METHOD AND SYSTEM OF GENERATING INDICIA REPRESENTATIVE OF START OF AN INHALATION

• US 20080006271A1
• Filed: 07/08/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acoba LLC
• Original Assignee: Acoba LLC
• Inventors: SPECTOR, LAWRENCE C., AYLSWORTH, ALONZO C.
• Application Number:
  US11/456,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20080006271A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/00 Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes stimulating the respiratory movement by mechanical, pneumatic or electrical means, iron lungs combined with gas breathing means A61H31/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/021 operated by electrical means A61M16/202 – A61M16/205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0039 in the inspiratory circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 Rate

Abstract

A method and system of generating indicia indicative of start of an inhalation. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising sensing respirations of a patient, determining the start of an inhalation portion of a respiration, and providing a first indicia indicative of the start of the inhalation portion (the first indicia associated with a representation of the respiration).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sensing respirations of a patient;

determining the start of an inhalation portion of a respiration; and

providing a first indicia indicative of the start of the inhalation portion, the first indicia associated with a representation of the respiration.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein providing further comprises driving the first indicia in an analog output signal.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein driving further comprises driving the first indicia and the representation of the respiration in the analog output signal.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein driving the first indicia further comprises driving an impulse function in the analog output signal.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein providing further comprises providing the first indicia in a data file storing data representative of the respiration.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein providing further comprises providing the first indicia in a message stream forward to a computer system.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein providing further comprises providing the first indicia as a visual indicator on a plot of the representation of the respiration on a display device.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein providing further comprises displaying an impulse function.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising

determining the start of an exhalation portion of the respiration;

and

providing a second indicia indicative of the start of the exhalation portion, the second indicia associated with a representation of the respiration.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein sensing further comprises one selected from the group:

sensing respiratory airflow through a flow through sensor;

or sensing pressure associated with respiratory airflow.

11. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to sense respiratory airflow of a patient;

an electrical output port; and

a trigger circuit coupled to the sensor and the output port, the trigger circuit configured to sense a respiration of the patient using signals from the sensor;

wherein the trigger circuit is further configured to provide a first indicia indicative of a start of an inhalation portion of the respiration, the first indicia supplied to the electrical output port.

12. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the trigger circuit further comprises a processor configured to sense a respiration of the patient using signals from the sensor and to provide a first indicia indicative of a start of an inhalation portion of the respiration.

13. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical output port is an analog output port, and wherein the first indicia is a voltage spike proximate in time to the start of the inhalation portion.

14. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical output port is a digital communication port, and wherein the first indicia is a value indicative of the start of the inhalation portion.

15. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the trigger circuit is further configured to provide a second indicia indicative of a start of an exhalation portion of the respiration, and the second indicia supplied to the electrical output port.

16. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the trigger circuit is further configured to generate a representation of the respiration, and to provide the representation to the electrical output port.

17. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the sensor wirelessly couples to the trigger circuit.

18. The system as defined in claim 11 wherein the sensor Her comprises one selected from the group:

a flow through sensor;

a pressure sensor.

19. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

obtain data regarding respirations of a patient;

determine a start of an inhalation portion of a respiration;

provide a first indicia to a display device, the first indicia indicative of the start of the inhalation portion.

20. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19 wherein the instructions executed by the processor case the processor further to provide a second indicia to the display device, the second indicia indicative of the start of an exhalation portion of the respiration.

21. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 19 wherein when the processor provides the instructions cause the processor to provide the first indicia along with a representation of the respiration.