SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NON-INVASIVE AUTONOMIC NERVE ACTIVITY MONITORING

• US 20150297104A1
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (Indiana University)
• Original Assignee: Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (Indiana University)
• Inventors: Chen, Peng-Sheng, Lin, Shien-Fong
• Granted Patent: US 10,448,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0209 Special features of electrodes classified in A61B5/24, A61B5/25, A61B5/283, A61B5/291, A61B5/296, A61B5/053
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/361 Detecting fibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4848 Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6869 Heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36514 controlled by a physiological quantity other than heart potential, e.g. blood pressure controlled by two or more physical parameters A61N1/36585
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring nerve activity in a subject. The system includes a plurality of electrodes placed in proximity to skin of the subject, an amplifier electrically connected to the electrodes and configured to generate a plurality of amplified signals corresponding to electrical signals received from the subject through the electrodes, and a signal processor. The signal processor applies a high-pass filter to the amplified signals to generate filtered signals from the amplified signals, identifies autonomic nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals; and generates an output signal corresponding to the filtered signals. The high-pass filter attenuates a plurality of the amplified signals having frequencies that correspond to heart muscle activity during a heartbeat.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A system for monitoring nerve activity in a subject comprising:

a plurality of electrodes configured to be placed in proximity to skin of the subject;

an amplifier electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes and configured to generate a plurality of amplified signals corresponding to a plurality of electrical signals received from the subject through the electrodes; and

a signal processor operatively connected to the amplifier and configured to;

apply a high-pass filter to the plurality of amplified signals to generate a plurality of filtered signals from the plurality of amplified signals, the high-pass filter being configured to attenuate a plurality of the amplified signals having frequencies that correspond to heart muscle activity during a heartbeat;

identify nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals; and

generate an output signal corresponding to the nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the plurality of electrodes are configured to be placed at one of in a cutaneous configuration on a surface of the skin or under a surface of the skin.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the high-pass filter has a lower cutoff frequency of approximately 100 Hz or approximately 150 Hz.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the signal processor is further configured to generate the output signal for a visual display device to display the identified nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the signal processor is further configured to:

identify an arrhythmia in the heartbeat of the subject with reference to a change in the identified nerve activity; and

generate an alarm in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

36. The system of claim 35 further comprising:

one of a pacing device and a defibrillator device implanted in the subject; and

wherein the signal processor is further configured to activate the one of the pacing device and the defibrillator device to deliver a pacing signal or a defibrillation signal to the heart muscle in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the signal processor is configured to identify a symptom of a medical condition in the subject that corresponds to a change in activity in a sympathetic nervous system of the subject with reference to a change in the identified nerve activity.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the signal processor is further configured to identify an electrocardiogram (ECG) corresponding to the heartbeat in the plurality of amplified signals.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the signal processor is further configured to:

apply a band-pass filter to the plurality of amplified signals to generate a second plurality of filtered signals from the plurality of amplified signals and wherein the band-pass filter is configured to attenuate a plurality of the amplified signals having frequencies that correspond to nerve activity; and

identify the ECG in the second plurality of filtered signals.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein the band-pass filter has a lower cutoff frequency of approximately 0.5 Hz and an upper cutoff frequency of approximately 100 Hz

41. The system of claim 38, the signal processor being further configured to:

identify an arrhythmia in the heartbeat of the subject with reference to a change in the identified nerve activity and a change in the identified ECG; and

generate an alarm in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

42. The system of claim 41 further comprising:

one of a pacing device or a defibrillator device implanted in the subject; and

wherein the signal processor is further configured to activate the one of the pacing device or the defibrillator device to deliver one of a pacing signal or a defibrillator signal to the heart muscle in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

43. A method for monitoring nerve activity in a subject comprising:

amplifying electrical signals received from a plurality of electrodes that are placed in proximity to skin of the subject to generate a plurality of amplified signals;

applying a high-pass filter to the plurality of amplified signals to generate a plurality of filtered signals, the high-pass filter attenuating a plurality of the amplified signals having frequencies that correspond to heart muscle activity during a heartbeat;

identifying nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals; and

generating an output signal corresponding to the nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

generating a visual display of the identified nerve activity in the plurality of filtered signals from the output signal.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the generation of the visual display further comprises:

integrating the identified nerve activity to identify a total magnitude of the nerve activity over a predetermined period of time; and

generating the visual display including the total magnitude of the nerve activity.

46. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

identifying an arrhythmia in the heartbeat of the subject with reference to a change in the identified nerve activity; and

generating an alarm in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the identification of the arrhythmia in the heartbeat further comprises identifying the arrhythmia prior to onset of the arrhythmia in the heartbeat.

48. The method of claim 46, further comprising activating a pacing device implanted in the subject to deliver a pacing signal to the heart muscle in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

49. The method of claim 46, further comprising activating a defibrillator device implanted in the subject to deliver a defibrillation signal to the heart muscle in response to identifying the arrhythmia.

50. The method of claim 43, further comprising one of:

identifying, using the identified nerve activity, a suitability for the subject to receive a therapy aimed at modifying the identified nerve activity;

or

evaluating an effectiveness of a neuromodulation therapy with reference to a difference in the identified nerve activity.