Systems and methods for detecting health disorders

• US 10,441,804 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaib, Thomas E., Volpe, Shane S., Whiting, Jason T., Frank, Gregory R., Carlson, Rachel H., Freeman, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alter, Alyssa M
• Application Number:
  US15/729,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20180117349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/48 Other medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3937 Monitoring output parameters

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a wearable medical device capable of treating a patient presenting with syncope is provided. The wearable medical device includes a memory storing event profile information, a battery, at least one treatment electrode coupled to the battery, at least one processor coupled to the memory and the at least one treatment electrode, and an event manager executed by the at least one processor. The event manager is configured to detect an event associated with syncope; store, in the memory, data descriptive of the event in association with an indication that the data includes data descriptive of a syncopal event; and address the event.

Claims

1. An external wearable defibrillator comprising:

a memory;

a plurality of electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors configured to be disposed on a patient;

at least one motion sensor configured to be disposed on the patient;

at least one external treatment electrode configured to be disposed on the patient;

at least one processor coupled to the memory and the at least one external treatment electrode; and

an event manager executed by the at least one processor and configured to;

monitor an ECG signal of the patient received from at least one of the plurality of ECG sensors;

detect a cardiac arrhythmia based on the ECG signal of the patient; and

deliver a therapeutic treatment to the patient responsive to the detected cardiac arrhythmia;

wherein the event manager executed by the at least one processor is further configured to

receive patient activity data from the at least one motion sensor;

detect, based on the patient activity data, data indicative of a syncope precursor event as a sign of an impending syncope, the data indicative of the syncope precursor event being data related to at least one of a change in the patient'"'"'s gait and increased swaying when the patient walks; and

store, in the memory of the external wearable defibrillator, the ECG signal of the patient during the syncope precursor event in association with information descriptive of the timing of an occurrence of the syncope precursor event and the data indicative of the syncope precursor event.

2. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein detecting the cardiac arrhythmia includes detecting at least one of ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and bradycardia.

3. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 2, wherein delivering the therapeutic treatment includes issuing at least one of a pacing pulse and a defibrillation shock.

4. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein detecting the data indicative of the syncope precursor event further includes identifying a pattern of data in the patient activity data received from the at least one motion sensor and the at least one of the plurality of ECG sensors.

5. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 4, wherein identifying the pattern of data includes identifying a pattern of data indicative of at least one of dyskinesia, lightheadedness, and dizziness.

6. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 4, wherein the event manager is configured to detect, based on the patient activity data, a predetermined pattern of data associated with a syncopal event.

7. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 4, wherein identifying the pattern of data includes identifying a pattern of data indicative of a location of the patient within a space.

8. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the at least one motion sensor configured to be disposed on the patient is a plurality of motion sensors configured to be disposed on the patient'"'"'s torso.

9. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising a response button, and wherein the event manager is configured to record the syncope precursor event after receiving an input via the response button.

10. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the at least one external treatment electrode comprises at least one adhesive external treatment electrode.

11. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the external wearable defibrillator comprises a non-invasive external wearable ambulatory defibrillator.

12. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the event manager is further configured to issue a notification relating to the syncope precursor event.

13. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 12, wherein the notification relating to the syncope precursor event comprises a notification to the patient to prevent the impending syncope.

14. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 13, wherein the notification is configured to cause a physiological response in the patient to avert the impending syncope.

15. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 12, wherein the notification relating to the syncope precursor event comprises an instruction to the patient to at least one of sit down and call for help.

16. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 12, wherein the notification relating to the syncope precursor event comprises a notification to the patient'"'"'s physician that an episode of syncope may be imminent.

17. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the event manager is further configured to transmit the stored data to a remote server via a network interface.

18. The external wearable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the event manager is further configured to:

detect a level of dyskinesia in the patient activity data;

compare the detected dyskinesia to a baseline dyskinesia for the patient; and

responsive to the detected dyskinesia exceeding the baseline dyskinesia by a threshold value, identifying the detected dyskinesia as the syncope precursor event.

19. An external wearable medical device comprising:

a memory;

a plurality of electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors configured to be disposed on a patient;

at least one motion sensor configured to be disposed on the patient;

at least one processor coupled to the memory; and

an event manager executed by the at least one processor and configured to;

monitor an ECG signal of the patient received from at least one of the plurality of ECG sensors;

receive patient activity data from the at least one motion sensor;

detect, based on the patient activity data, data indicative of a syncope precursor event as a sign of an impending syncope, the data indicative of the syncope precursor event being data related to at least one of a change in the patient'"'"'s gait and increased swaying when the patient walks; and

store, in the memory of the external wearable medical device, the ECG signal of the patient during the syncope precursor event in association with information descriptive of the timing of an occurrence of the syncope precursor event and the data indicative of the syncope precursor event.

20. The external wearable medical device of claim 19, wherein the event manager executed by the at least one processor is further configured to detect one or more cardiac arrhythmias and wherein the one or more cardiac arrhythmias comprise at least one of ventricular fibrillation and bradycardia.

21. The external wearable medical device of claim 19, wherein detecting the data indicative of the syncope precursor event further includes identifying a pattern of data in the patient activity data received from the at least one motion sensor and the at least one of the plurality of ECG sensors.

22. The external wearable medical device of claim 21, wherein identifying the pattern of data includes identifying a pattern of data indicative of a level of dyskinesia.

23. The external wearable medical device of claim 21, wherein identifying the pattern of data includes identifying a pattern of data indicative of a location of the patient within a space.

24. The external wearable medical device of claim 21, wherein identifying the pattern of data includes identifying a pattern of data indicative of swaying of a spine of the patient.

25. The external wearable medical device of claim 19, wherein the event manager is further configured to issue a notification of the impending syncope.

26. The external wearable medical device of claim 19, wherein the event manager is further configured to transmit the stored data to a remote server via a network interface.

27. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

monitoring, by an external wearable medical device worn by the patient, an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal of the patient received from at least one of a plurality of ECG sensors disposed on the patient;

receiving, by the external wearable medical device, patient activity data from at least one motion sensor disposed on the patient;

detecting, by the external wearable medical device and based on the patient activity data, data indicative of a syncope precursor event as a sign of an impending syncope, the data indicative of the syncope precursor event being data related to at least one of a change in the patient'"'"'s gait and increased swaying when the patient walks; and

storing, in a memory of the external wearable medical device, the ECG signal of the patient during the syncope precursor event in association with information descriptive of the timing of an occurrence of the syncope precursor event and the data indicative of the syncope precursor event.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

detecting a cardiac arrhythmia based on the ECG signal of the patient; and

delivering a therapeutic treatment to the patient responsive to the detected cardiac arrhythmia.