controls,
and/or functions of the thermal control unit may be accessed (FIG.
2). Such controls include one or more controls enabling a user to
turn control unit 20 on and off, as well as one or more controls
enabling the user to select a target temperature for the fluid
delivered to thermal pads 30. In some embodiments, user interface
38 also allows a user to select a target temperature for the
patient being treated, rather than a specific target temperature
for the fluid. When this feature is present, thermal control unit
20 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in
order to bring the patient's temperature to the desired patient
target temperature.
[0054] When the user has selected a target temperature for the
fluid, thermal control unit 20 utilizes the selected target
temperature, as well as the temperature readings from a water
temperature sensor 44 or a patient temperature sensor 46, to
generate and send commands to an internal heat exchanger 42 (FIGS.
7-10), as necessary, in order to cool and/or warm the fluid
circulating through thermal control unit 20 and thermal pads 30 so
that it meets the selected target temperature. In at least one
embodiment, thermal control unit 20 implements closed-loop feedback
control of heat exchanger 42 using the output from the temperature
sensor(s) 44 and/or 46 such that the temperature of the circulating
fluid is adjusted toward the target temperature. The closed loop
feedback may take on multiple different forms, such as
proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control, any variant thereof
(e.g. proportional-integral (PI) control), or still other types of
closed loop controls.
[0055] Thermal control unit 20 is adapted, in the illustrated
embodiment, to operate in a plurality of different modes that are
selectable by a user. In a first mode, known as a manual mode, the
thermal control unit 20 controls the temperature of the liquid
circulating through control unit 20--and thereby the temperature of
the fluid delivered to thermal pads 30--so that it matches a target
temperature chosen by the user. In this mode, control unit 20
maintains the liquid at the chosen target temperature regardless of
the patient's temperature, and control unit 20 may be used without
any patient temperature probes, if desired. In a second mode, known
as an automatic mode, the thermal control unit 20 controls the
temperature of the liquid circulating through control unit 20 in
such a manner that a target patient temperature is achieved and/or
maintained. In this automatic mode, at least one patient
temperature probe or sensor 46 (FIGS. 7-10) is coupled to control
unit 20 so that control unit 20 knows the patient's current
temperature. In the automatic mode, control unit 20 does not
necessarily adjust the temperature of the circulating fluid to
maintain a constant temperature, but instead makes the necessary
temperature adjustments to the fluid in order to reach, or
maintain, the desired patient target temperature.
[0056] Further details about the construction and operation of one
embodiment of thermal control unit 20 may be found in commonly
assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/282,383 filed May 20,
2014, by inventors Christopher Hopper et al. and entitled THERMAL
CONTROL SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference. Control unit 20 may alternatively
be constructed and/or operate in other manners, including, but not
limited to, any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.
Pat. No. 6,517,510 issued to Stewart and entitled AUTOMATIC PATIENT
CONTROL DEVICE, or in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,257,414
issued to Kelner et al. and entitled THERMAL PUMP WITH FEATURES,
the disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by
reference. In still other embodiments, control unit 20 may be a
control unit from any of the MEDI-THERM.RTM. hyper/hypothermia
systems marketed Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Mich. As another
alternative, thermal control unit 20 may be a mobile thermal
control unit that is constructed and/or operates in any of the
manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 62/311,054 filed Mar. 21, 2016, by inventor Gregory Taylor and
entitled MOBILE THERMAL SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is
also incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of thermal
control units may be used.
[0057] When thermal control unit 20 is being used to control a
patient's temperature, it generates and records thermal data about
the thermal treatment being applied to the patient. This thermal
data includes any one or more of the following items: current and
past patient target temperatures; current and past fluid target
temperatures; current and past patient temperature readings;
current and past fluid temperature readings; a time at which
thermal treatment started; times at which the thermal treatment
ended or changed; current and past flow rates of the fluid; current
and past rates of change of the patient's temperature; current and
past rates of change of the fluid's temperature; current and past
modes (e.g. automatic or manual) in which the thermal control unit
20 has operated, or is operating; and any alarms or thermal events.
Thermal control unit 20 also time and date stamps all of these
readings and/or events that are part of this thermal data. Thermal
control unit 20 also stores a unique identifier that uniquely
distinguishes thermal control unit 20 from other thermal control
units and associates this unique identifier with the aforementioned
stored thermal data. Still other thermal data may be generated and
stored by control unit 20.
[0058] Additional data may also be included with the thermal
history data, or as a separate set of data that gets stored,
transferred, and/or displayed along with the thermal history data.
The additional data may include any one or more of the following:
the patient's heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, metabolic
rate, radiation history, caloric consumption, oxygenation levels,
other vital signs, administered medications, applied therapy,
Return Of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC), and/or the history and
times of any one or more of these items. Still other data may be
included, such as an identification of the caregiver and/or other
personnel who are, or have been, associated with the patient.
