# US 12,594,025 B2 · Apparatus and methods for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory disorders > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,594,025 B2 - Document ID: US12594025B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/637,942 - Filed: 2024-04-17 - Published: 2024-12-05 - Granted: 2026-04-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-11 - Assignees: ResMed Pty Ltd - Applicants: ResMed Pty Ltd - Inventors: Faizan Javed - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594025B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/4818: {Sleep apnoea} - A61B 5/01: Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) - A61B 5/02055: {Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature} - A61B 5/0533: Measuring galvanic skin response - A61B 5/0816: {Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency (measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00)} - A61B 5/1116: {Determining posture transitions} - A61B 5/1118: {Determining activity level} - A61B 5/1126: {using a particular sensing technique} - A61B 5/14551: {for measuring blood gases} - A61B 5/349: Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle - A61B 5/372: Analysis of electroencephalograms - A61B 5/4812: {Detecting sleep stages or cycles} - A61B 5/6823: {Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip} - A61B 5/6833: {Adhesive patches} - A61B 5/721: {using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured} - A61B 5/7264: {Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems} - A61B 5/7278: {Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesizing signals from measured signals} - A61B 5/0826: {Detecting or evaluating apnoea events (sleep apnoea A61B5/4818)} - A61B 5/113: occurring during breathing - A61B 7/04: Electric stethoscopes - A61B 2562/0204: Acoustic sensors - A61B 2562/0219: Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches - A61B 2562/0271: Thermal or temperature sensors - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A device that may include, or communicate with, sensors such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, an accelerometer, and/or a photoplethysmograph (PPG) detects sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) events of a patient based on signals from the sensors. The device may have a processor configured to make the detection(s). In an example, the processor may access a memory with processor control instructions. The instructions may be adapted to configure the processor to carry out the detection methodology. The method may include analysing an ECG data of the patient from a signal generated by the ECG sensor, pulse oximetry data of the patient from a signal generated by the PPG, and a three-dimensional (3D) accelerometry data of the patient from a signal generated by the accelerometer to detect the SDB events. The device and methods may be used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory disorders. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor; a respiratory therapy device comprising a controller configured to operate the respiratory therapy device for alleviating a respiratory disorder; and one or more processors configured to: remove artefacts from an ECG signal generated by the ECG sensor to produce artefact-removed ECG data, wherein the removing of the artefacts from the ECG signal comprises identifying portions of the ECG signal that differ from other portions of the ECG signal by comparing autocorrelation functions of a plurality of windows derived from the ECG signal; analyze the artefact-removed ECG data, wherein the analyzing comprises (a) extracting an ECG-derived respiratory (EDR) signal from the artefact-removed ECG data or (b) estimating a respiratory rate from the artefact-removed ECG data; and control an operation of the respiratory therapy device based on the analyzing of the artefact-removed ECG data for alleviating the respiratory disorder. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a metric of comparison between two of the autocorrelation functions is a cosine function. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the cosine function is computed as a dot product of the two autocorrelation functions divided by a product of their respective Euclidean norms. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to detect an atrial fibrillation (AFib) burden of a patient based on the analyzing of the artefact-removed ECG data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to detect one or more sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) events based on the analyzing of the artefact-removed ECG data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to classify the one or more detected SDB events into apneas and hypopneas, and into open and closed airway events. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to analyze an accelerometry signal generated by the accelerometer, and wherein the detection of the one or more SDB events is also based on the analyzing of the accelerometry signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the ECG sensor and the accelerometer are co-located in one device, and wherein the one device is configured as a patch adapted to be worn on skin of a chest of a patient. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the controlling of the respiratory therapy device comprises an adjustment to an automated therapy. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the respiratory therapy device is a respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) device, and wherein the controlling of the RPT device comprises an adjustment to a pressure or a flow generated by the RPT device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the respiratory disorder comprises sleep disordered breathing. ### Claim 12 A system comprising: an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor; a respiratory therapy device comprising a controller configured to operate the respiratory therapy device for alleviating a respiratory disorder; and one or more processors configured to: remove artefacts from an ECG signal generated by the ECG sensor to produce artefact-removed ECG data, wherein the removing of the artefacts from the ECG signal comprises: filtering the ECG signal; differentiating and squaring the filtered ECG signal; finding an envelope of the squared derivative of the filtered ECG signal; partitioning the envelope into a plurality of windows; and computing an autocorrelation function for each of the windows; analyze the artefact-removed ECG data, wherein the analyzing comprises (a) extracting an ECG-derived respiratory (EDR) signal from the artefact-removed ECG data or (b) estimating a respiratory rate from the artefact-removed ECG data; and control an operation of the respiratory therapy device based on the analyzing of the artefact-removed ECG data for alleviating the respiratory disorder. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein each window has a fixed duration. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the removing of the artefacts from the ECG signal further comprises: computing a threshold by averaging peak values of the autocorrelation functions; and adjusting at least some samples of the autocorrelation functions based on comparisons between those samples and the threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the removing of the artefacts from the ECG signal further comprises comparing the autocorrelation functions to determine whether one or more of the plurality of windows contain artefacts. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the respiratory therapy device is a respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) device, and wherein the controlling of the RPT device comprises an adjustment to a pressure or a flow generated by the RPT device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, further comprising the RPT device. ### Claim 18 A method comprising: removing, with one or more processors, artefacts from an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal generated by an ECG sensor to produce artefact-removed ECG data, wherein the removing of the artefacts from the ECG signal comprises identifying portions of the ECG signal that differ from other portions of the ECG signal by comparing autocorrelation functions of a plurality of windows derived from the ECG signal; analyzing, with the one or more processors, the artefact-removed ECG data, wherein the analyzing comprises (a) extracting an ECG-derived respiratory (EDR) signal from the artefact-removed ECG data or (b) estimating a respiratory rate from the artefact-removed ECG data; and controlling, with the one or more processors, an operation of a respiratory therapy device based on the analyzing of the artefact-removed ECG data for alleviating the respiratory disorder. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 18. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the respiratory therapy device is a respiratory pressure therapy (RPT) device, and wherein the controlling of the RPT device comprises an adjustment to a pressure or a flow generated by the RPT device.