Autonomic neuropathy detection and method of analysis
First Claim
1. Automated apparatus for monitoring heart beat signals generated by the heart of a patient to whom it is attached, comprising:
- means for performing continuous real-time analysis of said heart beat signals derived from said patient,means for storing one or more normative data bases for automated correlation of test result to age-matched values,means for recognizing normal and abnormal beats,means for diagnosing each of said abnormal beats,means for providing audio-visual signals to the patient to instruct said patient in at least one predetermined physical regimen, whereby the patient may perform said at least one predetermined physical regimen without any additional prompting or instruction, andmeans for outputting the results of said analysis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A non-invasive, programmable cardio-respiratory monitoring system for performing automated autonomic nervous system function tests by monitoring and analyzing EKG signals in relation to specific paced breathing and/or posture regimens, and immediately computing and disclosing the test results automatically upon completion of one or all of the tests. The accuracy of these tests, which are currently being performed manually and/or with multiple components, is greatly improved bt the invention'"'"'s capability to issue automated audio-visual instructions to the patient, to analyze any major peak of the QRS complex for determining heart rate variation, to discriminate between normal and abnormal EKG signals, and to edit the automated test results to enhance the validity of the test results.
118 Citations
43 Claims
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1. Automated apparatus for monitoring heart beat signals generated by the heart of a patient to whom it is attached, comprising:
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means for performing continuous real-time analysis of said heart beat signals derived from said patient, means for storing one or more normative data bases for automated correlation of test result to age-matched values, means for recognizing normal and abnormal beats, means for diagnosing each of said abnormal beats, means for providing audio-visual signals to the patient to instruct said patient in at least one predetermined physical regimen, whereby the patient may perform said at least one predetermined physical regimen without any additional prompting or instruction, and means for outputting the results of said analysis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer implemented method of performing a test of a patient'"'"'s autonomic nervous system comprising monitoring every beat of the heart of said patient to detect and correlate variations in heart functioning during a predetermined physical regimen to autonomic nervous system functioning, comprising the steps of:
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attaching sensing means to the patient to sense the heart beat of said patient, using the output signal of said sensing means to produce heart beat signals, analyzing said heart beat signals, determining from said analysis of said heart beat signals if each said signal is representative of one of a normal or abnormal heart beat or an artifact, issuing continuous audio-visual instructions to the patient to guide the patient in performing said predetermined physical regimen, storing data during the patient'"'"'s performance of said predetermined physical regimen, performing all of the aforesaid steps in a predetermined quantity based on said heart beat signals only to thereby define a test, correlating the results of said test with age-matched values to accurately assess the extent of automatic nervous system function, and outputting the results of said test upon conclusion of said test. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer implemented method of evaluating autonomic nervous system functioning comprising the steps of:
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instructing a patient whose autonomic nervous system is being evaluated to perform a predetermined physical regimen, sensing each beat of the heart of said patient, determining by analyzing said heart beats, whether or not each said heart beat is representative of a normal or abnormal heart beat, producing a signal corresponding to each said sensed heart beat, calculating the time from a selected point on one signal to the corresponding point on the next succeeding signal, correlating said predetermined physical regimen with said calculating step, storing raw data from said steps of producing, calculating, and correlating said signals, correlating the results of said test with age-matched values to accurately assess the extent of automatic nervous system functioning, and providing at least one autonomic nervous system test result substantially instantaneously based on said calculating, correlating, and storing steps. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. Automated apparatus for editing a calculated test result which has been initially based on automatically selected portions of raw data derived from monitoring of heart beat signals during the performance of at least one predetermined physical regimen, comprising:
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means for outputting said calculated test result, means for storing one or more normative data bases for automated correlation of test result to age-matched values, means for outputting automatically selected heart beat intervals selected from said raw data which were used to calculate said test result, means for outputting said raw data, means for inputting manually selected heart beat intervals selected from said raw data that differ from said automatically selected heart beat intervals, means for recalculating said test result based on said manually selected heart beat intervals, and means for outputting said recalculated test result, whereby said calculated test result is edited. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. An automated apparatus for evaluating the function of a patient'"'"'s autonomic nervous system comprising:
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means for storing one or more normative data bases for automated correlation of test result to age-matched values, means for sensing signals, means for determining if said sensed signals are representative of a heart beat or an artifact, means for classifying said signals representative of a heart beat as normal or abnormal, means for performing continuous real-time analysis of said signals derived from said patient, means for providing audio-visual signals to said patient to instruct said patient in at least one predetermined physical regimen, means for correlating said signals with said at least one predetermined physical regimen, means for automatically calculating test results based on said correlating step for evaluating said function of the autonomic nervous system of said patient, means for outputting said test results, means for outputting said signals, means for interfacing said outputting of said test result with external data handling means, means for editing said test result, means for inputting portions of said signals for automatic recalculation of said test result, and display means forming part of all of said means for providing audio-visual signals, all of said means for outputting, said means for inputting, and said means for editing. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A computer implemented method of evaluating autonomic nervous system functioning comprising the steps of:
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instructing a patient whose autonomic nervous system is being evaluated to perform a predetermined posture regimen, sensing each beat of the heart of said patient, determining by analyzing said heart beats, whether or not each said heart beat is representative of a normal or abnormal heart beat, producing a signal corresponding to each said sensed heart beat, calculating the time from a selected point on one signal to the corresponding point on the next succeeding signal, correlating said predetermined posture regimen with said calculating step, storing raw data from said steps of producing, calculating, and correlating said signals, correlating the results of said test with age-matched values to accurately assess the extent of autonomic nervous system functioning, and providing at least one autonomic nervous system test result substantially instantaneously based on said calculating, correlating, and storing steps. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A computer implemented method of editing at least one autonomic nervous system test result which has been previously calculated from automatically selected heart beat intervals of recorded raw data, comprising the steps of:
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providing an output means, outputting at least a portion of said automatically selected heart beat intervals, outputting at least a portion of said recorded raw data, identifying said portion of recorded raw data that differs from said automatically selected heart beat intervals for recalculating said test result, providing input means, inputting said portion of recorded data identified in identifying step, recalculating said test result based on said data input in said inputting step, correlating the results of said tests with age-matched values to accurately assess the extent of autonomic nervous system functioning, and outputting said recalculated test result, whereby the accuracy of said test result is increased due to the said method of editing by an operator. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43)
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Specification