[0059] In addition to storing the thermal data, thermal control
unit 20 is adapted to transfer this thermal data to another control
unit that is subsequently used for treating the same patient. In
this manner, the thermal data generated by a first thermal control
unit 20 during the treatment of a patient can be transferred to a
second thermal control unit 20 that is used to provide thermal
treatment to the same patient. The second thermal control unit may
also be adapted to store and record the thermal data it generates
and make that thermal data available for a third thermal control
unit 20 that is subsequently used to treat that same patient. When
the second thermal control unit transfers its thermal data to the
third thermal control unit 20, not only does it transfer the
thermal data it generated during its treatment of the patient, but
also the thermal data it received from the first thermal control
data. The third thermal control unit, just like the first and
second thermal control units, may also be adapted to transfer its
thermal data, as well as the thermal data it received from the
previous thermal control units 20 onto yet a fourth, fifth, or
other thermal control unit. By including the ability to transfer
thermal data to another thermal control unit and display the
received thermal data, the caregiver(s) assigned to the patient are
able to see the full thermal history of the patient on whichever
thermal control unit 20 is currently being used to treat the
patient.
[0060] In some embodiments, the thermal data that is transferred
does not include any patient-identification information or any
other Protected Health Information (PHI) that is subject to the
privacy provisions of the United States' Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (a.k.a. HIPAA). In an
alternative embodiment, some of the thermal history data may
include data that is considered Protected Health Information, and
control units 20 and 20' and the communication links used to
transfer data from one to the other are configured to ensure that
appropriate safeguards are built into the data transfer subsystem
to ensure compliance with HIPAA.
[0061] The transferred thermal history data enables a caregiver to
see the full thermal history of a patient, which can be useful for
determining whether to continue with a currently planned course of
treatment, modify the treatment, and/or start a different
treatment. In some embodiments, the thermal control unit is adapted
to provide one or more suggestions for treating the patient based
upon data contained within the thermal history data. The transfer
of the thermal history from one or more previous devices also
enables the caregiver to determine if there were any lapses in the
patient's previous thermal treatment and, if so, to see when those
lapses occurred and how long they lasted. Still further, in some
embodiments, any of the thermal control units may be configured to
automatically limit their functionality based upon one or more
items of information contained within the patient's thermal history
data.
[0062] FIGS. 3-5 illustrate one manner in which the thermal data
from multiple thermal control units 20 may be passed onto each
other. FIG. 3 illustrates a first thermal control unit 20a that is
used with a thermal pad 30 on a patient 32. One or more hoses 34
housing one or more fluid supply and return lines 28a and 28b are
coupled between first thermal control unit 20a and thermal pad 30.
First thermal control unit 20a may be a portable thermal control
unit of the type that can be easily transported and used in the
field by emergency responders, or it may be another type of thermal
control unit. When first thermal control unit 20a is fluidly
coupled to a thermal pad 30 wrapped around a portion of patient 32,
it pumps temperature controlled fluid to thermal pad 30 in order to
control the temperature of patient 32. While supplying temperature
controlled fluid to patient 32, first thermal control unit 20a
generates thermal data, such as any one or more of the types of
thermal data discussed above. First thermal control unit 20a saves
this thermal data so that it can be transferred to a second thermal
control unit, if desired.
[0063] FIG. 4 illustrates a second thermal control unit 20b that is
used to treat the same patient 32 as the one shown in FIG. 3.
Second thermal control unit 20b may a thermal control unit of the
type more commonly found in a medical facility, such as a hospital,
rather than a more mobile thermal control unit such as the type of
thermal control unit that may be used by emergency responders.
However, second thermal control unit 20b may also be a mobile
thermal control unit and, in some embodiments, could even be the
same type of thermal control unit as first thermal control unit
20a.
[0064] Regardless of its specific construction and type, second
thermal control unit 20b is adapted to receive the thermal data
generated by first thermal control unit 20a and to display some or
all of this data on a display (not shown) coupled to second thermal
control unit 20b. In the illustrated embodiment, second thermal
control unit 20b is shown coupled to thermal pad 30, which is the
same thermal pad 30 that first thermal control unit 20a was
previously connected to when first thermal control unit 20a was
treating patient 32. The use of the same thermal pad(s) 30 on the
patient with different thermal control units 20 is common because
removing the thermal pad(s) 30 and replacing them with different
ones is labor and capital intensive, and often serves no purpose.
It will, however, be understood that the principles discussed
herein could be applied to situations where second thermal control
unit 20b treats patient 32 with a different set of thermal pads 30.
For purposes of the following discussion, however, it will be
assumed that the same set of thermal pads 30 is used with the
patient.
[0065] At some point shortly before or after the transfer of
patient 32 from a first patient support apparatus 36a to a second
patient support apparatus 36b (FIG. 4), the thermal data that was
generated and stored in first thermal control unit 20a is
transferred to second thermal control unit 20b. After it is
transferred, second thermal control unit 20b stores it and makes
some or all of it available for display on second thermal control
unit 20b. In addition to displaying the received thermal data
(hereinafter referred to as "thermal history data"), second control
unit 20b also generates and records its own thermal data. That is,
second control unit 20b records any of the aforementioned types of
thermal data that are generated during its supplying of temperature
controlled fluid to thermal pad 30. Some or all of this thermal
data is also made available for display on second control unit
20b.
