Diagnostic tool using a predictive instrument

• US 6,067,466 A
• Filed: 11/18/1998
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: New England Medical Center Hospitals, Inc.
• Original Assignee: New England Medical Center Hospitals, Inc.
• Inventors: Beshansky, Joni R., Griffith, John L., Selker, Harry P.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHAETZLE, KENNEDY
• Application Number:
  US09/193,971
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/509, 600/513, 600/515, 600/516, 600/517
• US Class Current: 600/513
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/412 Detecting or monitoring sepsis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

A method for evaluating a medical condition of a patient including the steps of monitoring one or more clinical features of a patient; based on the monitored features, computing a primary probability of a medical outcome or diagnosis; computing a plurality of conditional probabilities for a selected diagnostic test, the computed conditional probabilities including a first probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a first outcome and a second probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a second outcome; and displaying the computed primary probability as well as the plurality of computed conditional probabilities to a user as an aid to determining whether to administer the selected diagnostic test to the patient.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a medical condition of a patient, said method comprising:

monitoring one or more clinical features of a patient;

based on the monitored features, computing a primary probability of a medical outcome or diagnosis;

computing a plurality of conditional probabilities for a selected diagnostic test, said conditional probabilities including a first probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a first outcome and a second probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a second outcome; and

displaying the computed primary probability as well as the plurality of computed conditional probabilities to a user as an aid to determining whether to administer the selected diagnostic test to the patient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring comprises monitoring EKG-related characteristics of the patient, wherein the computed primary probability is a probability of a cardiac problem, and wherein the selected diagnostic test is selected from the group consisting of a CK blood test, an ETT, a stress test, and Sestamibi scanning test.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising computing a second plurality of conditional probabilities for a second selected diagnostic test, said second conditional probabilities including a first probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the second selected diagnostic test produces a first outcome and a second probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the second selected diagnostic test produces a second outcome.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising computing a second plurality of conditional probabilities for a second selected diagnostic test, said second plurality of conditional probabilities assuming a particular outcome of the first-mentioned selected diagnostic test, said second conditional probabilities including a first probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis also assuming the second selected diagnostic test produces a first outcome and a second probability of the medical outcome or diagnosis also assuming the second selected diagnostic test produces a second outcome.

5. A method for determining a diagnostic test plan for a patient, said method comprising:

monitoring EKG-related characteristics of the patient;

based on the measured characteristics, computing a primary probability of a cardiac problem;

computing a plurality of conditional probabilities for a selected diagnostic test, said conditional probabilities including a first probability of cardiac problem assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a first outcome and a second probability assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a second outcome; and

displaying the computed primary probability as well as the plurality of computed conditional probabilities to a user as an aid to determining whether to administer the selected diagnostic test to the patient.

6. A diagnostic apparatus for use with a patient, said apparatus comprising:

a monitoring device which during use monitors one or more clinical features of the patient;

an output device; and

a predictive instrument receiving input from the monitoring device and programmed to;

(1) compute therefrom a primary probability of a medical outcome or diagnosis based on the monitored one or more clinical features;

(2) compute a plurality of conditional probabilities for a selected diagnostic test, said plurality of conditional probabilities including a first probability of said medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a first outcome and a second probability of said medical outcome or diagnosis assuming the selected diagnostic test produces a second outcome; and

(3) display the computed primary probability along with the plurality of computed conditional probabilities on the output device.