System and Method for Assisting Decisions Associated with Events Relative to Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy Using Variability Measurements
First Claim
1. A method of assisting decisions associated with events relative to withdrawal of life sustaining therapy (WLST), the method comprising:
- obtaining at least one measure of variability from one or more organ systems, each measure of variability comprising a computation of variability for a plurality of time intervals for a respective patient parameter, each measure of variability being indicative of a degree and character to which the respective patient parameter changes over an interval of time to enable changes in variability of the respective patient parameter to be observed over a period of time;
using the at least one measure of variability to generate a statistical model associated with an event relative to the WLST; and
providing a clinical decision support indicator based on the event.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are provided that employ the variability of physiological waveforms to estimate the time to death after WLST, or time to inadequate organ perfusion. From the variability data one can derive an index subsequently used to determine the probability of death (or inadequate organ perfusion) within a given time frame in an automated fashion from bedside monitors in the intensive or post-anesthesia care unit. The resulting variability index can also be combined with the clinical variables used in other death prediction tools to enhance the performance and outcome when compared to existing models. In at least one implementation, variability monitoring at the bedside could be used to provide estimates of the probability that a patient will die within a certain time frame after WLST. These estimates could be used to reduce the distress of the patients'"'"' families, as well as optimize the use of resources surrounding donation.
22 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of assisting decisions associated with events relative to withdrawal of life sustaining therapy (WLST), the method comprising:
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obtaining at least one measure of variability from one or more organ systems, each measure of variability comprising a computation of variability for a plurality of time intervals for a respective patient parameter, each measure of variability being indicative of a degree and character to which the respective patient parameter changes over an interval of time to enable changes in variability of the respective patient parameter to be observed over a period of time; using the at least one measure of variability to generate a statistical model associated with an event relative to the WLST; and providing a clinical decision support indicator based on the event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for assisting decisions associated with events relative to withdrawal of life sustaining therapy (WLST), the computer readable medium comprising instructions for:
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obtaining at least one measure of variability from one or more organ systems, each measure of variability comprising a computation of variability for a plurality of time intervals for a respective patient parameter, each measure of variability being indicative of a degree and character to which the respective patient parameter changes over an interval of time to enable changes in variability of the respective patient parameter to be observed over a period of time; using the at least one measure of variability to generate a statistical model associated with an event relative to the WLST; and providing a clinical decision support indicator based on the event. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification