Method and apparatus for indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer and its progression

• US 9,095,305 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Podimetrics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Podimetrics, Inc.
• Inventors: Engler, Jeffrey Mark, Linders, David Robert, Bloom, Jonathan David, Petersen, Brian Jude, Geboff, Adam, Kale, David Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): TOWA, RENE T
• Application Number:
  US13/803,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20130261496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 600/587, 600/592, 600/595, 600/549
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0276 comprising a thermosensitive compound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/02 specially adapted for a particular organ or body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/445 Evaluating skin irritation or skin trauma, e.g. rash, eczema, wound, bed sore
• 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 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/706 Indicia not located on the patient, e.g. floor marking
• 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: 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 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method of monitoring a patient'"'"'s foot provides an open platform for receiving at least one foot. The platform has at least one temperature sensor for generating a plurality of temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot. The method then forms a thermogram of the sole of the at least one foot from the temperature data, and determines whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns. Next, the method produces output information indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot as a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.

Claims

1. A method of determining emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer on at least one foot of a patient, the method comprising:

providing one or more processors;

providing an open platform for receiving at least one foot, the open platform having a plurality of temperature sensors;

generating, using the plurality of temperature sensors, a plurality of discrete temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot;

forming, by at least one of the processors, at least one thermogram of the sole of each of the at least one foot from the discrete temperature data values, the thermogram comprising a spatially continuous data set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole;

determining, by at least one of the processors, at any location within the at least one thermogram of the sole, whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns; and

producing, by at least one of the processors, output information indicating an emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot, producing being a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.

2. The method as defined by claim 1 further comprising:

detecting, by at least one of the processors, a prescribed pattern on a thermogram of a portion of the at least one foot indicating the presence of a pre-ulcer on the portion; and

comparing, by at least one of the processors, the thermogram of the portion of the at least one foot with data from a previous thermogram of the portion of the same foot, the previous thermogram indicating that the portion of the at least one foot is pre-ulcer free.

3. The method as defined by claim 1 further comprising:

detecting, by at least one of the processors, a prescribed pattern on a portion of the at least one foot indicating the presence of a given pre-ulcer on the portion; and

comparing, by at least one of the processors, the portion of the at least one foot with data from a previous thermogram of the portion of the same foot, the previous thermogram indicating the presence of the given pre-ulcer in that the portion of the at least one foot.

4. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are at discrete locations on the open platform corresponding to different locations of each of the at least one foot, forming comprising interpolating temperature data between at least two of the plurality of temperature sensors to produce approximate temperature readings at locations that are between the sensors.

5. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of prescribed patterns includes a deviation in corresponding portions of the patient'"'"'s two feet.

6. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of prescribed patterns includes a deviation in one portion of the same foot over time.

7. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the open platform comprises a floor mat.

8. The method as defined by claim 1 further comprising forwarding a data message across a network, the message having the temperature data representing the thermogram.

9. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the the plurality of temperature sensors comprises a plurality of stationary sensors.

10. The method as defined by claim 1 where the plurality of temperature sensors comprises at least one contact sensor.

11. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein forming the thermogram comprises forming a thermogram of substantially the entirety of one of the patient'"'"'s feet.

12. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the at least one thermogram comprises a continuous data set of two-dimensional gradient values across the sole.

13. A method of determining emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer on at least one foot of a patient, the method comprising:

providing one or more processors;

receiving a thermogram message through a network from an open platform for receiving at least one foot, the open platform having a plurality of temperature sensors,

the plurality of temperature sensors having generated a plurality of discrete temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot, the thermogram message including the temperature data values;

forming, by at least one of the processors, at least one thermogram of the sole of each of the at least one foot from the temperature data values, the thermogram comprising a spatially continuous data set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole;

determining, by at least one of the processors, at any location within the at least one thermogram of the sole, whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns; and

producing by at least one of the processors, output information indicating an emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot, producing being a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.

