Telemetric system for fetal care

• US 6,522,916 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ki Chul Kwon, Neode Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ki Chul Kwon, Neode Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Ki Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVELL, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US09/689,942
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 600/511, 600/300, 600/301, 600/302, 600/303, 600/304, 600/588, 128/920, 607/902
• US Class Current: 600/511
• 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 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 607/902 Fetal monitoring other than heart rate

Abstract

A telemetric system for fetal health, which receives data of a pregnant woman or a fetus of the pregnant woman, analyzes the received data and reporting a diagnosis result in order to make a diagnosis of fetal health without the pregnant woman calling on a hospital.

The telemetric system for fetal care including a telemetric server for providing first analysis data by analyzing data a data offering client terminal having a data input unit on a communications network, a data diagnosis client receiving the source data from the telemetric server and generating a second analysis data or a final diagnosis result, the telemetric server receiving the second analysis data or the final diagnosis result form the data diagnosis client and transmitting the second analysis data or the final diagnosis result to a result report unit and a Web server managing unit for informing and displaying the second analysis data or the final diagnosis result.

Claims

1. A telemetric system for fetal care comprising:

a data offering client terminal including a communications interface unit which is accessible to communications network and a data input unit for converting source data generated by examining health of a pregnant woman and a fetal health of the pregnant woman to digital data which is transmittable through the communications network; and

a telemetric server for receiving the source data from the data offering client terminal connected to the communications network, generating first analysis data by provisional diagnosis of the source data, displaying the generated first analysis data on a homepage, transmitting the first analysis data to a data diagnosis client according to a request of the data diagnosis client, receiving a final diagnosis result related to the first analysis data from the data diagnosis client, displaying the final diagnosis result on the homepage again, reporting the final diagnosis result to the data offering client terminal, and constructing a database with the final diagnosis result.

2. The telemetric system for fetal care as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the source data includes fetal movement data, fetal heart rate (HR) data and uterine contraction (UC) data of the pregnant woman, generated by examining health of the pregnant woman and the fetal health of the pregnant woman.

3. The telemetric system for fetal care as claimed in claim 2, wherein the telemetric server comprises:

database means for storing the inputted source data, the first analysis data generated after analyzing the source data, and the final diagnosis result;

a main processor for receiving the source data stored in the database means, generating the first analysis data with a pre-inputted diagnosis module in a data analysis program, storing the generated first analysis data into the database means, determining whether a fetus is normal or not with the first analysis data, and requesting result report means to give a final report when the fetus is abnormal;

result report means for receiving a request to report the final report about the abnormal fetus from the main processor and providing data of informing that the fetus is abnormal to the data offering client through the communications network; and

Web server managing means for transmitting the first analysis data to the data diagnosis clients through the communications network, receiving the final diagnosis result from the data diagnosis clients, stores the final diagnosis result in the database means and displaying the data stored in the database means on the homepage in order to provide all diagnosis processes from the source data to the final diagnosis result.

4. The telemetric system for fetal care as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data analysis program in the main processor includes:

a fetal HR analysis module for evaluating Long-term/Short-term MMR (Mean Minute Range) with use of the fetal HR data extracted from the source data;

a variability analysis module for analyzing a period of the UC data in order to set a time basis, calculating a fetal HR baseline with accumulating the fetal HR data extracted from the source data according to the time basis, and determining a pulse situation from the fetal HR baseline; and

a fetal HR acceleration/deceleration analysis module for determining whether a fetal HR accelerates or decelerates with the fetal HR data.

5. The telemetric system for fetal care as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fetal HR acceleration/deceleration analysis module includes a module for detecting acceleration of the fetal HR and a module for detecting deceleration of the fetal HR.

6. The telemetric system for fetal care as claimed in claim 3, wherein the result report means display the final diagnosis result on the homepage through the Web server managing means for providing the final diagnosis result to a plurality of clients, and reports the final diagnosis result to the data offering client by any or all of e-mail, phone and ARS (Auto Response Service).

7. A telemetric method for fetal care comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a source data from a pregnant woman and a fetal of the pregnant woman through a data offering client terminal which includes an data input unit and dividing the received source data into fetal heart rate (HR) data and uterine contraction (UC) data of the pregnant woman;

b) making a provisional diagnosis for producing a first analysis data by analyzing the fetal HR data and the UC data;

c) transmitting the first analysis data to Web server managing means to be displayed on a homepage and transmitting the first analysis data to result report means in case that the provisional diagnosis finds an abnormal result in order to report the abnormal result to the data offering client; and

d) providing the first analysis data to a data diagnosis client according to a request of the data diagnosis client, receiving and storing a final diagnosis result from the data diagnosis client, transmitting the final diagnosis result to the Web server managing means, and reporting the final diagnosis result including normal/abnormal situation information to the data offering client.

8. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the first analysis data includes variability data for determining fetal hypoxia,

wherein the first analysis data further includes data about fetal HR acceleration, prolonged fetal HR acceleration, variable fetal HR deceleration, prolonged fetal HR deceleration, early fetal HR deceleration and late fetal HR deceleration for diagnosis of a fetal HR acceleration/deceleration by using the fetal HR data extracted from the source data.

9. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step b) further includes the steps of:

1) calculating a Long-term MMR (Mean Minute Range) and a Short-term MMR from the fetal HR data;

2) removing noise from the fetal HR data; and

3) finding a stand deviation of the fetal HR data without noise.

10. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the Long-term MMR of the step 1) is a value calculated by generating a first Long-term maximum variation value by converting a peak of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, generating a second Long-term maximum variation value by converting a nadir of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, accumulating and averaging differences between the first Long-term maximum variation value and the second Long-term maximum variation value.

11. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the Short-term MMR of the step 1) is a value calculated by generating a first Short-term maximum variation value by converting a peak of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, generating a second Short-term maximum variation value by converting a nadir of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, accumulating and averaging differences between the first Short-term maximum variation value and the second Short-term maximum variation value.

12. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step b) further includes the steps of:

4) determining that the fetal HR data is normal when being centered on a baseline of the fetal HR data, tachycardia when being faster than the normal HR data, and bradycardia when being slower than the normal HR data according to the predetermined baseline; and

5) determining variability data with the standard deviation of the baseline according to predetermined criteria.

13. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step b) further includes the step of:

6) determining whether the fetal HR data is normal or not, there is the fetal HR acceleration or not, and there is the prolonged fetal HR acceleration or not by detecting a wave of the fetal HR data, determining where the wave terminates and probing a peak in the nadir area of the wave.

14. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step b) further includes the steps of:

7) detecting a fetal HR deceleration wave by comparing the baseline of the fetal HR data with a basic fetal HR; and

8) detecting the variable fetal HR deceleration, the prolonged fetal HR deceleration, the early fetal HR deceleration and the late fetal HR deceleration in the fetal HR data with use of the fetal HR deceleration wave.

15. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step d) further includes the steps of:

storing the final diagnosis result transmitted from the data diagnosis client into database means; and

sending the final diagnosis result to the result report means and the Web server managing means in order to report the final diagnosis result to the data offering client with use of the result report means and display the final diagnosis result on the homepage through the Web server managing means.

16. The telemetric method for fetal care as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the data diagnosis clients include a first data diagnosis client for receiving and analyzing the first analysis data made in the step b) and generating second analysis data and a second data diagnosis client for collectively analyzing the source data and the second analysis data and producing the final diagnosis result.

17. A record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care which transmits data from/to a client terminal and a Web server through a communications network, processing and analyzing the data and informing analyzed results, the record medium comprising:

a source data dividing process for receiving source data from a pregnant woman and a fetal of the pregnant woman through a data offering client terminal which includes an data input unit and dividing the received source data into fetal heart rate (HR) data and uterine contraction (UC) data of the pregnant woman;

a provisional diagnosis process for producing a first analysis data by analyzing the fetal HR data and the UC data;

a provisional diagnosis reporting process for transmitting the first analysis data to Web server managing means to be displayed on a homepage and transmitting the first analysis data to result report means in case that the provisional diagnosis finds an abnormal result in order to report the abnormal result to the data offering client; and

a final diagnosis result process for providing the first analysis data to a data diagnosis client according to a request of the data diagnosis client, receiving a final diagnosis result from the data diagnosis client, storing the final diagnosis result in a database, transmitting the final diagnosis result to the Web server managing means, and reporting the final diagnosis result including normal/abnormal situation information to the data offering client.

18. The record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care as claimed in claim 17, wherein the provisional diagnosis process includes the steps of:

1) calculating a Long-term MMR (Mean Minute Range) and a Short-term MMR from the fetal HR data;

2) removing noise from the fetal HR data; and

3) finding a stand deviation of the fetal HR data without noise.

19. The record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care as claimed in claim 18,

wherein the Long-term MMR of the step 1) is a value calculated by generating a first Long-term maximum variation value by converting a peak of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, generating a second Long-term maximum variation value by converting a nadir of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, accumulating and averaging differences between the first Long-term maximum variation value and the second Long-term maximum variation value.

20. The record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care as claimed in claim 18,

wherein the Short-term MMR of the step 1) is a value calculated by generating a first Short-term maximum variation value by converting a peak of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, generating a second Short-term maximum variation value by converting a nadir of the fetal HR data for a predetermined time into a msec unit, accumulating and averaging differences between the first Short-term maximum variation value and the second Short-term maximum variation value.

21. The record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care as claimed in claim 18, wherein the provisional diagnosis step further comprises the steps ofdetermining that the fetal HR data is normal when being centered on a baseline of the fetal HR data, tachycardia when being faster than the normal HR data, and bradycardia when being slower than the normal HR data according to the predetermined baseline;

and

5) determining variability data with the standard deviation of the baseline according to predetermined criteria.

22. The record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care as claimed in claim 18, wherein the provisional diagnosis process further comprises the steps of:

6) determining whether the fetal HR data is normal or not, there is the fetal HR acceleration or not, and there is the prolonged fetal HR acceleration or not by detecting a wave of the fetal HR data, determining where the wave terminates and probing a peak in the nadir area of the wave.

23. The record medium including a telemetric diagnosis program for fetal care as claimed in claim 17, wherein the final diagnosis result process comprises the steps of:

storing the final diagnosis result transmitted from the data diagnosis client into database means; and

sending the final diagnosis result to the result report means and the Web server managing means in order to report the final diagnosis result to the data offering client with use of the result report means and display the final diagnosis result on the homepage through the Web server managing means.