SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING ANTIBIOTIC EFFECTIVENESS IN RESPIRATORY DISEASED ANIMALS USING AUSCULATION ANALYSIS

• US 20130150744A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intervet Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intervet Incorporated
• Inventors: Geissler, Randolph K., Taylor, Garrett W., Noffsinger, Thomas H., Lewis, Steve A., Nelson, Scott A., Brattain, Kurt, Taylor, Wade A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,064,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/529
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4848 Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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

A system and method are provided for diagnosis of animal respiratory diseases using auscultation techniques. Animal lung sounds are recorded and stored as digitized data. Algorithms are applied to the data producing an output indicative of the health of the animal. Another method determines effectiveness of antibiotics administered to animals based upon observed relationships between lung score categories obtained from auscultation. A comparison is made between sample populations of animals that receive different classifications of antibiotics, and this data is compared to lung score categories observed for each of the animals that received the antibiotics. A statistical analysis is conducted to confirm statistical differences in case fatality rates between lung score categories. Insignificant differences in mortality rates across a range of lung score categories indicates the particular antibiotic administered is not effective, whereas a reduced fatality rate associated with lower lung scores indicates a level of antibiotic effectiveness.

Claims

1. A method for determining effectiveness of an administered drug using auscultation analysis, said method comprising:

conducting auscultations to record auscultated sounds from a group of animals, the auscultations including generating lung categories corresponding to a range of health conditions, and each auscultation conducted generating a lung category indicating a categorized health condition for each animal at the time of auscultation;

recording a type of drug administered to the group of animals;

recording fatalities for the group of animals over a designated time period;

conducting a statistical analysis to determine whether there is a statistical difference in case fatality rates between lung score categories; and

analyzing the statistical analysis to determine a relationship between fatality rates as a function of lung scores to determine effectiveness of the drug.

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further including:

generating a graphical comparison of fatality rates versus lung score categories, said comparison including a predicted probability line.

3. A method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said predicted probability line with a positive slope indicates drug effectiveness.

4. A method, as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said predicted probability line with a zero or near zero slope indicates drug ineffectiveness.

5. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further including:

determining a slope of a predicted probability, wherein a positive slope indicates drug effectiveness.

6. A method, as claimed in claim 1, further including:

determining a slope of a predicted probability, wherein a zero or near zero slope indicates drug ineffectiveness.

7. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lung categories are numerical lung score categories.

8. A method for determining effectiveness of an administered drug using auscultation analysis, said method comprising:

conducting auscultations to record auscultated sounds from a group of animals, the auscultations including generating lung categories corresponding to a range of health conditions, and each auscultation conducted generating a lung category indicating a categorized health condition for each animal at the time of auscultation;

recording a type of drug administered to the group of animals;

recording fatalities for the group of animals over a designated time period;

determining whether there is a difference in case fatality rates between lung score categories; and

determining effectiveness of the drug based on recognizable differences between the case fatality rates between the lung score categories.

9. The method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said determining step includes an arithmetic analysis.

10. The method, as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the arithmetic analysis includes a statistical analysis.

11. A method, as claimed in claim 9, further including:

determining a slope of a predicted probability, wherein a positive slope indicates drug effectiveness.

12. A method, as claimed in claim 9, further including:

determining a slope of a predicted probability, wherein a zero or near zero slope indicates drug ineffectiveness.

13. A method, as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lung categories are numerical lung score categories.

14. A method for determining effectiveness of an administered drug using auscultation analysis, said method comprising:

conducting auscultations to record auscultated sounds from a group of animals, the auscultations including generating lung categories corresponding to a range of health conditions, and each auscultation conducted generating a lung category indicating a categorized health condition for each animal at the time of auscultation;

recording a type of drug administered to the group of animals;

recording fatalities for the group of animals over a designated time period;

determining whether there is a difference in case fatality rates between lung score categories; and

determining a slope of a predicted probability from said first determining step, wherein a positive slope indicates drug effectiveness, and wherein a zero or near zero slope indicates drug ineffectiveness.