14. The method as defined by claim 13 further comprising:

detecting, by at least one of the processors, a prescribed pattern on a thermogram of a portion of the at least one foot indicating the presence of a pre-ulcer on the portion; and

comparing, by at least one of the processors, the thermogram of the portion of the at least one foot with data from a previous thermogram of the portion of the same foot, the previous thermogram indicating that the portion of the at least one foot is pre-ulcer free.

15. The method as defined by claim 13 further comprising:

detecting, by at least one of the processors, a prescribed pattern on a portion of the at least one foot indicating the presence of a given pre-ulcer on the portion; and

comparing, by at least one of the processors, the portion of the at least one foot with data from a previous thermogram of the portion of the same foot, the previous thermogram indicating the presence of the given pre-ulcer in that the portion of the at least one foot.

16. The method as defined by claim 15 wherein comparing comprises determining whether the given pre-ulcer has changed.

17. The method as defined by claim 13 wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are at discrete locations on the open platform corresponding to different locations of each of the at least one foot forming comprising interpolating temperature data between at least two of the plurality of temperature sensors to produce approximate temperature readings at locations that are between the sensors.

18. The method as defined by claim 13 wherein the open platform has a receiving area for receiving the at least one foot, the receiving area having a surface area that is greater than the surface area of the at least one foot.

19. The method as defined by claim 13 wherein at least one of the plurality of prescribed patterns shows a deviation in corresponding portions of the patient'"'"'s two feet.

20. The method as defined by claim 13 wherein at least one of the plurality of prescribed patterns shows a deviation in one portion of the same foot over time.

21. The method as defined by claim 13 wherein providing an open platform comprises positioning both feet on the open platform.

22. The method as defined by claim 13 wherein the open platform comprises a floor mat.

23. An apparatus for determining emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer on at least one foot of a patient, the apparatus comprising:

an open platform having a plurality of temperature sensors configured to generate a plurality of discrete temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot;

a thermogram generator operatively coupled with the open platform, the thermogram generator having a processor configured to form at least one thermogram of the sole of each of the at least one foot from the temperature data values, the thermogram comprising a spatially continuous data set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole;

a pattern recognition system operatively coupled with the thermogram generator, the pattern recognition system configured to determine, at any location within at least one thermogram of the sole, whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns; and

an analyzer operatively coupled with the pattern recognition system, the analyzer being configured to produce output information indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot as a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.

24. The apparatus as defined by claim 23 wherein the open platform comprises a floor mat.

25. The apparatus as defined by claim 23 wherein the plurality of temperature sensors comprises a plurality of stationary sensors and at least one contact sensor.

26. The apparatus as defined by claim 23 further comprising a display device for displaying indicia indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of the known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot, the indicia being generated using the output information.

27. A computer program product for use on a computer system for determining emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer on at least one foot of a patient, the computer program product comprising a tangible, non-transient computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code comprising:

program code for receiving a thermogram message through a network from an open platform for receiving at least one foot, the open platform having a plurality of temperature sensors,

the plurality of temperature sensors being configured to generate a plurality of discrete temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot, the thermogram message including the temperature data values;

program code for forming at least one thermogram of the sole of each of the at least one foot from the temperature data values, the thermogram comprising a spatially continuous data set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole;

program code for determining, at any location within at least one thermogram of the sole, whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns; and

program code for producing output information indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot, producing being a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.

28. The computer program product as defined by claim 27 further comprising:

program code for detecting a prescribed pattern on a thermogram of a portion of the at least one foot indicating the presence of a pre-ulcer on the portion; and

program code for comparing the thermogram of the portion of the at least one foot with data from a previous thermogram of the portion of the same foot, the previous thermogram indicating that the portion of the at least one foot is pre-ulcer free.

29. The computer program product as defined by claim 27 further comprising:

program code for detecting a prescribed pattern on a portion of the at least one foot indicating the presence of a given pre-ulcer on the portion; and

program code for comparing the portion of the at least one foot with data from a previous thermogram of the portion of the same foot, the previous thermogram indicating the presence of the given pre-ulcer in that the portion of the at least one foot.