Wearable monitor with arrhythmia burden evaluation

• US 10,299,691 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRhythm Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: iRhythm Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Hughes, Nicholas, Day, Mark, Tamura, Yuriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US16/160,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20190046066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• 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 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/259 using conductive adhesive means, e.g. gels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/335 using integrated circuit memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/346 Analysis of electrocardiograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/361 Detecting fibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/364 Detecting abnormal ECG interval, e.g. extrasystoles, ectopic heartbeats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/366 Detecting abnormal QRS complex, e.g. widening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6832 using adhesives A61B5/259 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 : Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 : Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• 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 5/7282 : 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 7/04 : Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 : ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a wearable monitor device and methods and systems for using such a device. In certain embodiments, the wearable monitor records cardiac data from a mammal and extracts particular features of interest. These features are then transmitted and used to provide health-related information about the mammal.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the physiological data of a mammal using a wearable monitor, comprising:

applying a wearable patch to the skin of the mammal, the wearable patch comprising a hardware processer within a first adhesive assembly, the first adhesive assembly comprising a plurality of electrodes configured to detect or derive cardiac signals;

within the hardware processor, continuously storing cardiac signals from the mammal;

wirelessly transmitting the cardiac signals to a computing system;

within the computing system, analyzing the cardiac signals to infer a likelihood of a cardiac arrhythmia originating in the past;

after a period of wear, detaching the wearable patch from the surface of the mammal;

removing the hardware processor from the wearable patch;

inserting the hardware processor into a second adhesive assembly; and

applying the second adhesive assembly to the skin of the mammal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first adhesive assembly and the second adhesive assembly each comprise a rigid housing and a plurality of flexible wings, each flexible wing comprising an electrode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises a gateway.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first adhesive assembly and the second adhesive assembly each comprise a battery.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first adhesive assembly and the second adhesive assembly each comprise a transmitter, the transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the cardiac signals to the computing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor comprises a transmitter, the transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the cardiac signals to the computing system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of wear is less than one week.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cardiac signals transmitted to the computing system contain about a one hour increment of data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the hardware processor while it is removed from the patch.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the cardiac signals are transmitted to the computing system on a period basis.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cardiac signals are continuously transmitted to the computing system.

12. A method of monitoring the physiological data of a mammal using a wearable monitor, comprising:

applying a wearable patch to the skin of the mammal, the wearable patch comprising a hardware processer within a first adhesive assembly, the first adhesive assembly comprising a plurality of electrodes configured to detect or derive cardiac signals;

within the hardware processor, continuously storing cardiac signals from the mammal and analyzing the cardiac signals to infer a likelihood of a cardiac arrhythmia originating in the past;

wirelessly transmitting an episode of likely past cardiac arrhythmia to a computing system;

after a period of wear, detaching the wearable patch from the surface of the mammal;

removing the hardware processor from the wearable patch;

inserting the hardware processor into a second adhesive assembly; and

applying the second adhesive assembly to the skin of the mammal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first adhesive assembly and the second adhesive assembly each comprise a rigid housing and a plurality of flexible wings, each flexible wing comprising an electrode.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the computing system comprises a gateway.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first adhesive assembly and the second adhesive assembly each comprise a battery.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first adhesive assembly and the second adhesive assembly each comprise a transmitter, the transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the cardiac signals to the computing system.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the hardware processor comprises a transmitter, the transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the cardiac signals to the computing system.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the period of wear is less than one week.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the episode of likely past cardiac arrhythmia comprises at most about a 20 minute increment of time.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising modifying the hardware processor while it is removed from the patch.