METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELF-ADMINISTERING PRE-HOSPITAL PHASE TREATMENT OF CORONARY PRONE INDIVIDUALS IN THE EARLY MINUTES OR HOURS AFTER THE ONSET OF HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS

• US 3,870,035 A
• Filed: 10/12/1972
• Issued: 03/11/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ING Limited (ANZ Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Stanley J. Sarnoff
• Inventors: Sarnoff, Stanley J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/296,841
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2.5A,2.5P,2.5R,2.5S,2.5T,2.6A,2.6F,2.6R,2.1A,213
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• 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 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

Method for self-administering prehospital phase treatment of coronary prone individuals during the early minutes or hours after the onset of heart attack symptoms and apparatus for use therein. The apparatus comprises the combination of a portable battery-operated device having circuitry operable when operatively connected with an individual to produce audible signals capable of telephone transmission in the form of a beep corresponding with each heart beat of the individual and rate range signal in the form of different colored lights each corresponding to a predetermined rate range and a plurality of different automatic injectors each color-coded to the signal lights and containing different medicaments which are effective within the corresponding rate range and may be adversely effective outside the corresponding rate range. The method includes performing the following steps within the early minutes or hours after the onset of heart attack symptoms: (1) obtaining access to the apparatus, (2) establishing an operative connection between the device and the individual, (3) producing the signals, (4) utilizing the signals to determine the injector containing the medicament effective under the existing heart beat conditions, (5) identifying the applicable injector and (6) selfadministering the injector to inject the medicament therefrom into the individual.

Claims

1. obtaining access to the aforesaid accessible device and injector by said individual;

2. manually establishing by said individual an operative relation between said individual and the sensing means of the device to which access has been obtained as aforesaid;

3. sensing through the operation of the sensing means while in said operative relation a phenomena indicative of the existing heart beat conditions of the individual;

4. producing through the operation of said battery operated signal producing means signals indicative of the sensed heart beat conditions of said individual including a signal corresponding with each successive heart beat of said individual capable of being transmitted by telephone;

5. utilizing at least some of the signals produced as aforesaid as a basis for determining that the injector obtained by said individual contains medicament which is effective as aforesaid;

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the medicaments contained within the injectors include atropine and lidocaine, the portion of the total range of the heart beat conditions wherein atropine is effective as aforesaid being a heart beat rate below 60 to 65 beats per minute, above which atropine may be inadvisable to inject as aforesaid and wherein each signal corresponding to each successive heart beat is a distinct audible signal, such as a beep.

7. A method for effecting pre-hospital phase self-administered treatment of a coronary prone individual at a time during the early minutes or hours after the onset of heart attack symptoms and for enabling qualified personnel to participate by telephone in such treatment, which individual has been previously provided with ready access to (1) at least one injector suitable for selfadministration under the disconcerting circumstances present during the aforesaid time containing a liquid dosage of a medicament injectable into the tissue of the individual effecting the self-administration of the injector, which medicament (a) when so injected is generally effective to reduce the incidence of adverse cardiac conditions, such as ectopic beats, when the existing heart beat condition is within a predetermined portion of the total range of heart beat conditions which may exist during an attack, and (b) may be inadvisable or unwise to inject when such heart beat conditions are outside the predetermined portion of the total range in which the medicament is effective as aforesaid, and (2) a diagnosing device having sensing means operable to be simply and conveniently disposed in operative relation to an individual for sensing a phenomena indicative of the individual'"'"''"'"'s heart beat condition and battery operated signal producing means operable, when said sensing means is disposed in said operative relation to produce signals indicative of the sensed heart beat conditions of the individual, including a signal corresponding with each successive heart beat of the individual capable of being transmitted by telephone, said method comprising the steps of:

1. obtaining access to the aforesaid accessible device and injector by said individual;

2. manually establishing by said individual an operative relation between said individual and the sensing means;

3. sensing through the operation of the sensing means while in said operative relation a phenomena indicative of the existing heart beat conditions of the individual;

4. producing through the operation of said battery operated signal producing means signals indicative of the existing heart beat conditions of said individual including a signal corresponding with each successive heart beat of said individual capable of being transmitted by telephone;

5. utilizing at least some of the signals produced as aforesaid as a basis for determining that the injector obtained by said individual contains medicament which is effective as aforesaid;

6. visually identifying by said individual the injector containing the effective medicament, and 7. self-administering by said individual the identified injector containing the effective medicament and injecting said effective medicament into the tissue of said individual so that said injected medicament will reduce the the incidence of adverse cardiac conditions, such as ectopic beats, in said individual prior to the arrival of said individual at a hospital.

