Method for the diagnosis of preterm birth
OwnerEdward H. Honinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for the diagnosis of preterm labor, and in particular for distinguishing between false labor and true labor, which includes both prelabor and active labor, is disclosed. The onset of a contraction is determined and the change in value of the rapid ejection time (RET) is determined from the onset of the contraction to a point of time just below the peak intensity of the contraction. A level value of the RET as the contraction proceeds is indicative of false preterm labor. An increasing value of the RET is indicative of prelabor. A decreasing value of the RET is indicative of active labor. The cutaneous blood pressure pattern (cPP) of the patient, which should be concordant with the slope of the RET, can be used as a check on the reliability of the apparatus.
Claims18
A method for distinguishing false preterm labor from true labor (prelabor or active labor), comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining a rapid ejection time (RET) pattern of a patient;
- b. determining the onset of a maternal contraction and the peak of the contraction of the patient;
- c. determining whether the rapid ejection time (RET) pattern from the onset of the contraction towards the peak of the contraction is remaining the same, increasing or decreasing;
- and
- d. diagnosing the type of labor of the patient.
A method for distinguishing false preterm labor from prelabor, comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining a rapid ejection time (RET) pattern of a patient;
- b. determining the onset of a maternal contraction and the peak of contraction of the patient;
- c. determining whether the rapid ejection time (RET) pattern from the onset of the contraction towards the peak of the contraction has a positive slope;
- and
- d. diagnosing prelabor.
A method for distinguishing false preterm labor from prelabor or active labor, comprising the steps of:
- a. obtaining the cutaneous pulse pattern (cPP) of the patient;
- b. determining the onset of maternal contraction and the peak of the contraction of the patient;
- c. determining whether the slope of the cutaneous pulse pattern (cPP) from the onset of the contraction towards the peak of the contraction is remaining the same, increasing or decreasing;
- and
- d. diagnosing the type of labor of the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.