[0066] In some cases, patient 32 may need to be transferred to
another location and treated with yet a third thermal control unit
20c (FIG. 5). Third thermal control unit 20c is, in the example
shown in FIG. 5, constructed to receive and selectively display all
or some of the thermal history data from second thermal control
unit 20b and first thermal control unit 20a. The thermal history
data that third thermal control unit 20c receives from second
thermal control unit 20b not only includes the thermal data that
was generated and recorded by second thermal control unit 20b
during the treatment of patient 32 using second thermal control
unit 20b, but also the thermal history data that was generated and
recorded by first thermal control unit 20a during the treatment of
patient 32 using first thermal control unit 20a. Accordingly, third
thermal control unit 20c receives the entire thermal history data
of the patient and makes some or all of this data available for
display on a display incorporated into third thermal control unit
20c.
[0067] When a thermal control unit 20 receives thermal history data
from another thermal control unit 20, it tags that data as having
been received from the other thermal control unit and maintains
that data separately from the thermal data that it itself
generates. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 3-5, when second
thermal control unit 20b receives thermal data from first thermal
control unit 20a, second thermal control unit 20b segregates the
thermal data received from first thermal control unit 20a from the
thermal data it generates during its treatment of the patient. Such
segregation may be accomplished in any known manner, including, but
not limited to, an identifier being added to the thermal data in a
particular field that indicates the source of the thermal data. In
this manner, each thermal control unit 20 is able to determine and
display to the caregiver the source of the thermal data.
[0068] FIG. 6 illustrates one example of the type of thermal data
that may be displayed on display 40 of any of the thermal control
units 20, as well as one illustrative format for displaying that
data. As shown therein, the format includes a side-by-side display
of the thermal data generated from thermal control unit 20 the
thermal data previously generated from a previously used thermal
control unit 20'. More specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates an
illustrative screen shot 48 that is displayable on display 40 of a
control unit 20. Screen shot 48 includes a vertical divider 50 that
separates screen shot 48 into a right portion 52 and a left portion
54. Right portion 52 displays data that is, and was, generated by
the thermal control unit 20 on which screen shot 48 is being
displayed. Left portion 54 displays thermal history data that was
generated by a secondary thermal control unit 20' that was
previously used to treat the same patient. Thus, the thermal data
in right portion 52 was generated by thermal control unit 20 while
the thermal data in left portion 54 was generated by thermal
control unit 20'.
[0069] FIG. 6 further illustrates four graphs: a patient
temperature graph 56, a patient target temperature graph 58, a
water temperature graph 60, and a power level graph 62. All four of
these graphs are plotted with respect to a horizontal time axis 64.
A right end of time axis 64 corresponds to time zero (the current
time) while a left end of time axis 64 corresponds, in this
example, to a time ninety minutes previous to the current time. The
scale of time axis 64 may, of course, vary.
[0070] The position of vertical divider 50 along time axis 64
varies in accordance with how long ago the transition between
thermal control unit 20' and thermal control unit 20 occurred. In
the illustrated embodiment, the transition of the patient from
control unit 20' to control unit 20 occurred approximately 45
minutes ago. The width of vertical divider also varies in
accordance with how much time the transition between control units
20' and 20 took. During this transition period, neither control
unit 20 nor 20' was used to actively control the patient's
temperature and there is, therefore, no temperature data to display
on any of the four graphs 56-62 of FIG. 6. In the example shown in
FIG. 6, the transition of the patient from thermal control unit 20'
to thermal control unit 20 took less than five minutes.
[0071] Patient temperature graph 56 displays the temperature of the
patient as sensed by one or more patient temperature sensors (e.g.
probes) 46 that are coupled to temperature probe ports 26. Patient
target temperature graph 58 displays the temperature that the
caregiver has selected as the target for the patient. The selection
of this target temperature is accomplished using user interface 38.
Water temperature graph 60 displays the temperature of the water
that is being delivered to thermal pads 30 from thermal control
unit 20. Water temperature graph 60 is generated from one or more
water temperature sensors 44 that are internal to thermal control
units 20 and 20'. Power level graph 62 corresponds to how much
electrical power thermal control units 20' and 20 is, or were,
drawing and may be derived from any suitable source, such as, but
not limited to, the amount of electrical current being drawn by
heat exchanger 42. Power level graph 62 therefore provides an
indication of how hard thermal control unit 20 (or 20') has had to
work, or is working, to achieve the target temperature (either
patient target temperature or water target temperature).
[0072] Screen shot 48 only displays a sampling of the types of
thermal data generated from thermal control units 20 and 20' that
may be displayed on display 40 of thermal control unit 20, as well
as only one sample of the format in which such data may be
displayed. Further, screen shot 48 display thermal data that is
generated when thermal control units 20 and 20' are being used in
the automatic mode. When these units are used in the manual mode,
screen shot 48 will look different. Specifically, in the manual
mode, there will be no patient target temperature graph 58.
Instead, in one embodiment, patient target temperature graph 58
will be replaced by a water target temperature graph. Other changes
may also take place.
[0073] The additional thermal data that may be displayed on display
40 includes any of the thermal data items discussed above. Still
further, either or both of thermal control units 20 and 20' are
adapted, in at least some embodiments, to flag any data or events
that are of potential significance and store that data with the
flags associated therewith. At least one of the user interfaces 38
of control units 20 or 20' includes a control that enables the
caregiver to search through and selectively display the flagged
data so that the caregiver doesn't have to review the entire
thermal history data for events of potential significance. The
control enables the caregiver to search through not only the
thermal data that was generated by the thermal control unit 20 that
is currently in use, but any and all previous thermal control units
20 that were used with the patient.
