Systems and methods for displaying changes in biological responses to therapy

• US 7,720,306 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Photomed Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Photomed Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: McCullough, Brent Michael, Gardiner, Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, CHONG R
• Application Number:
  US11/512,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20070091091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/276
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

Systems and methods of this invention display data using pixels with information indicated by color and intensity changes, particularly used for monitoring of physiological variables in real time. For certain methods, physiological data can be acquired by sensors, acquired data can be stored in data frames, data frames can be processed using computer-implemented methods, and processed data frames can be scaled to a display frame for display on a display device. Using such methods, a spot made up of a group of pixels can be updated during a time frame, or cycle using a computer-implemented method, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or a time dependent function. Newly received data can be combined with prior received data to indicate time-dependent changes. In this way, each spot contains a cumulative history of data starting at some initial time. In other embodiments, visual contrast can be enhanced between desired data and other data. In further embodiments, two or more different types of data can be plotted together to indicate relationships between variables. Real time monitoring of signals during therapeutic treatment using light, electricity or other nerve or muscle stimuli can allow a user to monitor physiological responses during stimulation and to make rapid decisions about medical treatment.

Claims

1. A method of displaying real-time data on a display comprising:

acquiring data from one or more sensors attached to a human being;

storing received sensor data at one time point producing a first data frame;

storing received sensor data at a second time point producing a second data frame;

processing data using a computer implemented program to combine data in said second data frame with data from said first data frame thereby producing a processed data frame;

scaling said processed data and said first data frame to a desired range, thereby producing a display frame; and

displaying said display frame on a display wherein said data is obtained from a surface electromyograph (SEMG) and an accelerometer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensors captures biological or physiological activity.

3. The method of claim 1 ,wherein the data is from biological or physiological activity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering said data, wherein the filter is a numerical method that smoothes the data by removing data having a frequency of greater than the frequency content of physiological data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer implemented program includes any combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or a time-dependent function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing said data and data from said first data frame is carried out using one or more of a linear, non-linear, logarithmic, exponential or polynomial curve fitting algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is analog or digital.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying data selected from the group consisting of electrocardiography (EKG), electroencephalography (EEG), body position, limb motion, local temperature, and local blood flow.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a timing marker indicating the onset of deep brain stimulation.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said image is a thermal image.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer-implemented program highlights a display of relationships between said data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said computer-implemented program is an image convolution program.