Methods, Devices and Systems for the Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infants Predisposed to SIDS
First Claim
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1. A method for preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in an infant, comprising:
- limiting a maximum pressure of blood flow through an umbilical cord connecting a placenta and a newborn infant as soon as the umbilical cord after the infant exits the birth canal during delivery of the infant, said limiting permitting blood flow through the umbilical cord.
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Abstract
Methods and systems for preventing the underlying anatomical cause that gives rise to a predisposition to SIDS are provided. Methods and systems are provided for the diagnosis of infants predisposed to SIDS. Methods and systems are provided for the therapeutic treatment of infants predisposed to SIDS. A treatment device includes an auditory stimulation system, a monitoring system, a warming system and a response system that can respond to and alleviate crisis situations.
35 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method for preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in an infant, comprising:
limiting a maximum pressure of blood flow through an umbilical cord connecting a placenta and a newborn infant as soon as the umbilical cord after the infant exits the birth canal during delivery of the infant, said limiting permitting blood flow through the umbilical cord. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in an infant, comprising:
an inflatable cuff sized to receive and encircle an umbilical cord attached to a newborn human infant, the cuff inflatable to a first inflation pressure that restricts but does not prevent blood flow through the umbilical cord and a second inflation pressure that substantially prevents blood flow through the umbilical cord. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method of diagnosing an infant as predisposed with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), comprising:
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a) performing at least one of the following on a newborn infant, i) an elevated blood troponin test within 24 to 48 hours after birth, ii) a visual evoked potential test within the first hour after the infant'"'"'s umbilical cord cut, iii) a breath ketone level test, iv) a clinical inspection for splinter hemorrhage and bleeding spots in the gums, under the fingernails and/or around the umbilicus that indicate high venous pressure during birth, v) a clinical inspection of broken veins in the inside floor of the eyeball within a one week after birth, vi) cardiac echogram to indicate cardiac valve injury, vii) imaging to determine the presence of fluid in the mastoid air cells and, if present, aspirating the fluid to determine whether the fluid is blood; and
.b) upon the confirmation of one or more of i) to vii), and such confirmation not attributable to any other known cause in the infant, diagnosing the infant as predisposed with SIDS. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method of treating an infant previously diagnosed as predisposed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), comprising:
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a) monitoring the heart rate and CO2 levels in the infant; and b) in the event of identifying the heart rate a predetermined level and the CO2 levels at a predetermined level, i) delivering oxygen to the lungs of the infant to clear CO2 from the lungs, ii) delivering an inhalable dose of epinephrine to enhance heart pumping to remove CO2 from the lungs, and iii) cooling a portion of the infant to initiate a gasping reflex. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A treatment system for treating an infant previously diagnosed as predisposed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), comprising:
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a) an auditory stimulation system that reproduces a melodic and harmonic arrangement of tones through at least one sound transducer to stimulate the auditory system of the infant; b) a monitoring system including, i) a heart rate monitor that monitors a heart rate of the infant, and ii) a first CO2 monitor that measures a blood CO2 of the infant; c) a warming system that maintains a body of the infant at a substantially constant core temperature; and d) a response system activated when the monitoring system indicates that there is a decrease in the heart rate and an increase in the blood CO2, the response system including, i) an oxygen delivery system to deliver inhalable oxygen to the infant, ii) an epinephrine delivery system to deliver inhalable epinephrine to the infant, and iii) a cooling system to cool a portion of the infant to initiate a gasping reflex. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A treatment system for treating an infant previously diagnosed as predisposed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), comprising:
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a) a monitoring system including, i) a heart rate monitor that monitors a heart rate of the infant, and ii) a first CO2 monitor that measures a blood CO2 of the infant; and b) a response system activated when the monitoring system indicates that there is a decrease in the heart rate and an increase in the blood CO2, the response system including, i) an oxygen delivery system to deliver inhalable oxygen to the infant, and ii) a cooling system to cool a portion of the infant to initiate a gasping reflex. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A stimulation system for an infant predisposed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the infant having an auditory system, and the stimulation system for use with a heart rate monitor, comprising:
an auditory stimulation system that, when activated, produces a melodic and harmonic arrangement of tones through at least one sound transducer to stimulate the auditory system of the infant, said auditory stimulation system including an input to receive a signal from the heart rate monitor such that when said auditory stimulation system receives a signal from the heart rate monitor indicating that the infant heart rate has reached a predetermined rate, the auditory stimulation system is automatically activated. - View Dependent Claims (33)
Specification