[0074] The events or data that are flagged by one or both of
thermal control units 20 and 20' include a wide variety of
different occurrences and data conditions. For example, one type of
event that is flagged is any movement of the patient's temperature
in a direction opposite to the temperature direction desired for
the patient (e.g. if the patient's temperature increases while
water colder than the patient's temperature is being applied to the
patient's thermal pads 30, or vice versa). Another type of event is
a power level that exceeds a predetermined threshold. Still other
events of interest that are flagged include any errors (within
control units 20 or 20' themselves, from patient temperature sensor
46, or from other sources), any patient temperature variations that
exceeds one or more predetermined speeds, any drops or jumps in the
fluid pressure of the temperature controlled fluid being supplied
to thermal pads 30 that exceed one or more thresholds, any flow
rates that change by more than a threshold, etc.
[0075] As noted, the format of the data shown in screen shot 48 may
also be changed. In one variation, the data in right and left
portions 52 and 54 may be displayed in different colors. In another
variation, the thermal data from thermal control unit 20' may be
displayed above or below the thermal data generated from thermal
control unit 20, rather than side-by-side. Still other format
variations are possible.
[0076] FIGS. 7-10 illustrate four different manners by which
thermal data from a first thermal control unit 20' may be
transferred to a second thermal control unit 20. FIGS. 7-10 also
illustrate in greater detail the electrical components inside of
each thermal control unit 20 and 20'. Although FIGS. 7-10
illustrate each thermal control unit 20 as having identical
internal electrical components as thermal control unit 20', this is
not necessarily the case. That is, thermal control units 20 and 20'
may include different electrical components as long a first one of
the thermal control units 20' is able to generate at least some
thermal data for transferring to a second one of the thermal
control units 20, and so long as thermal control unit 20 is able to
receive such thermal history data. For purposes of the following
description, however, each control unit 20 and 20' will be
described as having the same components, and the same reference
numbers for these components will be used for both control units 20
and 20'. A prime symbol (') will be placed after the components of
thermal control unit 20' to distinguish them from the components of
thermal control unit 20. Unless otherwise stated, each of the
components from thermal control units 20 and 20' that bear the same
reference number operate in the same manner and carry out the same
functions.
[0077] As shown in FIG. 7, each thermal control unit 20 includes a
controller 66, a pump 68, a transceiver 70, a memory 72, and a
clock 74, as well as user interface 38, one or more heat exchangers
42, water temperature sensor 44 and, in at least some embodiments,
one or more patient temperature sensors 46. Controller 66 includes,
in at least one embodiment, a microcontroller and accompanying
circuitry for carrying out the functions and algorithms described
herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In
other embodiments, controller 66 may include one or more
microprocessors and/or other programmable electronics that are
programmed to carry out the functions described herein. It will be
understood that controller 66 may also include other electronic
components that are programmed to carry out the functions described
herein, or that support the microcontrollers, microprocessors,
and/or other electronics. The other electronic components include,
but are not limited to, one or more field programmable gate arrays,
systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discrete
circuitry, integrated circuits, application specific integrated
circuits (ASICs) and/or other hardware, software, or firmware, as
would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components
can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such as by
mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in
other manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed
across multiple units. Such components may be physically
distributed in different positions in thermal control unit 20, or
they may reside in a common location within thermal control unit
20. When physically distributed, the components may communicate
using any suitable serial or parallel communication protocol, such
as, but not limited to, CAN, LIN, Firewire, I-squared-C, RS-232,
RS-485, universal serial bus (USB), etc.
[0078] Controller 66 uses the outputs from water temperature sensor
44 and patient temperature sensor 46 to control heat exchanger 42
so that the fluid flowing to thermal pads 30 has its temperature
adjusted in the desired manner. Controller 66 also controls pump 68
which circulates the temperature controlled fluid through heat
exchanger 42 and pumps it to thermal pads 30. Controller 66 is
further programmed to record in memory 72 any one or more of the
thermal data items discussed above. When recording such thermal
data, controller 66 time and date stamps the recorded data using
the time information supplied by clock 74.
[0079] Transceiver 70 provides the structure by which the thermal
data generated by thermal control unit 20 during its treatment of a
patient is transferred to another thermal control unit, as well as
the structure by which thermal history data generated from a
previous thermal control unit (e.g. thermal control unit 20') is
received and stored in memory 72. As will be discussed in greater
detail below, transceiver 70 may take on a wide variety of
different forms. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7,
transceiver 70 includes a port 76 that is adapted to receive a data
cable 78. Data cable 78 provides the communication medium by which
the thermal history data from thermal control unit 20' is
transferred to thermal control unit 20. Data cable 78 may be a
conventional Ethernet cable, a USB cable, or any other cable
suitable for transferring data.
