Headset for measuring physiological parameters

• US 20030220584A1
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Colin Medical Technology Corporation (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Canady, Larry D. Jr., Honeyager, Kevin S., Bartels, Keith A.
• Application Number:
  US10/418,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220584A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02125 of pulse wave propagation time
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0285 Measuring or recording phase velocity of blood waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/023 for introduction into the body, e.g. into the oesophagus oesophageal ECG probes A61B5/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

Methods and systems for determining physiological parameters from body sounds obtained from a person'"'"'s ear. In various exemplary embodiment, the system includes an earplug housing; a sensing element disposed within a portion of the earplug housing; an acoustic shield coupled to the earplug housing, the acoustic shield reducing or eliminating extracorporeal sounds; and a preamplification circuit electrically coupled to the sensing element. In various exemplary embodiments, the system is operable to determine motion and/or vibration of the external acoustic meatus or the tympanic membrane of the ear due to internally generated body sounds.

Claims

1. A system for determining the motion and/or vibration of the external acoustic meatus of the ear, the system comprising:

an earplug housing;

a sensing element disposed within a portion of the earplug housing;

an acoustic shield coupled to the earplug housing, the acoustic shield reducing or eliminating extracorporeal sounds; and

a preamplification circuit electrically coupled to the sensing element.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a data acquisition and/or processing system electrically coupled to the preamplification circuit.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the system is operable to determine motion and/or vibration of the external acoustic meatus of the ear due to internally generated body sounds.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the data acquisition and/or processing system uses the determined motion and/or vibration to determine one or more of the person'"'"'s heart rate, respiration rate, heart sounds, blood pressure or blood pressure trends, PWV or PWVI, and indicators of heart murmurs.

5. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a power supply system electrically coupled to the data acquisition and/or processing system.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic shield is disposed between the earplug housing and external environment.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the earplug housing is made of compressible foam, a biocompatible rigid or semirigid polymer, or the like.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensing element is a strain gage, a PVDF film, an accelerometer, a piezoceramic substrate, or the like.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the earplug housing, the sensing element, the preamplification circuit and the acoustic shield are located within the ear.

10. A headset device for positioning and/or retaining at least one of the system according to claim 1 in the external acoustic meatus of at least one ear.

11. The headset device according to claim 10, wherein the preamplification circuitry is disposed within the headset.

12. The headset device according to claim 10, wherein the data acquisition and/or signal processing system is either integral to the headset or external to the headset.

13. The headset according to claim 12, wherein the data acquisition and/or signal processing system is used to determine one or more of the person'"'"'s heart rate, respiration rate, S1 timing, S2 timing, blood pressure or blood pressure trends, PWV or PWVI, and indicators of heart murmurs.

27. The headset device of claim 10 having a system according to claim 1 in each ear, wherein signals associated with motion and/or vibration of the external acoustic meatus from each ear can be used to assess signal quality, perform motion artifact rejection, and the like.

14. A system for determining the motion or vibration of the tympanic membrane of the ear, the system comprising:

an earplug housing;

a sensing element disposed within a portion of the earplug housing;

an acoustic shield coupled to the earplug housing, the acoustic shield reducing or eliminating extracorporeal sounds;

a preamplification circuit electrically coupled to the sensing element.

15. The system according to claim 14 further comprising a data acquisition and/or processing system electrically coupled to the preamplification circuit.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the system is operable to determine motion or vibration of the external acoustic meatus of the ear due to internally generated body sounds.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the data acquisition and/or processing system uses the determined motion and/or vibration to determine one or more of the person'"'"'s heart rate, respiration rate, S1 timing, S2 timing, blood pressure or blood pressure trends, PWV or PWVI, and indicators of heart murmurs.

18. The system according to claim 14 further comprising a power supply system electrically coupled to the data acquisition and/or processing system.

19. The system according to claim 14, wherein the acoustic shield is disposed between the earplug housing and external environment.

20. The system according to claim 14, wherein the earplug housing is made of compressible foam, a biocompatible rigid or semirigid polymer, or the like.

21. The system according to claim 14, wherein the sensing element is a strain gage, a PVDF film, an accelerometer, a piezoceramic substrate, or the like.

22. The system according to claim 14, wherein the earplug housing, the sensing element, the preamplification circuit and the acoustic shield are located within the ear.

23. A headset device for positioning and retaining at least one of the system according to claim 14 in the tympanic membrane of at least one ear.

24. The headset device according to claim 23, wherein the preamplification circuitry is disposed within the headset.

25. The headset device according to claim 23, wherein the data acquisition and signal processing system is either integral to the headset device or external to the headset device.

26. The headset device according to claim 25, wherein the data acquisition and/or signal processing system is used to determine one or more of the person'"'"'s heart rate, respiration rate, S1 timing, S2 timing, blood pressure or blood pressure trends, PWV or PWVI, and indicators of heart murmurs.

28. The headset device of claim 23 having a system according to claim 14 in each ear, wherein signals associated with motion and/or vibration of the external acoustic meatus from each ear can be used to assess signal quality, perform motion artifact rejection, and the like.

29. A method for determining cardiovascular parameters of a person, the method comprising:

placing a sensing device within a person'"'"'s ear;

placing a blood-pressure waveform sensor at a location distal to the heart;

obtaining a first set of waveforms from the sensing device;

obtaining a second set of waveforms from the blood-pressure waveform sensor;

performing a signal processing or conditioning operation using the first and second sets of waveforms;

determining a time delay between the dicrotic notch component of the conditioned blood-pressure waveform signal and the S2 component of the conditioned ear sensor signal;

determining a blood pressure pulse transit time value by adding S2D, representing a time delay between a person'"'"'s heart valve closure time and an arrival time of the S2 signal at the first distal location, to the time delay between the dicrotic notch signal and the S2 signal; and

determining cardiovascular parameters of a person using the determined blood pressure pulse transit time and at least one physical parameter representative of a arterial distance between a location of aortic valve of the heart and a location of the blood-pressure waveform sensor.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the sensing device is a motion or vibration sensing device.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein cardiovascular parameters include blood pressure-wave velocity, heart rate, a person'"'"'s heart isovolumetric contraction period or the like.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein performing a signal processing or conditioning operation comprises one or more of performing an ensemble averaging operation, performing a processing using a bandpass filter, and performing a processing to determine a stable detection point on the S2 signal from the ear.