Techniques for prediction and monitoring of clinical episodes

• US 8,603,010 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EarlySense Ltd.
• Inventors: Lange, Daniel H., Halperin, Avner, Pinhas, Itzhak, Gross, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavert, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US13/750,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20130137998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 600508-509, 600/511, 600/584
• US Class Current: 600/584
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02028 Determining haemodynamic parameters not otherwise provided for, e.g. cardiac contractility or left ventricular ejection fraction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0823 Detecting or evaluating cough events
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/361 Detecting fibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for measuring a heartbeat of a fetus in a pregnant subject. A motion-related parameter of the pregnant subject is sensed without contacting or viewing the subject or clothes the subject is wearing. The fetal heartbeat is derived from the motion-related parameter, and an output is generated in response thereto. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a heartbeat of a fetus in a pregnant subject, comprising:

sensing a motion-related parameter of the pregnant subject without contacting or viewing the subject or clothes the subject is wearing;

deriving the fetal heartbeat from the motion-related parameter; and

generating an output in response thereto.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein sensing the motion-related parameter comprises measuring a pressure in, on, or under a reclining surface upon which the subject lies.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the output comprises generating an acoustic signal of the derived fetal heartbeat by simulating a sound generated by a fetal monitor.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a measure of fetal heart rate variability by analyzing the derived fetal heartbeat.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

deriving a measure of motion of the fetus from the motion-related parameter; and

identifying a change in a condition of the fetus by identifying a change in the motion of the fetus that is correlated to a change in the fetal heartbeat.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein deriving the fetal heartbeat comprises:

deriving from the motion-related parameter;

(a) a maternal breathing-related signal and (b) a fetal heartbeat-related signal; and

demodulating the fetal heartbeat-related signal using the maternal breathing-related signal.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein deriving the fetal heartbeat comprises deriving a first signal from the motion-related parameter that is indicative of both the fetal heartbeat and a maternal heartbeat, and deriving, from the first signal, a second signal indicative of the fetal heartbeat and not indicative of the maternal heartbeat.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein deriving the second signal from the first signal comprises applying high-pass filtering to the first signal.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein deriving the second signal from the first signal comprises:

deriving from the motion-related parameter a signal that is indicative of a maternal breathing pattern;

identifying a component of the first signal that is indicative of the maternal heartbeat by pattern matching the signal that is indicative of a maternal breathing pattern with the first signal; and

deriving the second signal from the first signal, based upon the identified component of the first signal that is indicative of the maternal heartbeat.

10. A method for monitoring movement of a fetus in a pregnant subject, comprising:

sensing a motion-related parameter of the pregnant subject without contacting or viewing the subject or clothes the subject is wearing;

deriving a measure of motion of the fetus from the motion-related parameter; and

generating an output in response thereto.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein sensing the motion-related parameter comprises measuring a pressure in, on, or under a reclining surface upon which the subject lies.

12. Apparatus for measuring a heartbeat of a fetus in a pregnant subject, comprising:

a non-contact sensor, adapted to sense a motion-related parameter of the pregnant subject without contacting the subject or clothes the subject is wearing; and

a control unit, adapted to derive the fetal heartbeat from the motion-related parameter, and to generate an output in response thereto.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus is configured for use with a reclining surface upon which the subject lies, and wherein the sensor is configured to sense the motion-related parameter by measuring a pressure in, on, or under the reclining surface upon which the subject lies.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the output by generating an acoustic signal of the derived fetal heartbeat by simulating a sound generated by a fetal monitor.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine a measure of fetal heart rate variability by analyzing the derived fetal heartbeat.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

derive a measure of motion of the fetus from the motion-related parameter; and

identify a change in a condition of the fetus by identifying a change in the motion of the fetus that is correlated to a change in the fetal heartbeat.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to derive the fetal heartbeat by:

deriving from the motion-related parameter;

(a) a maternal breathing-related signal and (b) a fetal heartbeat-related signal; and

demodulating the fetal heartbeat-related signal using the maternal breathing-related signal.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to derive the fetal heartbeat by deriving a first signal from the motion-related parameter that is indicative of both the fetal heartbeat and a maternal heartbeat, and deriving, from the first signal, a second signal indicative of the fetal heartbeat and not indicative of the maternal heartbeat.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control unit is configured to derive the second signal from the first signal by applying high-pass filtering to the first signal.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control unit is configured to derive the second signal from the first signal by:

deriving from the motion-related parameter a signal that is indicative of a maternal breathing pattern;

identifying a component of the first signal that is indicative of the maternal heartbeat by pattern matching the signal that is indicative of a maternal breathing pattern with the first signal; and

deriving the second signal from the first signal, based upon the identified component of the first signal that is indicative of the maternal heartbeat.

21. Apparatus for monitoring movement of a fetus in a pregnant subject, comprising:

a non-contact sensor, adapted to sense a motion-related parameter of the pregnant subject without contacting the subject or clothes the subject is wearing; and

a control unit, adapted to derive a measure of motion of the fetus from the motion-related parameter, and to generate an output in response thereto.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the apparatus is configured for use with a reclining surface upon which the subject lies, and wherein the sensor is configured to sense the motion-related parameter by measuring a pressure in, on, or under a reclining surface upon which the subject lies.