Apparatus for evaluating a patient's laryngeal cough reflex and associated methods
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for evaluating a patient'"'"'s laryngeal cough reflex function, said apparatus comprising:
- a nebulizer capable of being actuated to atomize a cough-inducing substance;
a switch associated with said nebulizer, said switch responsive to actuation of the nebulizer; and
a connection between said switch and an EMG machine to thereby transmit a signal to activate the EMG machine responsive to said switch.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for evaluating a patient'"'"'s laryngeal cough reflex function includes a nebulizer capable of being actuated to atomize a cough-inducing substance, a switch associated with the nebulizer, the switch responsive to actuation of the nebulizer, and a connection between the switch and an EMG machine to thereby activate the EMG machine responsive to the switch. Elapsed time between switch actuation and electrical activity sensed in a muscle which contracts to produce a cough is indicative of status of the patient'"'"'s laryngeal cough reflex.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus for evaluating a patient'"'"'s laryngeal cough reflex function, said apparatus comprising:
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a nebulizer capable of being actuated to atomize a cough-inducing substance;
a switch associated with said nebulizer, said switch responsive to actuation of the nebulizer; and
a connection between said switch and an EMG machine to thereby transmit a signal to activate the EMG machine responsive to said switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for evaluating a patient'"'"'s laryngeal cough reflex function, said apparatus comprising in combination:
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a nebulizer capable of being actuated to atomize a cough-inducing substance contained therein;
an electrical switch associated with said nebulizer and responsive to actuation of said nebulizer;
an EMG machine having one or more sensing electrodes connectable to the patient for sensing muscular electrical activity; and
a connection between said switch and said EMG machine to thereby activate the EMG machine responsive to said switch. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of evaluating a patient'"'"'s laryngeal cough reflex function, the method comprising:
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providing a nebulizer containing a cough-inducing substance, the nebulizer being associated with a switch responsive to actuation of the nebulizer;
operatively connecting the nebulizer associated switch with an EMG machine so as to activate the EMG machine responsive to the switch;
connecting one or more sensing electrodes from the EMG machine to a position on the patient sufficiently close to at least one muscle which contracts to cause the patient to cough, so as to sense electrical activity in the at least one muscle;
inducing a cough in the patient by actuating the nebulizer so as to direct atomized cough-inducing substance into the patient'"'"'s throat;
sensing electrical activity generated in the at least one muscle responsive to the induced cough; and
determining elapsed time between response of the nebulizer switch and the electrical activity sensed in the at least one muscle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification