Animal health diagnostics

• US 7,797,145 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: W. Jean Dodds
• Original Assignee: W. Jean Dodds
• Inventors: Dodds, W. Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Moran; Marjorie
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHALEY, PABLO S
• Application Number:
  US12/426,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 703/11
• 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: G16B 20/00 ICT specially adapted for functional genomics or proteomics, e.g. genotype-phenotype associations
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 20/20 Allele or variant detection, e.g. single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] detection
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/00 ICT programming tools or database systems specially adapted for bioinformatics
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/20 Heterogeneous data integration
• 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: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A physical blood sample of animal is sent to a satellite laboratory facility. The blood sample is pre-processed into sub-samples of the sample and the sub-samples are coded. The coded blood sub-samples are physically carried to the main laboratory for analysis. The satellite facility electronically inputs a request for a laboratory analysis by a main laboratory. The request is electronically transmitted to the main laboratory, and the main laboratory coordinates the electronically received input from the satellite facility with the physical blood sub-samples. A computer report of the analysis from the laboratory is obtained for the satellite facility. A clinical pathologist with data of physical characteristics of the animal makes a diagnosis. A menu on a computer permits the generation of a supplemental report to support the diagnosis. An integrated computer report having the laboratory analysis, supplemental report, and a pathologist-enhanced report is electronically communicated to the client.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining and electronically delivering a diagnosis of the health of a dog through a combination of computerized data and human interpretation related to the dog comprising:

obtaining data relating to the physical characteristics of the dog, the data being obtained from at least one of a physical inspection, family or breed history of the dog, and submitting the obtained data to a clinical pathologist;

securing a physical blood sample from the dog, and submitting the blood sample for laboratory analysis of the total T4, total T3, free T4, free T3, T3 autoantibody, T4 autoantibody and thyroglobulin autoantibody;

generating a computer report of the laboratory analysis;

reporting the analysis to the clinical pathologist wherein the clinical pathologist has the patient record containing the data relating to the physical characteristics, and the clinical pathologist thereby makes a preliminary diagnosis of the dog'"'"'s health;

generating from a menu on a computer screen a supplemental diagnostic report based on the laboratory analysis and the patient record, the supplemental diagnostic report including the laboratory analysis to support the preliminary diagnosis, and wherein the laboratory analysis is reported in a first computer program and the menu is in a second computer program;

transferring the data from the first computer program to the second computer program;

configuring the second computer program to permit supplementation of the data from the first computer program, wherein the menu includes selectable icons defining predetermined supplemental report characteristics, the characteristics of the selectable icons representing the textual content of the supplementary report, and different selectable icons being individually related to animal characteristics of age and animal grouping;

selecting the selectable icons for animal characteristics dependant on age and on animal grouping, the groupings being of adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog and selecting selectable icons for thyroid disease, the selectable icons representing normal relative to thyroid disease, or abnormal relative to thyroid disease;

establishing optimal levels for thyroid disease analysis, the levels being defined by a range different from a laboratory reference range as presented in the laboratory report, and wherein the adult optimal level of free T3 (FT3) is less than 8 pg/mL and the adult optimal level of free T4 (FT4) is less than 3 ng/dL;

assessing thyroid function as part of the laboratory analysis and comparing the laboratory analysis to the optimal levels to thereby obtain a supplemental report;

generating an integrated computer report having the laboratory analysis and the supplemental diagnostic report; and

communicating the integrated computer report indicating thyroid function to a remotely located client, such communicating being electronic.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electronic communication to the client is by email or fax, and wherein the second computer program includes a utility to transmit the integrated report from the second program.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the menu includes a tool bar and the tool bar includes icons defining predetermined supplemental report characteristics, and wherein selected icons may be used by the clinical pathologist to supplement the laboratory analytical report.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 including grouping the icons including textual information related to the diagnostic interpretation for adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 including having an icon representing textual information related to the diagnostic interpretation for a disease state requiring treatment for thyroid disease and for an indication of thyroid autoantibody.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 including having an icon representing textual information related to the diagnostic interpretation for a disease state requiring treatment for thyroid disease and for an indication of thyroid autoantibody wherein the groupings are for adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog.

7. A method of obtaining and electronically delivering a diagnosis of the health of a dog through a combination of computerized data and human interpretation related to the dog comprising:

obtaining data relating to the physical characteristics of the dog, the data being obtained from at least one of a physical inspection, family or breed history of the dog, and submitting the data to a clinical pathologist;

securing a physical blood sample from the dog, and submitting the blood sample for laboratory analysis of thyroid function;

generating a computer report of the laboratory analysis;

reporting the analysis to the satellite facility through a network to the clinical pathologist wherein the clinical pathologist has the data relating to the physical characteristics and the clinical pathologist thereby makes a preliminary diagnosis of the dog'"'"'s health;

generating from a menu on a computer screen a supplemental diagnostic report based on the laboratory data and the patient data, the supplemental diagnostic report including the laboratory data to support the preliminary diagnosis wherein the laboratory analytical report is reported in a first computer program and the menu is in a second computer program;

transferring the data from the first computer program to the second computer program;

configuring the second computer program to permit supplementation of the data from the first computer program;

establishing optimal levels for thyroid disease analysis, the levels being defined by a range different from a laboratory reference range as presented in the laboratory report, and wherein the adult optimal level of free T3 (FT3) is less than 8 pg/mL and the adult optimal level of free T4 (FT4) is less than 3 ng/dL;

assessing thyroid function as part of the laboratory analysis and comparing the laboratory analysis to the optimal levels to thereby obtain a supplemental report;

generating an integrated computer report having the laboratory diagnostic report; and

communicating the integrated computer report indicating thyroid function to a remotely located client, such communicating being electronic.

