Apparatus and method for the diagnosis of true labor
First Claim
1. A method for detecting an onset of true labor in a pregnant mammal, comprising the steps of:
- detecting electrical signals from a succession of muscular contractions associated with labor;
determining an average frequency of the electrical signals occurring within a burst of electrical signals associated with a contraction;
determining a discriminant (δ
) from the determined average frequency for a plurality of contractions so as to provide a set of discriminants, individual ones of the set of discriminants being associated with an individual one of the contractions; and
indicating a beginning of true labor when a slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants exceeds a first threshold value and when a magnitude of a last determined discriminant exceeds a second threshold value.
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Abstract
Disclosed are systems and methods for detecting an onset of true labor in a pregnant mammal. In accordance with a method of this invention the following steps are executed: (a) detected electrical signals from a succession of muscular contractions associated with labor; (b) determining an average frequency of the electrical signals for each contraction; (c) determining a discriminant (δ) from the determined average frequency for each contraction so as to provide a set of discriminants, individual ones of the set of discriminants being associated with an individual one of the contractions; and (d) indicating a beginning of true labor when a slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants exceeds a first threshold value and when a magnitude of a last determined discriminant exceeds a second threshold value. The onset of true labor can also be indicated when a value of a critical determinant exceeds a threshold value, the value of the critical determinant being obtained from a combination of the slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants and a magnitude of a last determined discriminant.
26 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for detecting an onset of true labor in a pregnant mammal, comprising the steps of:
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detecting electrical signals from a succession of muscular contractions associated with labor; determining an average frequency of the electrical signals occurring within a burst of electrical signals associated with a contraction; determining a discriminant (δ
) from the determined average frequency for a plurality of contractions so as to provide a set of discriminants, individual ones of the set of discriminants being associated with an individual one of the contractions; andindicating a beginning of true labor when a slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants exceeds a first threshold value and when a magnitude of a last determined discriminant exceeds a second threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for detecting an onset of true labor in a pregnant mammal, comprising:
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means for detecting electrical signals from a succession of muscular contractions associated with labor; means for determining an average frequency of the electrical signals occurring within a burst of electrical signals associated with a contraction; means for determining a discriminant (δ
) from the determined average frequency for each contraction so as to provide a set of discriminants, individual ones of the set of discriminants being associated with an individual one of the contractions; andmeans for indicating a beginning of true labor when a slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants exceeds a first threshold value and when a magnitude of a last determined discriminant exceeds a second threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for detecting an onset of true labor in a pregnant mammal, comprising the steps of:
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detecting electrical signals from a succession of smooth muscle contractions associated with labor; filtering the electrical signals and determining an average frequency (favg) of the electrical signals occurring within a burst of electrical signals associated with a contraction; determining a discriminant (δ
) from the determined average frequency for a plurality of contractions so as to provide a set of discriminants, individual ones of the set of discriminants being associated with an individual one of the contractions, the discriminant (δ
) being determined in accordance with the expression;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">δ
=κ
f.sub.avg -Λwhere the constants κ and
Λ
are selected so that δ
has a first sign for false labor contractions and a second sign for true labor contractions; andindicating a beginning of true labor when a slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants exceeds a first threshold value and when a magnitude of a last determined discriminant exceeds a second threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for detecting an onset of true labor in a pregnant mammal, comprising the steps of:
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detecting electrical signals from a succession of muscular contractions associated with labor; determining an average frequency of the electrical signals occurring within a burst of electrical signals associated with a contraction; determining a discriminant (δ
) from the determined average frequency for a plurality of contractions so as to provide a set of discriminants, individual ones of the set of discriminants being associated with an individual one of the contractions; andindicating a beginning of true labor when a value of a critical determinant exceeds a threshold value, the value of the critical determinant being obtained from a combination of the slope of at least two discriminants of the set of discriminants and a magnitude of a last determined discriminant. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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Specification