Active medical device for the diagnosis of the sleep apnea syndrome

• US 6,890,306 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sorin CRM USA (MicroPort Scientific Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Ela Medical S.A. (LivaNova Plc)
• Inventors: Poezevera, Yann
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Mary Beth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnithithadha, Navin
• Application Number:
  US10/320,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 600/529, 600/532, 600/534, 600/537, 600/538, 600/547, 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 600/533
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0809 by impedance pneumography
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3601 of respiratory organs

Abstract

An active medical device have an improved diagnosis of a sleep apnea syndrome. This device measures the respiratory activity of the patient, determines a state of activity, this state being likely to take, according to satisfaction of predetermined criteria, a value representative of a state of sleep of the patient, and analyzes a detected signal corresponding to the respiratory activity to detect, when the aforementioned state is a state of sleep, the presence of respiratory pauses, and thereby to produce an indicating signal of sleep apnea in the event of the occurrence of a respiratory pause of duration longer than a first predetermined duration. The analysis also includes inhibiting the production of the aforesaid indicating signal, or a treatment to resolve an apnea, when the duration of the detected respiratory pause is longer than a second predetermined duration, typically of at least one minute.

Claims

1. An active medical device, comprising:

means for detecting a respiratory activity of a patient and producing a signal corresponding to said detected respiratory activity;

means for determining a state of activity of the patient comprising means for acquiring an activity parameter, means for comparing said activity parameter to a predetermined criteria, and means for determining that said state is a sleep state on satisfaction of said predetermined criteria,

means for analyzing the detecting means signal comprising means for identifying a respiratory pause and for determining a duration of said detected respiratory pause, and means for producing an indicating signal of sleep apnea in response to an identified respiratory pause having a duration longer than a first predetermined duration during a determined sleep state;

wherein the analyzing means further comprises means for inhibiting the production of the indicating signal in response to said respiratory pause duration being longer than a second predetermined duration.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said second predetermined duration is at least one minute.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is an implantable medical device and further comprises means for treating a sleep apnea syndrome by delivering an electro-cardiac stimulation in response to said indicating signal, and means for inhibiting said electro-cardiac stimulation treating means from delivering a stimulation in response to the detected respiratory pause being longer than said second predetermined duration.

4. An active medical device, comprising:

a respiratory activity monitor having an output signal corresponding to a patient'"'"'s respiratory activity;

a patient state detector including an activity sensor having an output corresponding to a patient activity state, said detector including a predetermined criteria corresponding to a sleep state, and said output signal having a sleep state output in response to said patient activity signal satisfying said predetermined criteria;

a controller able to analyze the respiratory output signal and said state detector wherein the controller analyzes the respiratory output signal and identifies a respiratory pause therein and a duration of said detected respiratory pause, and produces an indicating signal of sleep apnea in response to an identified respiratory pause having a duration longer than a first predetermined duration during a determined sleep state;

wherein the controller operates to inhibit the production of the indicating signal in response to said respiratory pause duration being longer than a second predetermined duration.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said second predetermined duration is at least one minute.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein said device is an implantable medical device and further comprises means for treating a sleep apnea syndrome by delivering an electro-cardiac stimulation in response to said indicating signal, and means for inhibiting said electro-cardiac stimulation treating means from delivering a stimulation in response to the detected respiratory pause being longer than said second predetermined duration.

7. An active medical device, comprising:

a respiratory activity monitor having an output signal corresponding to a patient'"'"'s respiratory activity;

a patient state detector including an activity sensor having an output corresponding to a patient activity state, said detector including a predetermined criteria corresponding to a sleep state, and said output signal having a sleep state output in response to said patient activity signal satisfying said predetermined criteria;

a controller able to analyze the respiratory output signal and said state detector wherein the controller analyzes the respiratory output signal and identifies a respiratory pause therein and a duration of said detected respiratory pause, and produces an indicating signal of sleep apnea in response to an identified respiratory pause having a duration longer than a first predetermined duration during a determined sleep state;

wherein the controller operates to disregard the indicating signal in response to said respiratory pause duration being longer than a second predetermined duration.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said second predetermined duration is at least one minute.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein said device is an implantable medical device and further comprises means for treating a sleep apnea syndrome by delivering an electro-cardiac stimulation in response to said indicating signal, and means for inhibiting said electro-cardiac stimulation treating means from delivering a stimulation in response to the detected respiratory pause being longer than said second predetermined duration.