Monitoring a condition of a subject

• US 9,131,891 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EarlySense Ltd.
• Inventors: Shinar, Zvika, Averboukh, Arkadi, Halperin, Avner
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavert, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US14/663,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20150190087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 179 Days
• Field of Search: 600/16, 600/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• 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 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0823 Detecting or evaluating cough events
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4356 Assessing uterine contractions A61B5/033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• 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 5/746 : Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/56 : Devices for preventing snoring by influencing the respiratory system by gas treatment A61M16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Apparatus for monitoring a clinical condition of a subject is described. A motion sensor monitors the subject, and generates a signal in response thereto. A control unit analyzes the signal, and, in response to the analyzing, (a) identifies a sleep stage of the subject, and (b) identifies a clinical parameter of the subject in the identified sleep stage. The control unit monitors the clinical condition, by comparing the clinical parameter to a baseline clinical parameter for the identified sleep stage, and generates an output in response thereto. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. Apparatus for monitoring a clinical condition of a subject, the apparatus comprising:

a motion sensor configured to monitor the subject without contacting or viewing the subject or clothes the subject is wearing, and to generate a signal in response thereto; and

a control unit, configured to;

analyze the signal,

in response to the analyzing, (a) identify a sleep stage of the subject, and (b) identify a clinical parameter of the subject in the identified sleep stage,

monitor the clinical condition, by comparing the clinical parameter to a baseline clinical parameter for the identified sleep stage, and

generate an output in response thereto.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identified sleep stage is a slow-wave sleep stage, the control unit being configured to identify the clinical parameter of the subject in the slow-wave sleep stage.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identified sleep stage is a rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep stage, the control unit being configured to identify the clinical parameter of the subject in the REM sleep stage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clinical parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

respiratory rate, and heart rate, the control unit being configured to identify the selected clinical parameter.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the clinical parameter is a left ventricular ejection time (LVET) of the subject,

the control unit being configured to identify the LVET of the subject.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to:

identify an average of a clinical parameter for the identified sleep stage, and

monitor the clinical condition, by comparing the average to the baseline.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to:

identify the average of the clinical parameter for each hour of sleep, and

monitor the clinical condition, by comparing each of the averages to a respective baseline.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to:

analyze the signal at a plurality of times,

in response to the analyzing, (a) ascertain that the sleep stage of the subject at each of the plurality of times is a single given sleep stage, and (b) compute a statistic of the clinical parameter over the plurality of times, and

monitor the clinical condition, by comparing the statistic to the baseline.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the plurality of times is a second plurality of times,

wherein the statistic is a second statistic,

wherein the baseline is a first statistic of the clinical parameter over a first plurality of times that precedes the second plurality of times, and

wherein the control unit is further configured to:

analyze the signal at the first plurality of times, and

in response to the analyzing, (a) ascertain that a sleep stage of the subject at each of the first plurality of times is the given sleep stage, and (b) compute the first statistic.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the baseline is a value of the clinical parameter exhibited during a first sleeping session, and

wherein the control unit is configured to identify the clinical parameter by identifying a value of the clinical parameter exhibited during a second sleeping session that follows the first sleeping session.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the baseline is a value of the clinical parameter exhibited at a first time during a sleeping session, and

wherein the control unit is configured to identify the clinical parameter by identifying a value of the clinical parameter exhibited at a second time during the sleeping session that follows the first time.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to monitor the clinical condition by identifying a likelihood that the subject has fever.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the control unit is further configured to, in response to analyzing the signal, identify that breathing of the subject is labored, and

wherein the control unit is configured to identify a likelihood that the subject has fever in response to:

(a) comparing the identified clinical parameter to the baseline, and (b) identifying that breathing of the subject is labored.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the clinical parameter is a left ventricular ejection time (LVET) of the subject,

the control unit being configured to identify a likelihood that the subject has fever in response to comparing the identified LVET to a baseline LVET.