Methods and systems for managing epilepsy and other neurological disorders

• US 9,044,188 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: DiLorenzo, Daniel J., Leyde, Kent W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Rex R
• Application Number:
  US14/274,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 607 45- 46, 607115-116, 600/300, 600/378, 600544-545
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/37 Intracranial electroencephalography [IC-EEG], e.g. electrocorticography [ECoG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• 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 5/7275 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: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36064 Epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for managing epilepsy. In one embodiment, a method of the present invention characterize a patient'"'"'s propensity for a future epileptic seizure and communicates to the patient and/or a health care provider a therapy recommendation. The therapy recommendation is typically a function of the patient'"'"'s propensity for the future epileptic seizure.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

using a processor to perform a first characterizing step characterizing a first patient propensity for an onset of a first epileptic seizure;

communicating to the patient and/or a health care provider a first therapy recommendation, wherein the first therapy recommendation is selected from a plurality of therapy recommendations based on the first patient propensity for the onset of the first epileptic seizure characterized in the first characterizing step;

using the processor to perform a second characterizing step after said first characterizing step, the second characterizing step comprising characterizing a second patient propensity for an onset of a second epileptic seizure; and

communicating to the patient and/or the health care provider a second therapy recommendation, wherein the second therapy recommendation is different from the first therapy recommendation and is selected from the plurality of therapy recommendations based on the second patient propensity for the onset of the second epileptic seizure characterized in the second characterizing step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first patient propensity and the second patient propensity is based on a heart rate signal of the patient.

3. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

using a processor to characterize a first patient status regarding an onset of a first neurological event;

transmitting to a communication assembly a first alert level, wherein the first alert level is selected from a plurality of appropriate alert levels based on the first patient status regarding the onset of the first neurological event;

using the processor to characterize a second patient status regarding an onset of a second neurological event subsequent to the first neurological event; and

transmitting to the communication assembly a second alert level, wherein the second alert level is different from the first alert level and is selected from the plurality of appropriate alert levels based on the second patient status regarding the onset of the second neurological event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first patient status and the second patient status is based on a heart rate signal of the patient.

5. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

using a processor to evaluate a first physiological signal received from the patient indicative of a first patient status regarding an onset of a first neurological event;

transmitting to a communication assembly a first alert level, wherein the first alert level is selected from a plurality of appropriate alert levels based on the first patient status regarding the onset of the first neurological event;

using the processor to evaluate a second physiological signal received from the patient indicative of a second patient status regarding an onset of a second neurological event that is subsequent to the first neurological event, the second physiological signal being different from the first physiological signal; and

transmitting to the communication assembly a second alert level, wherein the second alert level is different from the first alert level and is selected from the plurality of appropriate alert levels based on the second patient status regarding the onset of the second neurological event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first physiological signal and the second physiological signal is a heart rate signal.