Method and apparatus for detecting artifacts in a blood pressure measuring system

Claim 3

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said mean value is a moving average.

Claim 4

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said mean value is calculated from the mean beat-to-beat blood pressure.

Claim 5

The method according to claim 1, comprising the additional step of indicating an artificial artifact only if substantially all samples compared during said period of time exceed, or are equal to, a predetermined threshold.

Claim 6

The method according to claim 1, comprising the additional step of indicating an artificial artifact only if the difference between substantially every sample and the sample preceding it in time is greater than, or equal to, a predetermined limit, said samples occurring during said period of time.

Claim 7

The method according to claim 1, comprising the additional step of varying the amplitude of said mean value in dependence of preceding detected artifacts.

Claim 8

The method according to claim 6, wherein the amplitude of said mean value is increased if an artificial artifact has not been detected for a predetermined time period.

Claim 9

The method according to claim 1, wherein said indicating step is inhibited if the difference between a sample and preceding sample falls below a predetermined limit.

Claim 10

The method according to claim 1, wherein said indicating step is inhibited if a sample falls below a predetermined limit.

Claim 11

The method according to claim 1, wherein said indication is removed if a predetermined time period has expired since its last onset.

Claim 12

The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of suppressing or disabling an alarm as long as an artificial artifact is indicated.

Claim 13

The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is set up for the detection of artifacts caused by sampling in an invasive blood pressure measuring system.

Claim 14

The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is set up for the detection of artifacts caused by a flushing in an invasive blood pressure measuring system.

Claim 15

The method according to claim 1, wherein the repeating step includes repeating the calculating step.

Claim 16

The method according to claim 1, wherein said period of time is defined by a predetermined number of samples.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 15, wherein said samples are substantially equally spaced.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 1, wherein said period of time is a predetermined amount of time.

Claim 19

The method according to claim 1, wherein said indicating step is inhibited if the samples occurring during said period of time fall below a predetermined limit.

Claim 20

A blood pressure measuring system, in particular an invasive blood pressure measuring system, comprising: blood pressure sensing means for receiving electronic signals representative of a being's blood pressure from a blood pressure transducer; blood pressure calculating means for calculating the blood pressure, in particular the mean beat-to-beat blood pressure, from said electronic signals received from said blood pressure sensing means; alarm generating means set up to generate an alarm if said calculated blood pressure fulfills at least one predetermined alarm condition, in particular if it falls below or exceeds a predetermined limit; and artificial artifact detection means for comparing samples representative of said being's actual blood pressure with a mean value based on preceding values of the blood pressure for repeating said comparison for a predetermined number of samples and for generating an artificial artifact indicating signal if substantially all of said comparisons reveal that the samples exceed said mean value or values unless pulsation is sensed by said blood pressure transducer; wherein said artificial artifact indicating signal is fed to said alarm generating means causing the alarm generating means to suppress alarms as long as said artificial artifact indicating signal is in its active state.

Claim 21

A blood pressure measuring system, in particular an invasive blood pressure measuring system, comprising: blood pressure sensing means for receiving electronic signals representative of a being's blood pressure from a blood pressure transducer; blood pressure calculating means for calculating the blood pressure, in particular the mean beat-to-beat blood pressure, from said electronic signals received from said blood pressure sensing means; alarm generating means set up to generate an alarm if said calculated blood pressure fulfills at least one predetermined alarm condition, in particular if it falls below or exceeds a predetermined limit; and artificial artifact detection means for comparing samples representative of said being's actual blood pressure with a mean value based on preceding values of the blood pressure for repeating said comparison for a predetermined number of samples and for generating an artificial artifact indicating signal if substantially all of said comparisons reveal that the samples exceed said mean value or values unless pulsation is sensed by said blood pressure transducer; wherein said artificial artifact indicating signal is fed to said alarm generating means causing the alarm generating means to suppress alarms as long as said artificial artifact indicating signal is in its active state.