8. Apparatus for effecting pre-hospital phase self-administered treatment of a coronary prone individual at a time during the early minutes or hours after the onset of heart attack symptoms and for enabling qualified personnel to participate by telephone in such treatment comprising the combination of:

a plurality of separate injectors suitable for self-administration under the disconcerting circumstances present during the aforesaid time, each containing a liquid dosage of a different medicament and means for injecting said dosage into the tissue of the individual effecting the self-administration of the injector, each of which medicaments (a) when so injected is generally effective to reduce the incidence of adverse cardiac conditions, such as ectopic beats, when the existing heart beat condition is within a different predetermined portion of the total range of heart beat conditions which may exist during an attack, and (b) may be inadvisable or unwise to inject when such heart beat conditions are outside the predetermined portion of the total range in which the medicament is effective as aforesaid, and a diagnosing device having sensing means operable to be simply and conveniently disposed in operative relation to an individual for sensing a phenomena indicative of the existing heart beat conditions of the individual and battery operated signal producing means operable when said sensing means is disposed in said operative relation to produce signals indicative of the sensed heart beat conditions of the individual, including a signal corresponding with each successive heart beat of the individual capable of being transmitted by telephone, said injectors and said diagnosing device having means for enabling a coronary prone individual to retain said injector and device in a position of access substantially at all times so that during a time within the early minutes or hours after the onset of heart attack symptoms experienced by the individual access to said device can be obtained enabling the individual to dispose said sensing means in said operative relation and to thereby operate said signal producing means to produce signals utilizable to provide an indication that an identifiable injector when self-administered is effective by virtue of the medicament injected therefrom to reduce the incidence of adverse cardiac conditions, such as ectopic beats, in the individual prior to the arrival of the individual at a hospital.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said plurality of injectors includes first and second injectors containing first and second medicaments, respectively:

said retention enabling means of said first and second injectors comprising first and second container means for enabling a coronary prone individual to easily and conveniently carry said first and second injectors and for presenting a visual appearance having a characteristic which is distinctive as between said first and second injectors;

said retention enabling means of said diagnosing device comprising housing means for enabling a coronary prone individual to easily and conveniently carry said device;

first and second medicament identifying means carried by said housing means for presenting a visual appearance having a characteristic which is (1) distinctive as between said first and second medicament identifying means and (2) corresponds respectively to the visual appearance characteristic which is distinctive as between said first and second container means; and

means carried by said housing means and operatively connected with said sensing means (1) for clearly visually designating said first medicament identifying means when the heart beat condition sensed by said sensing means is within said predetermined portion of the total range of heart beat conditions within which said first medicament is effective as aforesaid and (2) for clearly visually designating said second medicament identifying means when the heart beat condition sensed by said sensing means is within said predetermined portion of the total range of heart beat conditions within which said second medicament is effective as aforesaid so that a coronary prone individual using said device under the disconcerting circumstances during the aforesaid time is provided with a clearly visually designated distinctive visual appearance characteristic which corresponds to the visual appearance characteristic of the container means containiNg the medicament which, when the associated injector is self-administered, is effective for the existing heart beat conditions of the individual.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said visual appearance characteristic is color and said first and second medicament identifying means includes first and second lamps connected to be selectively energized as aforesaid by said designating means.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said injectors are automatic, said first medicament is atropine, and said second medicament is lidocaine.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said sensing means includes means disposable in operative relation to a finger of a coronary prone individual for sensing the pulsing of the blood in said finger.