Passive phonography heart monitor

• US 20070260155A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LONO Medical Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: LONO Medical Systems LLC
• Inventors: Orenstein, Nicholas, Rapoport, Ezra
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/528
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/344 Foetal cardiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4356 Assessing uterine contractions A61B5/033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4362 Assessing foetal parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

A fetal heart monitor device includes a channel to receive a first signal representative of acoustic energy principally from a maternal heartbeat and a second signal representative of acoustic energy including a fetal heart beat. The device includes a computing device including a processor, a memory operatively coupled to the processor and non-volatile storage operatively coupled to the processor, the non-volatile storage storing a computer program including instructions to cause the processor to process the first and second electrical signals into an electrical signal representative of the acoustic energy emitted by the fetal heart.

Claims

1. A fetal heart monitor device comprises:

a channel to receive a first signal representative of acoustic energy principally from a maternal heartbeat and a second signal representative of acoustic energy including a fetal heart beat;

a computing device, comprising;

a processor;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor; and

non-volatile storage operatively coupled to the processor, the non-volatile storage storing a computer program comprising instruction to cause the processor to;

analyze the first and second electrical signals and output an electrical signal representative of acoustic energy emitted during the fetal heartbeat.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a channel to receive a third signal representative of mechanical strain energy of uterine contractions; and

the program comprises instructions to;

process the third electrical signal into an indication of maternal uterine rates of contraction.

3. The device of claim 1 a wherein instructions to process further comprises instructions to:

process the second electrical signal to provide an electrical signal representative of acoustic energy principally of the maternal heartbeat.

4. The device of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

render the electrical signal representative of the fetal heartbeat on an output device.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the monitor further comprises:

an audio speaker and the electrical signal is rendered by the speaker to produce an audio representation of the fetal heartbeat.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the monitor further comprises:

a display and the electrical signal is rendered by the display to produce representation of the fetal heartbeat.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the monitor further comprises:

a display and the electrical signal is rendered by the display to provide a representation of the fetal heartbeat rate.

8. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a pair of acoustic transducers each comprising a polymer that exhibits piezoelectric properties, and which converts acoustic energy into the first and second signals.

9. The device of claim 2 further comprising:

three acoustic transducers each comprising a polymer that exhibits piezoelectric properties, and which converts acoustic energy into the first, second and third signals.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a pair of acoustic transducers each comprising a polymer that exhibits piezoelectric properties, and which converts acoustic energy into the first and second signals; and

a strain gauge that provides a third signal representative of maternal contractions.

11. The device of claim 8 wherein the pair of transducers are coupled to the monitor, via wires or cables to provide the first and second signals to the channel.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein each of the first and second transducers, comprise circuitry to wirelessly transmit data over the first and second channels to the monitor;

and the monitor further comprises;

circuitry to receive the wirelessly transmitted data.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the circuitry to wirelessly transmit data comprises:

radio frequency transmitter circuitry.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the circuitry to wirelessly transmit data comprises:

circuitry to transmit a unique transducer identification code to the monitor.

15. The device of claim 8 wherein each transducer comprises a polymer sheet of polyvinyldene fluoride and/or co-polymers thereof.

16. A method of monitoring fetal heart beat, the method comprises:

receiving over a first channel, a first signal representative of acoustic energy principally from a maternal heartbeat;

receiving, over a second channel, a second signal representative of acoustic energy including a fetal heart beat;

processing the first and second electrical signals into an electrical signal representing acoustic energy principally of the fetal heartbeat.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprises:

converting acoustic energy representative of maternal uterine contractions into a third electrical signal.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein processing further comprises:

processing the first and second electrical signals to provide the electrical signal representative of acoustic energy principally of the fetal heartbeat, the second signal to provide a signal representative of the maternal heart and the third signal to provide a signal representative of maternal uterine contractions.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

rendering the electrical signals representative of the fetal heartbeat, maternal heartbeat and uterine contractions on an output device.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein processing comprises:

applying principal component analysis to digital representations of the signals.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting data from a pair of transducers disposed on the patient over the first and second channels to provide the first and second signals.

22. A fetal heart monitor device comprises:

a channel to receive a first signal representative of acoustic energy principally from a maternal heartbeat and a second signal representative of acoustic energy including a fetal heart beat; and

circuitry to process the first and second electrical signals into an electrical signal representing acoustic energy principally of the fetal heartbeat.

23. The device of claim 22 further comprising:

a channel to receive a third signal representative of acoustic energy of uterine contractions; and

circuitry to process the third electrical signal into an indication of maternal uterine rates of contraction.

24. The device of claim 22 further comprising circuitry to:

render the electrical signal representative of the fetal heartbeat on an output device.

25. The device of claim 22 further comprises:

circuitry to modulate the fetal heart tone into the audible frequency range; and

an audio speaker to render an audio representation of the fetal heartbeat.

26. The device of claim 22 further comprising:

a display to render a visual representation of the fetal heartbeat.

27. The device of claim 22 wherein the monitor further comprises:

a display to render a value indicative of fetal heartbeat rate.