Devices for diagnosing sleep apnea or other conditions and related systems and methods
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a sensor device configured to be inserted through a mouth or a nose of a patient into an upper airway of the patient, the sensor device comprising multiple sensors configured to capture and transmit sensor data at multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient, the sensor data comprising vibrational or acoustic data associated with the upper airway of the patient;
at least one interface configured to receive the sensor data; and
at least one processing device configured to analyze the sensor data to identify one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient, wherein the at least one processing device is configured to identify the one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient by determining whether one or more patterns of airway noise are present in the upper airway of the patient based on the vibrational or acoustic data captured at the multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system includes a sensor device having a body configured to be inserted into an airway of a patient and one or more sensors mounted in or on the body. The one or more sensors are configured to collect sensor data associated with the airway of the patient. The system also includes a signal analyzer configured to analyze the sensor data. The one or more sensors could include one or more microphones. The signal analyzer could identify volume and/or pitch characteristics of the sensor data, perform pattern recognition to identify one or more patterns using the volume and/or pitch characteristics, and use the one or more patterns to identify a type, a location, and/or a degree of airway obstruction. This could be done, for instance, to determine if the patient suffers from obstructive sleep apnea or other condition that affects his or her airway.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a sensor device configured to be inserted through a mouth or a nose of a patient into an upper airway of the patient, the sensor device comprising multiple sensors configured to capture and transmit sensor data at multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient, the sensor data comprising vibrational or acoustic data associated with the upper airway of the patient; at least one interface configured to receive the sensor data; and at least one processing device configured to analyze the sensor data to identify one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient, wherein the at least one processing device is configured to identify the one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient by determining whether one or more patterns of airway noise are present in the upper airway of the patient based on the vibrational or acoustic data captured at the multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method comprising:
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capturing sensor data comprising vibrational or acoustic data using a sensor device, the sensor device configured to be inserted through a mouth or a nose of a patient into an upper airway of the patient, the sensor device comprising multiple sensors configured to capture the vibrational or acoustic data associated with the upper airway of the patient at multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient; and analyzing the sensor data to identify one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient, wherein analyzing the sensor data comprises determining whether one or more patterns of airway noise are present in the upper airway of the patient based on the vibrational or acoustic data captured at the multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system comprising:
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a sensor device configured to be inserted through a mouth or a nose of a patient into an upper airway of the patient, the sensor device comprising multiple sensors configured to capture and transmit sensor data at multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient, the sensor data comprising vibrational or acoustic data associated with the upper airway of the patient; interface circuitry configured to receive the sensor data; and analysis circuitry configured to analyze the sensor data to identify one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient, wherein the analysis circuitry is configured to identify the one or more obstructions within the upper airway of the patient by determining whether one or more patterns of airway noise are present in the upper airway of the patient based on the vibrational or acoustic data captured at the multiple spaced-apart locations along the upper airway of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification