Automated Sleep Phenotyping

• US 20090082639A1
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips RS North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: RIC INVESTMENTS LLC (Respironics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Reif, Jacobo D., White, David P., Witt, Erik K., Blake, Stefanida K., Pittman, Stephen D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,743,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/085 Measuring impedance of respiratory organs or lung elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• 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 16/0045 Means for re-breathing exhaled gases, e.g. for hyperventilation treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/022 Control means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0033 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/103 the CO2 concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0083 especially for waking up
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 : User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 : with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 : Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/10 : Electroencephalographic signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/14 : Electro-oculogram [EOG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/205 : partial oxygen pressure (P-O2)
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/30 : Blood pressure A61M2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/40 : Respiratory characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/60 : Muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/63 : Motion, e.g. physical activity

Abstract

A system that determines one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of a subject. In one embodiment, the system comprises a sleep sensor, a stimulus generator, and a processor. The sleep sensor generates signals that convey information related to the physiological functions that indicate the sleep stage of the subject. The stimulus generator provides a stimulus to the subject that enables information related to the sleep phenotyping parameters to be determined. The processor receives the signals generated by the sleep sensor and is in operative communication with the stimulus generator. The processor (i) determines, based on the signals received from the sleep sensor, whether a trigger condition related to the current sleep stage of the subject is satisfied, (ii) controls the stimulus generator to provide the stimulus to the subject if the trigger condition is satisfied, and (iii) quantifies the response of the subject to the stimulus.

Claims

1. A system configured to enable determination of one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of a subject, the system comprising:

a sleep sensor configured to generate one or more output signals that convey information related to one or more physiological functions that indicate a sleep stage of a subject;

a stimulus generator configured to selectively provide a stimulus to the subject, wherein a response of the subject to the stimulus enables information related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters to be determined; and

a processor that receives the one or more output signals generated by the sleep sensor and being in operative communication with the stimulus generator, the processor being configured (i) to determine, based on the one or more output signals received from the sleep sensor, whether a trigger condition related to the current sleep stage of the subject is satisfied, and (ii) to control the stimulus generator to provide the stimulus to the subject if the trigger condition is satisfied.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition comprises a threshold measurement of at least one of the one or more physiological functions determined from the one or more output signals generated by the sleep sensor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the trigger condition farther comprises a predetermined amount of time for which the at least one of the one or more physiological functions must breach the threshold before the trigger condition is satisfied.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the stimulus generator to cease or pause the provision of the stimulus to the subject if the trigger condition is no longer satisfied.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a parameter sensor configured to generate one or more output signals that convey information related to one or more physiological functions related to one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of the subject, and wherein the processor receives the one or more output signals generated by the parameter sensor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to determine information related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters based on the one or more output signals generated by the parameter sensor if the stimulus generator provides the stimulus to the subject.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising a storage module, and wherein the processor is further configured to store information, to the storage module, related to the one or more output signals generated by the parameter sensor if the stimulus generator provides the stimulus to the subject.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is farther configured to store information, to the storage module, regarding the provision of the stimulus to the subject.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a current sleep stage of the subject based on the one or more output signals generated by the sleep sensor, and wherein the trigger condition comprises a requisite sleep stage such that provision of the stimulus to the subject is triggered if the current sleep stage determined by the processor is the requisite sleep stage.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the trigger condition further comprises a predetermined amount of time such that provision of the stimulus to the subject is triggered if the current sleep stage determined by the processor has been the requisite sleep stage for at least the predetermined amount of time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the response of the patient to the stimulus comprises one or more of a breathing obstruction, a flow limited breath, an arousal, snoring, or an airway collapse.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters comprise one or more of a critical pharyngeal closing pressure, upper airway vibration, upper airway muscle responsiveness, arousal threshold, or loop gain.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the information related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters comprises a metric score that represents at least one of the sleep phenotyping parameters.

14. A method of enabling determination of one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of a subject, the method comprising:

generating one or more output signals that convey information related to one or more physiological functions of the subject, the one or more physiological functions indicating a sleep stage of the subject;

determining, based on the generated one or more output signals, whether a trigger condition related to the current sleep stage of the subject has been met; and

providing a stimulus to the subject if it is determined that the trigger condition has been met, wherein a response of the subject to the stimulus enables information related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters to be determined.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the trigger condition comprises a threshold measurement of at least one of the one or more physiological functions conveyed by the generated one or more output signals.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger condition further comprises a predetermined amount of time for which the at least one of the one or more physiological functions must breach the threshold before the trigger condition is satisfied.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising ceasing or pausing the provision of the stimulus to the subject if the trigger condition is no longer satisfied.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating one or more additional output signals that convey information related to one or more physiological functions related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters of the subject.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining information related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters based on the one or more additional output signals.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing information related to the one or more additional output signals that are generated if the stimulus is provided to the subject.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising storing information related to the provision of the stimulus to the subject.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a current sleep stage of the subject based on the generated one or more output signals, and wherein the trigger condition comprises a requisite sleep stage such that provision of the stimulus to the subject is triggered if the current sleep stage determined by the processor is the requisite sleep stage.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the trigger condition further comprises a predetermined amount of time such that provision of the stimulus to the subject is triggered if the current sleep stage determined by the processor has been the requisite sleep stage for at least the predetermined amount of time.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the response of the patient to the stimulus comprises one or more of a breathing obstruction, a flow limited breath, an arousal, or an airway collapse.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters comprise one or more of a critical pharyngeal closing pressure, upper airway vibration, upper airway muscle responsiveness, arousal threshold, or loop gain.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the information related to the one or more sleep phenotyping parameters comprises a metric score that represents at least one of the sleep phenotyping parameters.