METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ANGINA

• US 20090099467A1
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Venkata, Rajiv, Sutor, Jason, Toren-Herrinton, Seth, Krishnaswamy, Harish
• Granted Patent: US 8,469,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/508
• 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 5/11 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 5/283 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37254 Pacemaker or defibrillator security, e.g. to prevent or inhibit programming alterations by hackers or unauthorised individuals

Abstract

A method and system for tracking quality of life in a patient with angina includes obtaining activity data and cardiac data, determining a level of physical activity of the patient and identifying an ischemic episode based on the cardiac data obtained during the physical activity. The method also provides for recording an activity level at the time the ischemic episode occurs. Furthermore, the method also provides for presenting activity level trends related to activity levels at the onset of ischemia to a user.

Claims

1. A method for tracking quality of life in a patient with angina, said method comprising:

obtaining activity data and cardiac data;

determining, based on the activity data, when a level of physical activity of the patient reaches a predetermined state;

identifying an ischemic episode based on the cardiac data obtained during the physical activity;

recording an activity level associated with the ischemic episode; and

presenting trend information related to the activity levels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of physical activity is a level of activity having a sustained duration over a predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity level comprises a running average of a plurality of activity level data points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of physical activity is greater than a predetermined threshold level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of physical activity is a steadily increasing level of activity over a predetermined period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an activity level comprises an average of a plurality of activity level data points over a sample interval.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording comprises monitoring a duration of the ischemic episode until the patient stops exercising.

2. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. A system for tracking quality of life in a patient with angina, said system comprising:

memory storing cardiac signals representative of cardiac activity having ST segment variation and storing activity data for an exercising patient over a period of time; and

a processor configured to;

(i) determine, based on the activity data, when a level of physical activity of the patient reaches a predetermined state;

(ii) identify an ischemic episode based on the cardiac data obtained during the physical activity; and

(iii) record the activity level associated with the ischemic episode; and

an output to preset trend information related to the activity levels.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

(i) automatically plot activity trend data point for a sample interval; and

(ii) present graphically, the activity level trend data points and a number of occurrences of angina pain as the trend information.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising an implantable medical device (IMD) comprising an activity sensor, memory and a processor including an exercise compliant module coupled to the activity sensor, the memory in the IMD storing the cardiac signals and the activity data, the processor determining an activity level trend based on the activity data, an occurrence of anginal pain, and the cardiac data.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the output includes a display that presents activity and trend values and a measure of anginal pain are superimposed over one another as the trend information.

18. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a programmer comprising a processor and memory, the programmer configured to interface to a physiologic sensor to acquire activity data and interface to an implantable medical device (IMD) to acquire cardiac data, the memory storing activity level data and cardiac data, the programmer processes the activity data and cardiac data to determine activity level trends based on the activity level at a time of an occurrence of anginal pain.

22. The system of claim 13, further comprising a physical activity measuring unit constituting at least one of an accelerometer, a piezo-electric sensor, an activity sensor, and a workload sensor.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the output includes a display that graphically superimposes the activity level and ischemia values over one another.

17. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

24. A method comprising:

monitoring for an ischemic event during a time when an activity level of a patient satisfies a predetermined condition;

if an ischemic event is detected, recording activity data associated with the detected ischemic event; and

obtaining, monitoring and recording over time and presenting trend information related to the recorded activity data and ischemic events.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein monitoring for an ischemic event during a time when an activity level of a patient satisfies a predetermined condition comprises:

obtaining activity data for the patient; and

determining the activity level of the patient based on the activity data.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein activity data corresponds to measurements of at least one of heart rate, pacing rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, carbon-dioxide production, body posture and body motion.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein activity data associated with the detected ischemic event comprises an activity data measured at the time of ischemic event detection.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein activity data associated with the detected ischemic event comprises an average of a plurality of activity data, one of which is measured at the time of ischemic event detection.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the predetermined condition comprises a sustained activity level for a predetermined period of time.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the predetermined condition comprises an activity level at or above a predetermined threshold level.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein the predetermined condition comprises an activity level that steadily increases over a predetermined period of time.

32. The method of claim 24 wherein the predetermined condition comprises an activity level at or above a predetermined threshold level.

33. The method of claim 24 further comprising determining whether the ischemic event corresponds to demand ischemia.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein determining whether the ischemic event corresponds to demand ischemia comprises monitoring for an abrupt decrease in activity level.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein determining whether the ischemic event corresponds to demand ischemia comprises receiving an indication of anginal pain through physical movement of an implantable medical device.

36. The method of claim 33 further comprising maintaining a measure of the occurrences of demand ischemia and non-demand ischemia.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the measure comprises a count of occurrences during a time period.

38. The method of claim 24 wherein trend information comprises a measure of ischemic events as a function of activity data.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the measure of ischemic events is a count of ischemic events during a period of time and the activity data is an average of the recorded activity data corresponding to the ischemic events

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the count of ischemic events comprise a count of demand ischemic events and non-demand ischemic events.

41. A system comprising:

memory storing cardiac signals representative of cardiac activity and storing activity data for an exercising patient over a period of time; and

a processor configured to;

(i) determine, based on the activity data, when an activity level of a patient satisfies a predetermined condition;

(ii) monitoring for an ischemic event using the cardiac data obtained during a time when the activity level of the patient satisfies the predetermined condition; and

(iii) record the activity level associated with identified ischemic events; and

an output to preset trend information related to the recorded activity data and ischemic events.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the ischemic event corresponds to demand ischemia by monitoring for an abrupt decrease in activity level.

43. The system of claim 41 further comprising a patient associated medical device, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the ischemic event corresponds to demand ischemia by receiving an indication of anginal pain through the medical device.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein the indication comprises movement of the medical device.

45. The system of claim 43 wherein the medical device comprises an implantable medical device.