Condition analysis

• US 20060116910A1
• Filed: 09/19/2003
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neurotech Research Pty. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Neurotech Research Pty. Ltd.
• Inventors: Greenwood, Nigel
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of determining a treatment program for a subject. The method includes obtaining subject data representing the subject'"'"'s condition. The subject data is used together with a model of the condition, to determine system values representing the condition. These system values are then used to determining one or more trajectories representing the progression of the condition in accordance with the model. From this, it is possible to determine a treatment program in accordance with the determined trajectories.

Claims

1. A method of determining a treatment program for a subject, the method including:

a) Obtaining subject data, the subject date representing the subject'"'"'s condition;

b) Using the subject data and a model of the condition to determine system values representing the condition;

c) Determining one or more trajectories representing the progression of the condition in accordance with the model and the determined system values; and

,

d) Determining a treatment program in accordance with the determined trajectories.

2. A method according to claim 1, the subject data representing a medical condition for the respective individual, the method including determining trajectories representing the progression of the medical condition within the individual.

3. A method according to claim 1, each system value representing a quantity obtained for the measurement of a respective attribute of the condition, the system values including:

a) State variable values representing rapidly changing attributes; and

b) Parameter values representing slowly changing or constant attributes.

4. A method according to claim 1, the method including determining control variable values, the control variables representing attributes of the condition that can be externally controlled.

5. A method according to claim 4, the model including one or more model equations representing the condition, the method including determining one or more subject equations in accordance with the model equation(s) and the system values.

6. A method according to claim 5, the method of determining the treatment program including:

a) Evaluating the behaviour of trajectories representing solutions of the subject equations; and

,

b) Determining one or more control programs, each control program including a sequence of control variable values that result in trajectories having desired behaviour.

7. A method according to claim 6, the method including a determining a set of target points, the target points including stable points for the subject equation(s).

8. A method according to claim 7, the desired behaviour including at least one of:

a) The trajectories are acceptable;

b) The trajectories do not move away from the target points; and

,

c) The trajectories finally approach the target points.

9. A method according to claim 8, the method including determining the solution trajectories to be acceptable if they are:

a) Non-chaotic; and

,

b) Sufficiently smooth.

10. A method according to claim 7, the method of evaluating the behaviour of the trajectories including:

a) Determining regions of control variable and/or parameter values for which the trajectories are chaotic; and

,

b) Determining ranges of the control variable and/or parameter values for which the trajectories can be made non-chaotic, or otherwise stabilised.

11. A method according to claim 10, the method including determining one or more control programs in accordance with the determined ranges.

12. A method according to claim 10, the method including using a Liapunov function to determine the one or more control programs.

13. A method according to claim 12, the method including:

a) Defining a Liapunov function for which the gradient defines trajectories moving towards the target points;

b) Defining constraints on the control variable values; and

,

c) Determining control variable values that result in trajectories traveling down the gradient of the Liapunov function in accordance with the constraints.

14. A method according to claim 13, the constraints including limits on the treatment that can be provided to the subject.

15. A method according to claim 10, the method including determining a treatment in accordance with one or more of the determined control programs by:

a) Viewing a representation of the trajectories, the representation including an indication of the chaotic regions; and

,

b) Selecting a control program in accordance with the represented trajectories.

16. A method according to claim 6, the method including:

a) Determining one or more Nature values, the Nature values being quantities of Nature parameters and/or variables representing attributes of the condition that will cause the condition to progress in an undesirable manner; and

,

b) Modifying the subject equations to incorporate the one or more Nature values;

c) Evaluating the behaviour of modified trajectories representing solutions of the modified subject equations; and

,

d) Performing at least one of;

i) Determining one or more control programs, each control program including control variable values that result in modified trajectories having desired behaviour; and

,

ii) Determining one or more undesired programs, each undesired program including Nature values that result in modified trajectories having undesired behaviour.

17. A method according to claim 16, the method including, using the modified trajectories, the method of evaluating the behaviour of the trajectories including:

a) Determining regions of control variable and/or parameter values for which the trajectories are chaotic; and

,

b) Determining ranges of the control variable and/or parameter values for which the trajectories can be made non-chaotic, or otherwise stabilised.

18. A method according to claim 16, the method including determining a set of undesired points, the undesired behaviour including at least one of:

a) The modified trajectories are unacceptable;

b) The modified trajectories do not move away from the undesired points; and

,

c) The modified trajectories finally approach the undesired points.

19. A method according to claim 17, the method including:

a) Defining a second Liapunov function for which the gradient defines modified trajectories moving towards the undesired points;

b) Defining constraints on the Nature values; and

,

c) Determining Nature values that result in modified trajectories travelling down the gradient of the second Liapunov function in accordance with the constraints.

