METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MEASURING AND COMMUNICATING PAIN AND DISTRESS LEVEL

• US 20120088985A1
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Rochester
• Original Assignee: University of Rochester
• Inventors: SCHIAVENATO, Martin, CARNEY, Laurel H., SEIDMAN, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,764,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/045 Newborns, e.g. premature baby monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/03 Intensive care
• 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 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4824 Touch or pain perception evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for communicating the distress or pain experienced by an infant or a non-communicative patient. The systems and methods can provide an objective quantification of pain and/or distress in conjunction with, e.g., various distressing procedures commonly found in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). The systems may include a processor in communication with a distress level input device and a display configured to provide a representation of a pain or distress score calculated in the processor. The processor may include executable code to translate data from the distress level input into the distress score.

Claims

1. A method of communicating a pain level of a patient, comprising:

acquiring objective measurements of two or more parameters associated with the pain level;

translating the two or more parameters into a single pain score; and

displaying a representation of the single pain score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the objective measurements of two or more parameters associated with the pain level further comprises acquiring a signal corresponding to heart rate of the patient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the objective measurements of two or more parameters associated with the pain level further comprises acquiring a signal corresponding to facial electromyography of the patient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the objective measurements of two or more parameters associated with the pain level further comprises acquiring a signal corresponding to hand flexing of the patient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the two or more parameters into a single pain score comprises one of adding the two or more parameters, applying Boolean logic to the two or more parameters, or processing the two or more parameters with a neural network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the single pain score comprises a visual representation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the visual representation comprises visible light.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the visible light is emitted from a ball or orb.

9. A system for measuring and communicating pain level comprising:

a sensory level input device;

a processor communicably coupled to the sensory level input device, the processor having executable code configured to translate data received from the sensory level input device into a pain score; and

a display configured to provide a representation of the pain score.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensory level input device is configured to provide data about one or more pain level parameters.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the sensory level input device comprises two or more of an electrocardiogram monitor configured to provide data about heart rate, a facial electromyography monitor configured to provide data about facial electromyography, and a hand flexure sensor to provide data about hand flexing.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensory level input device obtains an objective measurement comprising at least two or more of a heart rate, a heart rate variability, a facial electromyography monitor, a galvanic skin response, an electroencephalography signal, and a near-infrared spectroscopy signal.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor utilizes a procedure load index to translate the data received from the sensory level input device into the pain score.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the representation of the pain score comprises an indication of decay of the pain score over time.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the display provides a visual representation of the pain score.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the display comprises a ball or orb, and the visual representation comprises a colored light emitted from the ball or orb.

17. A method of measuring distress in a patient, comprising:

acquiring an objective indication of a distress level of the patient;

translating data from the indication of the distress level into a distress score; and

displaying a representation of the distress score on a display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein acquiring the objective indication of the distress level of the patient comprises assigning the distress level based on selection of a particular distressing procedure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein translating data from the indication of the distress level into the distress score comprises looking up a pre-determined distress level associated with the particular distressing procedure in a procedure load index.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating future distress scores; and

displaying the calculated future distress scores, wherein calculating future distress scores comprises applying a distress score decay rate to the distress score.