[0080] In the example shown in FIG. 7, each of the thermal control
units 20 and 20' includes one or more controls on their respective
user interfaces 38 and 38' that allow the caregiver to control the
transfer of thermal history data from thermal control unit 20' to
thermal control unit 20. These controls include, in one embodiment,
a "send" control on thermal control unit 20' that is activated by
the caregiver in order to transfer the thermal history data, as
well as a "receive" control on thermal control unit 20 that is also
activated in order for thermal control unit 20 to receive this
thermal history data. In order for the caregiver to transfer the
thermal history data, the caregiver therefore first connects data
cable 78 between the two thermal control units 20' and 20 and then
activates the "send" and "receive" controls on the respective
thermal control units 20' and 20. In some alternative embodiments,
one or both of the "send" and "receive" commands need not be
activated by the caregiver. Instead, control unit 20' automatically
transfers its thermal history data to thermal control unit 20
whenever a cable, or other communication link (discussed more
below) is established between the two control units 20 and 20'.
[0081] When sending its thermal history data to control unit 20,
thermal control unit 20' only sends a copy of the thermal history
data to control unit 20. Thus, the thermal history data of thermal
control unit 20' still resides on thermal control unit 20' until a
caregiver actively deletes its. When receiving the thermal history
data from thermal control unit 20', controller 66 of thermal
control unit 20 generates a message for display on display 40 of
user interface 38 indicating whether the transmission of the
thermal history data was successful or unsuccessful. If successful,
controller 66 allows the caregiver to thereafter display all or a
portion of the received thermal history data on display 40.
[0082] In some embodiments, one or both of controllers 66 or 66' of
control units 20 and 20', respectively, are programmed to
automatically prompt the caregiver to transfer prior thermal
history data prior to commencing, or at the time of commencing,
thermal treatment with the thermal control unit. The prompt reminds
the caregiver to transfer any previous thermal treatment data, if
it is exists, to the thermal control unit 20 currently being, or
about to be, used with the patient. In some embodiments, the
controller 66 or 66' prevents the thermal control unit 20 from
being used to treat the patient until the caregiver either
affirmatively indicates that no such prior thermal history data
exists (e.g. this is the first thermal control unit being used with
that patient) or the caregiver completes the transfer of thermal
history data. In other embodiments, the prompt serves merely as a
reminder for the caregiver who is free to respond to it or ignore
it.
[0083] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative manner in which thermal
history data from a first thermal control unit 20' may be
transferred to a second thermal control unit 20. In this example,
thermal control units 20 and 20' include the same components as
those discussed above with respect to the example of FIG. 7.
However, instead of using a data cable 78 for transferring the
thermal history data, a portable flash drive 80 is used. Portable
flash drive 80 includes a controller 82 and a memory 84. In some
embodiments, portable flash drive 80 is a conventional flash drive,
such as a USB flash drive adapted to plug into a USB flash drive of
a conventional computer. In other embodiments, flash drive 80 may
be customized in terms of either its hardware or software (or both)
so that it only operates in conjunction with thermal control units,
such as units 20 and 20', and cannot be read by a conventional
computer without the proper software (or hardware, or both).
[0084] In order to transfer the thermal history data between the
thermal control units 20 and 20' of the example of FIG. 8, the
caregiver first transfers the thermal history data of thermal
control unit 20' to flash drive 80. Flash drive 80 receives this
thermal history data and controller 82 stores this data in memory
84. Thereafter, the caregiver physically removes flash drive 80
from port 76' of thermal control unit 20' and physically inserts
flash drive 80 into port 76 of thermal control unit 20. Once
inserted into port 76, controller 66 reads the thermal history data
from memory 84 and transfers it to memory 72 of thermal control
unit 20. Controller 66 thereafter makes it available for display on
display 40 of user interface 38.
[0085] Ports 76 and 76' of the example of FIG. 8 may be the same as
ports 76 and 76' of the example of FIG. 7, or they may be modified
in one or more manners so as to be able to connect to flash drive
80. Further, in some embodiments, thermal control unit 20' may be
programmed to automatically save its thermal data in both memory
72' and memory 84 while thermal control unit 20' is being used to
provide thermal treatment to a patient. In this manner, the
caregiver does not need to undertake the extra manual step of
instructing controller 66' to transfer the thermal history data to
flash drive 80. Instead, whenever the caregiver is ready to
transfer the thermal history data, he or she simply pulls flash
drive 80 out of port 76' and inserts it into port 76. Because of
the automatic saving by controller 66' of the thermal history data
onto memory 84, flash drive 80 is ready to be removed without the
caregiver having to wait for the transmission of the thermal
history data to it.
[0086] In some embodiments, thermal control units 20 and/or 20' may
be programmed to display a reminder on display 40 whenever therapy
is commenced with these units and no flash drive 80 is detected by
controller 66 (or 66') as being coupled to the corresponding port
76 (or 76'). In this manner, the caregiver is reminded to insert a
flash drive 80 into the corresponding port so that automatic
storage of the thermal data can be accomplished while the thermal
therapy is being applied.
[0087] Flash drive 80 is stored, in some embodiments, in a pocket
(now shown) integrated into thermal pad 30. The pocket is
specifically dimensioned to receive the flash drive 80.
Alternatively, the flash drive may include a physical cord, string,
cable, or the like, that tethers the flash drive 80 to thermal pad
30 or thermal control unit 20'. Such a tether, however, is
constructed so as to enable the user to easily remove it so that
flash drive 80 can be easily transferred to a subsequent thermal
control device 20.