8. A method of obtaining and electronically delivering a diagnosis of the health of a dog through a combination of computerized data and human interpretation related to the animal comprising:

obtaining data relating to the physical characteristics of the dog, the data being obtained from a physical inspection, family or breed history of the animal, and submitting the data to a clinical pathologist;

securing a blood sample from the dog and submitting the blood sample for laboratory analysis of thyroid function;

generating a computer report of the laboratory analysis;

reporting the analysis through a network to the clinical pathologist wherein the clinical pathologist has the data relating to the physical characteristics thereby making a preliminary diagnosis of the animal health;

generating from a menu on a computer screen a supplemental diagnostic report in combination with the laboratory data to support the preliminary diagnosis;

reporting the laboratory analytical is reported in a first computer program and wherein the menu is in a second computer program;

transferring the data from the first computer program to the second computer program;

configuring the second computer program to permit supplementation of the data from the first computer program;

establishing for thyroid disease analysis optimal levels, the levels being defined by a range different to a laboratory reference range as presented in the laboratory report, there being at least one category of the adequate optimal levels, therapeutic response optimal levels, the minimal expectations optimal levels;

or the optimal levels for confirming autoimmune thyroiditis;

assessing thyroid function as part of the laboratory analysis by determining the correct category, and an analysis based on the laboratory report as applied in the correct category to thereby obtain a supplemental report;

selectively enhancing the supplemental report by a further input from the pathologist into the computer;

establishing optimal levels for thyroid disease analysis, the levels being defined by a range different from a laboratory reference range as presented in the laboratory report, and wherein the adult optimal level of free T3 (FT3) is less than 8 pg/mL and the adult optimal level of free T4 (FT4) is less than 3 ng/dL;

generating an integrated computer report having the laboratory analysis and the report; and

communicating the integrated or enhanced report to a remotely located client, such communicating being electronic.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein in the thyroid assessment is obtained from analysis of the total T4, total T3, free T4, free T3, and thyroglobulin autoantibody, and selectively endogenous TSH.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein in the thyroid assessment is obtained from analysis of the total T4, total T3, free T4, free T3, T3 autoantibody, T4 autoantibody and thyroglobulin autoantibody, and selectively endogenous TSH.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the menu includes selectable icons defining predetermined supplemental report characteristics, the characteristics of the selectable icons representing textual content to be added to the supplementary report, and different selectable icons being individually related to animal characteristics of age and animal grouping, and wherein selectable icons related to animal characteristics are selected by the clinical pathologist to supplement the laboratory report, including selecting the selectable icons for animal characteristics dependant on age and animal grouping, and further selecting and the selectable icons for groupings of the selected animal groups of adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog and selecting selectable icons for a disease state, being thyroid disease, the selectable icons being representative of being normal relative to thyroid disease, or abnormal relative to thyroid disease.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the menu includes selectable icons defining predetermined supplemental report characteristics, the characteristics of the selectable icons representing textual content to be added to the supplementary report, and different selectable icons being individually related to animal characteristics of age and animal grouping, and wherein selectable icons related to animal characteristics are selected by the clinical pathologist to supplement the laboratory report, including selecting the selectable icons for animal characteristics dependant on age and animal grouping, and further selecting and the selectable icons for groupings of the selected animal groups of adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog and selecting selectable icons for a disease state, being thyroid disease, the selectable icons being representative of being normal relative to thyroid disease, or abnormal relative to thyroid disease.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the menu includes selectable icons defining predetermined supplemental report characteristics, the characteristics of the selectable icons representing textual content to be added to the supplementary report, and different selectable icons being individually related to animal characteristics of age and animal grouping, and wherein selectable icons related to animal characteristics are selected by the clinical pathologist to supplement the laboratory report, including selecting the selectable icons for animal characteristics dependant on age and animal grouping, and further selecting and the selectable icons for groupings of the selected animal groups of adult, puppy-adolescent, geriatric, or large breed dog and selecting selectable icons for a disease state, being thyroid disease, the selectable icons being representative of being normal relative to thyroid disease, or abnormal relative to thyroid disease.

14. A method of diagnosing a thyroid condition in a dog comprising:

establishing optimal levels for thyroid analysis, the levels being defined by a range different from a laboratory reference range for the thyroid condition; and

establishing an adult optimal level of free T3 (FT3) less than 8 pg/mL and the adult optimal level of free T4 (FT4) less than 3 ng/dL, such optimal levels being representative of normal thyroid function.