Method and apparatus for assessing patient well-being
AssigneeCardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
InventorsVeerichetty A. Kadhiresan, Julio C. Spinelli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for assessing the status of well-being of patients being treated for CHF using cardiac pacing as a therapy. By sampling the output from an activity sensor or the like, and by noting the frequency with which the averaged rectified sensor output exceeds a preset threshold following changes in the pacing mode, the efficacy of the new mode compared to the previous one can be evaluated.
Claims16
A method of assessing the well-being of a patient comprising the steps of:
- (a) affixing at least one physiologic sensor to the patient, the sensor producing an output signal proportional to the patient's level of physical activity;
- (b) averaging the output signal over a predetermined time period;
- (c) establishing a predetermined threshold level against which the sensor averaged output signal is compared;
- (d) tallying the number of times within a predetermined interval that the sensor averaged output signal exceeds the threshold level;
- and
- (e) storing the tally for subsequent readout.
A method for monitoring a patient for assessing said patient's state of well-being comprising the steps of:
- (a) implanting in the patient an electronic module including a sensor for producing an output signal proportional to a predetermined physiologic parameter, a means for averaging the output signals from the sensor over a predetermined time period, a means for comparing the averaged output signal to a predetermined threshold, a means for counting the instances in which the averaged output signal exceeds the threshold within a defined time interval and a means for transmitting counting results to an external monitor;
- (b) setting the threshold to a predetermined level;
- (c) enabling the counting means for a defined time interval for tallying the number of instances within the defined time interval that the averaged output signal exceeded the threshold;
- and
- (d) transmitting the tally to said external monitor.
A method of assessing the well-being of a patient in whom a cardiac pacemaker is implanted, the pacemaker being of a type including a sensor for detecting a physiologic parameter and producing an output signal proportional thereto, an averager for averaging the output signals over a predetermined time interval, a pulse generator for producing cardiac stimulating pulses, a programmable microprocessor with a memory for controlling the rate at which the pulse generator produces cardiac stimulating pulses and telemetry means for display communication with an external module, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a programmable microprocessor with a program defining a monitoring protocol including:
- (i) a total time period in which the patient's well-being is to be assessed,
- (ii) a plurality of first time periods within said total time period in which different pacing modes are employed;
- and
- (iii) at least one instance within each of the plurality of first time periods that the averaged output signal from the sensor are sampled over a given time interval that is short compared to the length of the first time periods;
- (b) setting a threshold value against which the averaged output signals are to be compared during the given time interval;
- (c) determining for each of the given time intervals a value corresponding to how often the averaged output signals of the sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold;
- and
- (d) storing the results of step (c) in the memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.