[0088] FIG. 9 illustrates another alternative manner in which
thermal history data from a first thermal control unit 20' may be
transferred to a second thermal control unit 20. In this example,
thermal control units 20 and 20' include all of the same components
as those discussed above with respect to the example of FIGS. 7 and
8 with the exception of transceivers 70 and 70'. Transceivers 70
and 70' of the example of FIG. 9 are wireless transceivers adapted
to transmit the thermal history data wirelessly so that a cable,
such as data cable 78, does not need to be used. In one embodiment,
transceivers 70 and 70' are Bluetooth transceivers (IEEE 802.15.1)
that communicate directly with each other. In another embodiment,
transceivers 70 and 70' are ZigBee transceivers (IEEE 802.15.4)
that communicate directly with each other.
[0089] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, transceivers 70 and 70'
are WiFi transceivers (IEEE 802.11) that communicate with each
other via a local area network 86. More specifically, control units
20 and 20' communicate with one or more wireless access points 88
of local area network 86. One or more servers or services, such as
an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) server 90 and an Admission,
Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) server 92, may be coupled to the
local area network 86.
[0090] In one embodiment, thermal control unit 20' transfers its
thermal data to thermal control unit 20 by forwarding its thermal
history data to EMR server 90, which stores the data as part of the
electronic medical record for the particular patient being treated
by thermal control unit 20'. Once it is stored in EMR server 90,
thermal control unit 20 retrieves it by communicating with EMR
server 90 (via WAP 88) and requesting the stored thermal history
data. The thermal history data is then transmitted wirelessly
through WAP 88 to thermal control unit 20.
[0091] In an alternative embodiment, one or both of the
transceivers 70 and/or 70' are replaced with, or supplemented with,
wired ports 76 that are able to communicate with local area network
86 using a wired connection, such as, but not limited to, a
conventional Ethernet cable. In this alternative embodiment, the
thermal history data from thermal control unit 20' can be uploaded
to EMR server 90 via either a wired connection or a wireless
connection, and the thermal history data can be downloaded from EMR
server 90 to thermal control unit 20 either via a wired connection
or a wireless connection.
[0092] In still another alternative embodiment, thermal control
unit 20' of FIG. 9 communicates its thermal history data to thermal
control unit 20 without storing the thermal history data in any
servers on local area network 86. In this embodiment, local area
network 86 acts merely as a conduit by which the thermal history
data is passed from thermal control unit 20' to thermal control
unit 20.
[0093] FIG. 10 illustrates another alternative manner in which
thermal history data from a first thermal control unit 20' may be
transferred to a second thermal control unit 20. In this example,
thermal control units 20 and 20' include all of the same components
as those discussed above with respect to the example of FIGS. 7-9
with the sole possible exception of transceivers 70 and 70'.
Transceivers 70 and 70' of the example of FIG. 10 are adapted to
communicate with a transceiver 94 integrated into thermal pad 30.
Depending upon the type of transceiver 94 integrated therein,
transceivers 70 and/or 70' may be the same or different from the
transceivers 70 and 70' previously described, as will be discussed
more below.
[0094] During the thermal treatment of a patient utilizing thermal
control unit 20' of FIG. 10, controller 66' transmits thermal data
to thermal pad 30 utilizing a communication link between
transceiver 70' and transceiver 94. When transceiver 94 receives
the thermal data, controller 96 of thermal pad 30 stores the
received thermal data in a memory 98 on board thermal pad 30. When
the patient's thermal treatment is switched to thermal control unit
20, transceiver 94 of thermal pad 30 communicates the thermal
history data stored in memory 98 to thermal control unit 20, which
stores it in memory 72.
[0095] The communication link between transceivers 70' and 94, as
well as the communication link between transceivers 94 and 70, may
take on any of a variety of forms. In one embodiment, a cable, such
as data cable 78, is coupled between transceivers 70 or 70' and
transceiver 94. In another embodiment, transceivers 70 and/or 70'
communicate wirelessly with transceiver 94, such as via Bluetooth,
ZigBee, or utilizing a WiFi connection. In still another
embodiment, transceivers 70, 70', and 94 are constructed so as to
be able to communicate either wirelessly or via a wire, thereby
giving the caregiver the option of whether to transfer the thermal
history data by wire or wirelessly.
[0096] When transceiver 94 is adapted to be coupled to a cable for
communicating with transceivers 70 and/or 70', the cable is
integrated, in some embodiments, into hose 34 in order to avoid
adding additional clutter between the thermal control units 20 or
20' and thermal pad 30. That is, the cable is attached to, or
otherwise physically coupled to, one of the hoses 34 that run
between thermal pad 30 and thermal control unit 20 or 20'. At least
one end of the data cable, however, may be separated from the fluid
lines 28a and 28b so that the caregiver can plug the ends of the
data cable into a data port on thermal control unit 20 or 20' that
is spaced from fluid outlet ports 22 and/or fluid inlet ports
24.
