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System and method for analyzing progress of labor and preterm labor

  • US 8,160,692 B2
  • Filed: 06/01/2009
  • Issued: 04/17/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A uterine contractile monitoring system comprising:

  • a) a plurality of surface sensors to receive and communicate myometrium signals from a patient'"'"'s abdomen;

    b) a data storage device for collecting information communicated by the sensors; and

    c) a computing means comprising hardware and software, wherein said software comprises an electrohysterogram (EHG) extraction function to extract multiple channels of EHG signals based on information communicated by the plurality of sensors and a function for utilizing and analyzing the multiple EHG signals;

    wherein the function for utilizing and analyzing the multiple EHG signals of the software is adapted to perform at least;

    (i) pairwise subtraction of the multiple EHG signals to emphasize local contractility of the patient'"'"'s uterus at the respective surface sensor;

    (ii) derivation of data detailing differences in timing and amplitude of the signals following step (i);

    (iii) assessment of values for the data of step (ii) and assigning the values to a grid of locations corresponding to the sensors placed on the patient'"'"'s abdomen;

    wherein the function for utilizing and analyzing the multiple EHG signals extracts any single one or combination of the following parameters from the grid;

    time of contraction, location of contraction, extent of contraction, direction of propagation, speed of propagation over the abdomen, average contraction over time, spatial location of the peak of contraction and its variance, spread of the contraction, abdominal intensity distribution, abdominal frequency distribution, patterns of contraction intensity over time, distance of peak power propagation, power changes over time, and frequency changes over time,wherein the computing means further comprises a means for utilizing the grid to ascertain any single one or combination of the following data;

    uterine tonus, fundal dominance, and spatio-temporal patterns of uterine contractions.

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