System and Methods for Neurologic Monitoring and Improving Classification and Treatment of Neurologic States

• US 20110144519A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainscope SPV LLC
• Original Assignee: Brainscope Company Inc.
• Inventors: Causevic, Elvir
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4064 Evaluating the brain A61B5/031, A61B5/369, A61B5/14553 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/726 using Wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Methods and systems for assessing brain activity and collecting information related to a patient'"'"'s condition and brain electrical activity are provided.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring or evaluating a neurologic state of a patient, comprising:

collecting data related to brain electrical activity of a patient at a first location;

transferring the data related to brain electrical activity to a memory unit located at a second location that is different from the first location;

providing a classification of at least one neurological state of the patient based on the data related to brain electrical activity and data stored in a database;

receiving information related to the at least one neurological state of the patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data; and

updating the database to include the data related to brain electrical activity and the information related to the neurological state.

2. The method of claim 1, further including assigning a record identifier to the data related to brain electrical activity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the database includes the record identifier and does not include other information related to the identity of the patient other than the data related to brain electrical activity.

4. The method of claim 3, further including storing the record identifier in a first record in the database and in a second record in a second data storage location, the second record further including information identifying the patient.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving information related to the neurological state of the at least one patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data includes allowing access to the second record and receiving information related to the neurological state of the patient identified in the second record.

6. The method of claim 5, further including confirming that a person attempting to access the second record has not accessed the classification based on the data related to brain electrical activity and data stored in a database and denying access to the second record if the person has accessed the classification.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein confirming that the person attempting to access the second record has not accessed the classification includes identifying the person attempting to access the second record and allowing the person to access the database only if the person is included in a predetermined group of people.

8. The method of claim 1, further including storing the data related to brain electrical activity and the information related to the neurological state until a verification process is performed and updating the database after the verification process is performed.

9. The method of claim 1, further including repeating the method with at least one additional patient using the updated database to provide a classification of at least one neurological state of the additional patient.

10. The method of claim 1, further including repeating the method, wherein collecting data related to brain electrical activity is performed with two or more patients at least two or more different locations.

11. The method of claim 1, further including, upon providing a classification of at least one neurological state, notifying a predetermined person that a classification has been provided so that the predetermined person can evaluate the patient and provide information related to the neurological state of the patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification includes at least one of a psychiatric disorder, an organic neurological disorder, a structural neurological disorder, a metabolic disorder, an intoxicated state, and a normal state.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification includes at least one of an ischemic brain state and a hemorrhagic state.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification includes an abnormal intracranial pressure.

15. The method of claim 1, further including providing a treatment recommendation based on data store in the database and the classification of the neurologic state of the patient.

16. A system for monitoring or evaluating a neurologic state of a patient, comprising:

a sensing device including;

at least one electrode configured to detect a brain electrical signal;

a first processor configured to convert the electrical signal into data related to brain electrical activity of a patient at a first location; and

a communication system configured to transfer the data related to brain electrical activity to a memory unit at a second location that is different from the first location and store the data in a first record in the memory unit;

a second processor circuit configured to provide a classification of a neurological state of the patient based on the data related to brain electrical activity and data stored in a database; and

a data entry interface configured to receive information related to the neurological state of the patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data and including a communication system configured to transfer the information related to the neurological state of the patient to the database.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensing device is configured to assign a record identifier to the data related to brain electrical activity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the sensing device is configured to transfer to the memory unit the record identifier and not other information related to the identity of the patient other than the data related to brain electrical activity.

19. The system of claim 18, further including a second memory unit configured to store the record locator and information identifying the patient in a second record.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data entry interface allows access to information in the second memory unit to receive the information related to the neurological state of the patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the data entry interface is configured to confirm that a person attempting to access the second memory unit has not accessed the classification based on the data related to brain electrical activity, and not allow the person to access the second record if the person has accessed the classification.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein confirming that the person attempting to access the second record has not accessed the classification includes identifying the person attempting to access the second record and allowing the person to access the database only if the person is included in a predetermined group of people.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is configured to store the data related to brain electrical activity and the information related to the neurological state until a verification process is performed and updating the database is performed after the verification process is performed.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the system includes two or more sensing devices located at two or more different locations.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the system includes two or more data entry interfaces located at two or more different locations.

26. The system of claim 16, including a communication system configured to notify a predetermined person when a classification has been provided so the predetermined person can evaluate the patient and provide information related to the neurological state of the patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the classification includes at least one of a psychiatric disorder, an organic neurological disorder, a structural neurological disorder, a metabolic disorder, an intoxicated state, and a normal state.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein the classification includes at least one of an ischemic brain state and a hemorrhagic state.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein the classification includes an abnormal intracranial pressure.

30. A method for monitoring or evaluating a neurologic state of a patient, comprising:

collecting data related to brain electrical activity of a patient at a first location;

transferring the data related to brain electrical activity to a memory unit located at a second location that is different from the first location;

providing a classification of at least one neurological state of the patient based on the data related to brain electrical activity and data stored in a first database;

updating the first database to include the data related to brain electrical activity and the information related to the neurological state; and

updating a second database containing information related to the patient'"'"'s neurologic state at multiple times points.

31. The method of claim 30, further including collecting data related to brain electrical activity of the patient at a later time;

and

comparing the data related to brain electrical activity of the patient at the later time to data stored in the second database to determine a change in the patient'"'"'s neurologic state.

32. The method of claim 30, further including providing a treatment recommendation based data stored in the database and the classification of the neurologic state of the patient.

33. The method of claim 32, further including evaluating the response of a patient to a treatment and providing a subsequent treatment recommendation based data stored in the database, the classification of the neurologic state of the patient, and the patient'"'"'s response to the treatment.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein providing a classification includes identifying at least one similarity between the brain electrical activity data of the patient and brain electrical activity data stored in the first database for at least one additional patient having a known neurological state and assigning the known neurological state to the patient.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one additional patient includes a group of patients.

36. A method for monitoring or evaluating a neurologic state of a patient, comprising:

collecting data related to brain electrical activity of a patient at a first location;

transferring the data related to brain electrical activity to a memory unit located at a second location that is different from the first location;

providing a classification of at least one neurological state of the patient based on similarities in the data related to brain electrical activity and brain electrical activity data stored in a database for at least one additional patient; and

providing a treatment recommendation based on the response of the at least one additional patient to said treatment.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the treatment recommendation includes recommending administration of a treatment that produced a positive result in the at least one additional patient.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the treatment recommendation includes recommending against administration of a treatment that produced a negative result in the at least one additional patient

39. The method of any one of claim 37-38, wherein the at least one additional patient includes a group of patients.

40. The method of any one of claims 37-38, further including receiving information related to the at least one neurological state of the patient based on at least one evaluation technique not including brain electrical activity data;

and updating the database to include the data related to brain electrical activity and the information related to the neurological state.

41. The method of any one of claim 37-38, further including and updating the database to include the data related to brain electrical activity and data related to the patient'"'"'s response to one or more therapies.