[0097] In still other alternative embodiments, the communication
link between transceiver 70' and transceiver 94 may be different
than the communication link between transceiver 70 and transceiver
94. For example, in one such alternative embodiment, thermal
control unit 20' may communicate with thermal pad 30 via a wire
while thermal pad 30 may communicate with thermal control unit 20
wirelessly, or vice versa. As another alternative, thermal pad 30
may have a USB port for communicating with a flash drive, such as
flash drive 80 (not shown in FIG. 10). In such an embodiment,
thermal control unit 20' communicates its thermal data to thermal
pad 30 via a wired or wireless communication link between
transceiver 70' and transceiver 94. In order to forward this
thermal data from thermal pad 30 to thermal control unit 20,
however, the user unplugs the flash drive from thermal pad 30 and
plugs it into a USB port on thermal control unit 20. As yet another
alternative, communication between thermal control unit 20' and
thermal pad 30 may take place via a portable flash drive while
communication between thermal control unit 20 and thermal pad 30
uses a wired or wireless connection.
[0098] Although thermal control units 20, 20', and thermal pads 30
have been described above as adapted to provide thermal therapy to
a patient via a temperature controlled liquid, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that any one or more of
these components could alternatively be configured to provide
thermal treatment to the patient utilizing a temperature controlled
gas.
[0099] Still further, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that one or more of thermal control units 20 or 20' may be
integrated into another device. For example, in one embodiment, a
patient support apparatus, such as a bed, includes a thermal
control unit built into it that provides temperature controlled
fluid for delivery to one or more thermal pads on the patient. One
such example of a bed having a built in thermal control unit for
controlling the temperature of a gas is disclosed in commonly
assigned U.S. patent 8,11,039 issued to Stryker et al. and entitled
PATIENT SUPPORT WITH UNIVERSAL ENERGY SUPPLY SYSTEM, the complete
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0100] In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, thermal pad 30
may be a disposable pad. In some of those embodiments, the
disposable thermal control pad 30 includes a port for receiving a
flash drive 80 that is used to store the patient's thermal history
data. Appropriate sensors and/or programming in the thermal pad 30
may issue an alert if the thermal pad 30 is removed from the
patient prior to transferring the thermal history data to another
device. The thermal pad 30 may also be modified so that it
communicates both with a flash drive 80 and by one or more other
means (e.g. a wireless connection or wired connection). In this
manner, redundant pathways for transferring the thermal history
data are provided.
[0101] In some of those embodiments of thermal control units 20
having a user interface, the user interface is configured to allow
the user to select which thermal history data is recorded and/or
transferred. In this manner, the user can customize the gathering
of thermal data by the thermal control unit 20 and/or the
transmitting of thermal history data from control unit 20 to
another device.
[0102] Still further, in any of the embodiments disclosed herein,
the thermal control units 20 and/or thermal pads 30 can be modified
to communicate with one or more patient-worn devices, such as, but
not limited, one or more patient sensors that sense information
about the patient. Such sensors include sensors that sense movement
of the patient and/or other aspects of the patient. Examples of
such sensor units include the Fitbit sleep or activity tracker
wristbands and/or bracelets manufactured by Fitbit, Inc. of San
Francisco, Calif. Other types of sensors units can also communicate
with the thermal control units 20 and/or thermal pad 30. Still
further, thermal control units 20 and/or thermal pad 30 can be
adapted in some embodiments to communicate with one or more devices
that transmit identification information of the patient.
[0103] FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of a thermal control
unit 120 according to another aspect of the present disclosure.
Thermal control unit 120 is adapted to operate in any of the same
manners described above with respect the thermal control unit 20
and/or 20' and to include any one or more of the features and
functions described above with respect thermal control units 20 and
20'. Thermal control unit 120 differs from thermal control unit 20
in that thermal control unit 120 is adapted to communicate with a
USB device 180. USB device 180 may be a flash drive, similar to
flash drive 80, but may alternatively be a different type of USB
device. When implemented as a flash drive, USB device 180 differs
from flash drive 80 in that USB device 180 is programmed to
automatically detect different modes in which it may be used. This
different mode detection is carried out using conventional USB
On-The-Go (OTG) technology, although other technology may be used
in different embodiments. Such USB OTG technology allows device 180
to act as a slave device or a host device and to detect which one
of these two roles it is to assume when it is connected to another
USB OTG device. Thermal control unit 120 includes a USB OTG port
(not shown) into which USB device 180 can be plugged and unplugged.
This port is electrically coupled to USB OTG software that enables
thermal control unit 120 and USB device 180 to communicate using
USB OTG.
[0104] Thermal control unit 120 and USB device 180 communicate with
each other in different modes when USB device 180 is physically
coupled to the corresponding port on thermal control unit 120. In a
first mode, thermal control unit 120 acts as a USB host device and
writes thermal treatment data to device 180, which acts as a slave
device. This thermal treatment data passed from thermal control
unit 120 to USB device 180 includes, but is not limited to, any or
all of the thermal data discussed previously (e.g. current and/or
past patient target temperatures; current and/or past fluid target
temperatures; patient and/or fluid temperature readings; treatment
start and stop times; fluid flow rates; rates of change of patient
and/or fluid temperatures; alarms or errors; device IDs; the
patient's heart rate, breathing rate, oxygenation levels, other
vital signs of the patient; medications administered; time of
Return Of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC); and/or a history and
times of any one or more of these items, etc.). In a second mode,
USB device 180 may act as a host device and treats a connected
device as a slave.
