Method of detecting sleep apnea and treatment thereof
First Claim
1. A method of detecting sleep apnea in a patient, which comprises the steps of:
- sensing an EKG signal generated by the patient'"'"'s heart, amplifying the sensed EKG signal in separate paths of high input impedance and of considerably lower impedance to produce two different signals, and differentially amplifying said two signals to detect changes in the patient'"'"'s ventilation, to identify the absence of ventilation as a potential episode of sleep apnea.
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Abstract
A method is presented for evaluating whether an episode of sleep apnea is occurring in a patient suffering from chronic sleep apnea disorder, for delivery of appropriate therapy. The method, performed by an implantable device, includes sensing the patient'"'"'s EKG signal and using electrical energy generated by the heart to power subsequent signal processing. This signal is applied as the sole input to a differential signal processing circuit for passage through both a high impedance path and a substantially lower impedance path and amplification of the difference in magnitude between the resulting two signals, to determine changes in the patient'"'"'s thoracic impedance. Based on such changes, the presence or absence of patient ventilation is detected, to enable an assessment of whether an episode of sleep apnea is occurring. An actual episode of sleep apnea is deemed to have occurred if lack of ventilation exceeds a predetermined interval of time between otherwise regular respiratory cycles. If sleep apnea is indicated, the appropriate therapy is delivered by the device to induce ventilation and halt the apnea episode.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of detecting sleep apnea in a patient, which comprises the steps of:
sensing an EKG signal generated by the patient'"'"'s heart, amplifying the sensed EKG signal in separate paths of high input impedance and of considerably lower impedance to produce two different signals, and differentially amplifying said two signals to detect changes in the patient'"'"'s ventilation, to identify the absence of ventilation as a potential episode of sleep apnea. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An implantable device-implemented method of evaluating whether an episode of sleep apnea is occurring in a patient, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing the electrical signal generated by the patient'"'"'s heart with the implanted device, processing the sensed electrical signal as the sole input to signal processing circuitry of the implanted device to acquire separate high and low input impedance signals therefrom, and differentially amplifying the high and low input impedance signals to determine ventilation of the patient to assess therefrom whether an episode of sleep apnea is occurring. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An implantable device-implemented method of detecting sleep apnea in a patient for delivery of therapy to disrupt the detected sleep apnea, which comprises the steps of:
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sensing the patient'"'"'s EKG signal, alternately applying the sensed signal to a high input impedance path and a considerably lower input impedance path continuously at a relatively rapid switching rate for sufficient resolution to detect patient ventilation and changes therein, and to produce consecutive pairs of signals of different amplitude, and determining the difference in amplitude between signals of each of said signal pairs by differential processing thereof to detect patient ventilation and changes therein, including the presence or absence of ventilation, to identify commencement of an episode of sleep apnea. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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Specification