Monitoring, predicting and treating clinical episodes

• US 9,883,809 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EarlySense Ltd.
• Inventors: Klap, Tal, Shinar, Zvi, Meger, Guy, Halperin, Avner
• Primary Examiner(s): Weston, Tiffany
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THO Q
• Application Number:
  US14/019,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20140005502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 600483, 600484, 600529, 600536, 600535, 600534, 600533, 600541, 600540, 600539, 600538, 600537
• 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 5/0205 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 5/0816 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 5/1101 Detecting tremor
• 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 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/412 Detecting or monitoring sepsis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• 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: A61G 7/0527 : Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0057 : Pumps therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 : Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 : for weighing persons

Abstract

Apparatus is described, including a motion sensor configured to sense motion of a patient and to generate a motion signal in response thereto. The apparatus includes an output unit and a control unit. The control unit is configured to analyze the motion signal, to identify breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing in response to the analyzing, and to drive the output unit to generate an alert in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a non-contact motion sensor configured to sense motion of a patient and to generate a motion signal in response thereto;

an output unit; and

a control unit configured to;

derive, from the motion signal, a respiration rate of the patient, respiration motion signal amplitude of the patient, and changes in posture of the patient, by analyzing the motion signal,

identify breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing, in response to;

detecting both of (a) an increase in the respiration rate, and (b) a decrease in the respiration motion signal amplitude, and

only in response to further detecting that an onset of (a) and (b) is not temporally associated with a change in a posture of the patient compared to before detecting (a) and (b), and

drive the output unit to generate an alert in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing.

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

identify poor pulmonary function of the patient, in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing, and

drive the output unit to generate the alert further in response thereto.

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

identify sepsis of the patient, in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing, and

drive the output unit to generate the alert further in response thereto.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to:

calculate a sepsis score based on the identification of the rapid shallow breathing, and

identify the sepsis in response thereto.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion signal includes a cardiac related signal, and

the control unit is configured to;

derive a magnitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia of the patient from the cardiac related signal, and

identify the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing, further in response to detecting a decrease in the magnitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia of the patient.

6. Apparatus comprising:

a motion sensor configured to sense motion of a patient and to generate a motion signal, in response to sensing the motion of the patient;

an output unit; and

a control unit configured to;

derive, from the motion signal, heart pulse amplitude and respiration amplitude of the patient, by analyzing the motion signal,

analyze a ratio of the heart pulse amplitude to the respiration amplitude,

detect that the heart pulse amplitude exceeds a minimal threshold of amplitude,

using the analyzing and the detecting, identify breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing, and

drive the output unit to generate an alert in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to identify poor pulmonary function of the patient, in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing.

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

detect a respiration rate of the patient, by analyzing the motion signal, and

identify poor pulmonary function of the patient, further in response to detecting the respiration rate.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to identify the shallow breathing further in response to detecting that movements of the patient are taking place above the motion sensor.

10. A method for analyzing breathing of a patient, comprising:

sensing motion of a patient with a non-contact motion sensor, and generating a motion signal in response thereto;

deriving, from the motion signal, a respiration rate of the patient, respiration motion signal amplitude of the patient, and changes in posture of the patient, by analyzing, by a control unit, the motion signal;

in response to the analyzing, identifying, by the control unit, breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing,

in response to detecting both of (a) an increase in the respiration rate, and (b) a decrease in the respiration motion signal amplitude, and

only in response to further detecting that an onset of (a) and (b) is not temporally associated with a change in a posture of the patient compared to before detecting (a) and (b); and

driving, by the control unit, an output unit to generate an alert in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising identifying, by the control unit, poor pulmonary function of the patient, in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing,

wherein driving the output unit to generate the alert is further in response to identifying the poor pulmonary function.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising identifying, by the control unit, sepsis of the patient, in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing,

wherein driving the output unit to generate the alert is further in response to identifying the sepsis.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising calculating, by the control unit, a sepsis score based on the identification of the rapid shallow breathing, wherein identifying the sepsis is in response to the score.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

generating the motion signal comprises generating a cardiac related signal,

the method further comprises deriving a magnitude of a respiratory sinus arrhythmia of the patient from the cardiac related signal, and

identifying the breathing of the patient as being rapid shallow breathing is further in response to detecting a decrease in the magnitude of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia of the patient.

15. A method for analyzing breathing of a patient, comprising:

sensing motion of a patient with a motion sensor, and, in response thereto, generating a motion signal;

using a control unit, deriving, from the motion signal, heart pulse amplitude and respiration amplitude of the patient, by analyzing the motion signal;

analyzing, by the control unit, a ratio of the heart pulse amplitude to the respiration amplitude;

detecting, by the control unit, whether the heart pulse amplitude exceeds a minimal threshold of amplitude;

using the analyzing and the detecting, identifying, by the control unit, the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing; and

in response thereto, driving, by the control unit, an output unit to generate an alert.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising identifying, by the control unit, poor pulmonary function of the patient, in response to identifying the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising deriving, from the motion signal, by the control unit, a respiration rate of the patient,

wherein identifying the poor pulmonary function of the patient is further in response to deriving the respiration rate.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising detecting, by the control unit, that movements of the patient are taking place above the motion sensor, wherein identifying the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing comprises identifying the breathing of the patient as being shallow breathing in response to detecting that the movements are taking place above the motion sensor.

19. Apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to continuously sense one or more physiological parameters of a patient selected from the group consisting of;

temperature, heart rate, breathing pattern, and blood pressure, and generate a sensor signal in response thereto; and

a control unit configured to;

continuously receive the sensor signal,

periodically receive data that includes a tilt angle of a resting surface of the patient by receiving the data at time intervals of between 0.5 hours and 12 hours,

based on both the continuously received sensor signal and the periodically received tilt angle of the resting surface, calculate a dynamic score, and

generate an output in response to the dynamic score.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the periodically received data further includes a second physiological parameter selected from the group consisting of:

a blood pressure of the patient, and a temperature of the patient,

wherein the control unit is configured to calculate the dynamic score based on the selected second physiological parameter.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the periodically received data further includes a level of consciousness of the patient,

wherein the control unit is configured to calculate the dynamic score based on the level of consciousness.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the periodically received data further includes a weight of the patient,

wherein the control unit is configured to calculate the dynamic score based on the weight of the patient.