[0105] In some embodiments, the thermal treatment data transferred
from thermal control unit 120 to USB device 180 is transferred in a
Comma Separated Value (CSV) format. In other embodiments, other
formats are used for writing the data to USB device 180. Regardless
of the format of the transferred data, thermal control unit 120 is
configured to automatically detect when USB device 180 is coupled
thereto and to transfer data to device 180 as the data is being
generated during a patient's thermal treatment with thermal control
unit 120 and/or as a batch of data previously generated during the
patient's treatment with thermal control unit 120.
[0106] USB device 180, in some embodiments, is configured to couple
to thermal control device 120 through a USB Serial Protocol Profile
(SPP). In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, USB device 180
includes two ends: a first end 202 and a second end 204. First end
202 is a conventional USB plug that corresponds to the Type A
standard connector of a conventional USB OTG connection, and second
end 204 is a convention USB plug that corresponds to the Type B
micro connector of a conventional USB OTG connection. In some
embodiments, USB device 180 and thermal control unit 120 are
configured to utilize the Host Negotiation Protocol that enables
them to switch their host and slave roles. Still other protocols
and/or features may be included with USB device 180 and/or thermal
control unit 120.
[0107] In at least one embodiment, thermal control unit 120 is
configured to automatically start transferring thermal treatment
data to USB device 180 whenever it exits from a sleep mode and to
terminate transferring thermal treatment data to USB device 180
whenever it enters the sleep mode. In such embodiments, if USB
device 180 is not coupled to thermal control unit 120 upon exiting
from sleep mode, thermal control unit 120 automatically starts
saving the thermal data to a file on board thermal control unit
120. When USB device 180 is plugged into thermal control unit 120,
thermal control unit 120 transfers the saved data file to device
180, as well as any treatment data that is contemporaneously
occurring. If device 180 is not plugged into thermal control unit
120 during the treatment of a patient, thermal control unit 120
saves the thermal treatment data as a data file until unit 120
enters the sleep mode, and/or until a new patient is treated with
thermal control unit 120. Once a USB device 180 is plugged into
thermal control unit 120, the control unit 120 transfers all of its
previously saved thermal data to device 180, including thermal data
that may have been stored for multiple patients and/or for multiple
sessions between sleep modes. In other embodiments, the data that
is transferred to USB device 180 is configurable by a user via user
interface 38.
[0108] USB device 180 also includes, in some embodiments, one or
more configuration files that are read by thermal control unit 120
when it is plugged into control unit 120. The one or more
configuration files include data indicating to thermal control unit
120 what thermal treatment data control unit 120 is to store during
the thermal treatment of a patient using thermal control unit 120.
Specifically, the one or more configuration files dictate to
thermal control unit 120 what the variables are that the user wants
to be captured during the operation of thermal control unit 120.
Because different configuration files may be loaded on different
devices and/or because USB device 180 can have different
configuration files uploaded to it (discussed more below), thermal
control unit 120 may store different thermal treatment data for
different patients, or different thermal treatment data at
different times, depending upon what configuration files were
stored on USB device 180 and read by thermal control unit 120.
[0109] In order to read data transferred from thermal control unit
120 and stored on USB device 180, USB device 180 may be unplugged
from thermal control unit 120 and plugged into a conventional
computer, such as laptop 200 of FIG. 12. When plugged into computer
200, USB device 180 is seen by computer 200 as a flash drive. The
user of laptop 200 is able to use conventional software programs to
access and view the contents of USB device 180, such as, but not
limited to, Windows Explorer (or another web browser) and see all
of the CSV files (or other formatted files) that were saved during
patient treatments. The user of computer 200 is able to copy the
files from USB device 180 onto the computer 200 and manipulate,
view, process, and/or print out the data from USB device 180, as
desired.
[0110] When USB device 180 is plugged into a computer, such a
computer 200, it may also or alternatively be used to store files
transferred from computer 200. For example, a user of computer 200
may copy or write one or more configuration files to USB device 180
using conventional software on computer 200. These configuration
files, as discussed above, are read by thermal control unit 120
when USB device 180 is plugged into thermal control unit 120. One
use of such files is to instruct thermal control unit 120 what
variables and/or data to record on USB device 180 during thermal
treatment of patients. Each configuration file includes a specific
name and a series of parameters that are specific to that
configuration file.
[0111] Although thermal control unit 120 has been described herein
specifically for use with USB device 180, it will be understood
that thermal control unit 120 can be modified to operate in
conjunction with other types of data devices that operate in a
similar manner as USB device 180. For example, instead of
communicating with a data device through a USB port, such as
described above, thermal control unit 120 may additionally or
alternatively be equipped with a Controller Area Network (CAN) port
that communicates using a CAN bus when the data device is coupled
to the port. The data communicated is the same as the previously
described.
[0112] Various additional alterations and changes beyond those
already mentioned herein can be made to the above-described
embodiments. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes
and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all
embodiments or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific
elements illustrated or described in connection with these
embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual
element(s) of the described embodiments may be replaced by
alternative elements that provide substantially similar
functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This
includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such
as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art,
and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such
as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development,
recognize as an alternative. Any reference to claim elements in the
singular, for example, using the articles "a," "an," "the" or
"said," is not to be construed as limiting the element to the
singular.
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