Monitoring Method and Apparatus

• US 20080214946A1
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensium Healthcare Limited
• Original Assignee: Sensium Healthcare Limited
• Inventors: Burdett, Alison, Miller, Robin
• Granted Patent: US 9,259,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/516
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/35 by template matching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7239 using differentiation including higher order derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7242 using integration
• 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

Abstract

Apparatus for monitoring an ECG signal comprises a first body wearable part 1 for receiving a physiological signal and comprising processing means, a memory, and a wireless transceiver, the memory storing a plurality of signal segment templates. The processing means is arranged to compare and match segments of the physiological signal to the stored template. The apparatus further comprises a second part 4 comprising a wireless transceiver and processing means, the processing means being arranged to generate and/or modify signal segment templates, and to cause said transceiver of the second part to transmit generated or modified templates to the first part.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring a condition, the apparatus comprising:

a first part comprising

a wireless transceiver,

a memory for storing a plurality of signal segment templates,

an input for receiving an electrical signal, and

processing means for segmenting a received electrical signal into signal segments, for determining whether or not each segment matches one of said stored templates, for storing data including the results of the matching operation in said memory, and for causing said transceiver to periodically transmit the results of the matching operation over a wireless link;

a second part comprising

a wireless transceiver for receiving data transmitted from said first part over said wireless link,

a memory for storing the received data or other data generated using the received data, and

processing means for generating or modifying signal segment templates using said received data, and for causing said transceiver to transmit to the first part the generated or modified templates.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means of the first part sends to the second part identities and numbers of occurrences of matched templates.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means of the first part is arranged to cause a signal segment to be transmitted to the second part in the event that a template is not matched to that signal segment.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing means of the first part is arranged to analyse a signal segment for abnormalities and to cause the signal segment to be transmitted to the second part if an abnormality is detected, even if a template match has been found.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means of the first part is arranged to record in said memory of the first part a sequence of recent signal segments for use in subsequent analyses.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means of the first part is arranged to detect when the first part is out of communication range or otherwise unable to communicate and in such an event to store data which would otherwise have been transmitted to the second part, and to detect when the second part is able to communicate again, and thereafter send the stored data.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means of the second part is arranged to receive signal segments transmitted from the first part, and to use these segments to generate or modify signal segment templates for transmission to the first part.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing means of the second part is arranged to cause generated or modified templates to be stored in the memory of the second part and to synchronise the templates stored in the memory of the first part with those stored in the memory of the second part.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing means of the first part is arranged to cause templates stored at the first part to be modified in dependence upon received signals, and to synchronise the templates stored in the memory of the first part with those stored in the memory of the second part.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 for monitoring a mammalian ECG, wherein said signal segments contain a single heartbeat.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first part comprises two or more electrodes coupled to said input for providing an ECG signal.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing means of the first part is arranged to determine the RR interval of the ECG signal.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processing means of the first part uses the RR interval to detect abnormalities in ECG segments.

14. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first part is arranged in use to be placed in contact with the skin, and said second part is a body wearable part.

15. Apparatus for monitoring a physiological condition, the apparatus comprising:

a first body wearable part for receiving a physiological signal and comprising processing means, a memory, and a wireless transceiver, the memory storing a plurality of signal segment templates, and the processing means being arranged to compare and match segments of the physiological signal to the stored templates and to cause said transceiver to periodically transmit the results of the matching operation over a wireless link; and

a second part comprising a wireless transceiver for receiving data transmitted from said first part over said wireless link, and processing means, the processing means being arranged to generate and/or modify signal segment templates using said received data, and to cause said transceiver of the second part to transmit generated or modified templates to the first part.

16. A method of monitoring a condition, the method comprising:

at a first part

receiving a signal indicative of said condition;

segmenting the signal into successive signal segments;

comparing each signal segment against one or more of a set of signal segment templates and identifying matching templates;

periodically sending identities of matching templates via a wireless communication link to a second part;

at the second part

storing received data or data generated from the received data;

using said received data, generating new or modified signal segment templates and transmitting these via said wireless communication link to the first part,

and at the first part

storing received new or modified templates for subsequent use.

17. A method according to claim 16 and comprising transmitting a signal segment from the first part to the second part in the event that a template match is not found for the signal segment and/or if an abnormality is detected in the signal segment.

18. A method according to claim 16 and comprising collecting at the first part matching template identities and numbers of occurrences, and periodically transmits these to the second part.

19. A method according to claim 16 and comprising storing data at the first part when the second part is out of range or otherwise unable to communicate with the first part, and sending the stored data to the second part when communication can resume.