20. A method according to claim 19, the method including determining the treatment program in accordance with control programs and the Nature programs by:

a) Determining starting points having modified trajectories for which control programs exist;

b) Determining starting points having modified trajectories for which Nature programs exist;

c) Viewing a representation including at least one of;

i) The modified trajectories;

ii) The starting points; and

,

iii) The chaotic regions; and

,

d) Selecting a control program in accordance with one or more represented trajectories.

21. A method according to claim 2, the method including determining parameter values by:

a) Determining a partial set of system values from the subject data;

b) Selecting one or more models, each model including a one or more equations representing the effect of a condition on an individual;

c) Attempting to determine a complete set of system values in accordance with the determined partial set of system values and the respective equations; and

,

d) Selecting a model in accordance with the determined complete set of system values.

22. A method according to claim 21, the method of attempting to determine the complete values including:

a) Determining a candidate set of system values in accordance with the determined partial set of system values and the equations; and

,

b) Comparing the candidate set of system values to at least one of;

i) The partial set of system values; and

,

ii) Predetermined thresholds; and

,

c) Selecting the model in accordance with the result of the comparison.

23. A method according to claim 1, the method including:

a) Determining stability sets; and

,

b) Determine the treatment in accordance with the stability sets.

24. A method according to claim 23, the stability sets representing combinations of state and parameter values for which the resulting trajectories are acceptable.

25. A method according to claim 23, the method including determining a control program in accordance with the stability sets.

26. A method according to claim 24, the method including:

a) Considering subject state variable and parameters values for the subject;

b) Determining modification of the state variable and parameter values required such that the subject'"'"'s state variable and parameter values fall within the stability sets; and

,

c) Determining the treatment program in accordance with the required modification of the state variable and parameter values.

27. A method according to claim 22, the method including determining a medication dosage regime in accordance with the determined stability sets.

28. A method according to claim 1, the method including determining a control program using one or more of:

a) Liapunov functions;

b) Dynamic optimization techniques;

c) Convex set algorithms.

29. A method according to claim 1, the subject being a patient.

30. A method according to claim 1, the treatment being the administration of medication.

31. (canceled)

32. Apparatus for determining a treatment program for a subject, the apparatus including a processing system adapted to:

a) Obtaining subject data, the subject date representing the condition;

b) Using the subject data and a model of the condition to determine system values representing the condition;

c) Determining one or more trajectories representing the progression of the condition in accordance with the model and the determined system values; and

,

d) Determining a treatment program in accordance with the determined trajectories.

38. A method according to claim 32, the system value including:

a) State variable values representing rapidly changing attributes; and

b) Parameter values representing slowly changing or constant attributes

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. A method of determining system values representing a subject'"'"'s condition, the method including:

a) Obtaining subject date, the subject data representing the condition;

b) Determining a partial set of system values from the subject data, each system value representing a quantity obtained by the measurement of a respective attribute of the condition;

c) Determining a plurality of models, each model including a one or more equations representing the effect of a condition of individual;

d) Attempting to calculate a complete set of system values in accordance with the partial set of system values and the respective equation, for each model; and

,

e) Selecting one of the plurality of model in accordance with the determined complete set of system values.

39. A method of claim 37, the method of attempting to determine the complete values including;

a) Determining a candidate set of system values in accordance with the determined partial set of system values and the equations; and

,

b) Comparing the candidate set of system values to at least one of;

i. The partial set of system values; and

,

ii. Predetermined thresholds; and

,

c) Selecting the model in accordance with the result of the comparison.

40. (canceled)

41. Apparatus for determining system values representing a subject'"'"'s condition, the apparatus including a processing system adapted to:

a) Obtaining subject data, the subject data representing the condition;

b) Determining a partial set of system values from the subject data, each system value representing a quantity obtained by the measurement of a respective attribute of the condition;

c) Determining a plurality of models, each model including a one or more equations representing the effect of a condition on an individual;

d) Attempting to calculate a complete set of system values in accordance with the partial set of system values and the respective equations, for each model; and

,

e) Selecting one of the plurality of models in accordance with the determined complete set of system values.

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

45. (canceled)

46. A method of determining the effectiveness of treatment provided to a subject, the method including:

a) Obtaining subject data, the subject data representing the condition;

b) Using the subject data and a model of the condition to calculate system values representing the effect of the condition;

c) Providing treatment to the subject;

d) Repeating steps (a) and (b) to calculate modified system values;

e) Comparing the system values and the modified system values; and

,

f) Determining the effect of the treatment in accordance with the results of the comparison.

47. (canceled)

48. (canceled)

49. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

51. (canceled)

52. (canceled)