# US 8,465,438 B2 · Respiratory diagnostic device

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- Number: US 8,465,438 B2
- Document ID: US8465438B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/680,025
- Filed: 2008-09-23
- Published: 2010-10-07
- Granted: 2013-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2007-09-25
- Assignees: Universite Joseph Fourier; Assistance Publique
- Applicants: Pierre-Yves Gumery; Laurent Heyer
- Inventors: Pierre-Yves Gumery; Laurent Heyer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465438B2

## CPC

- A61B 5/08: Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs
- A61B 5/113: occurring during breathing
- A61B 5/389: Electromyography [EMG]
- A61B 5/4818: {Sleep apnoea}
- A61M 16/0051: {with alarm devices}
- A61M 16/024: {including calculation means, e.g. using a processor}
- A61M 2230/04: Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation
- A61M 2230/60: Muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}

## Abstract

The invention relates to a device for analyzing a patient's respiratory status, including: means for determining electromyographic activity (EMG-AN) at the wings of the patient's nose and the start of nasal contractions; means for determining electromyographic activity (EMG-THO) at the patient's thorax and the start of thoracic inspiratory contractions; means for determining the rostro-caudal delay between the start of the nasal contractions and the start of the thoracic inspiratory contractions; means for comparing the delay to a threshold; and means for supplying an alarm signal when the delay is above said threshold.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device for analyzing a patient's respiratory state, comprising:
a first analog-to-digital converter to convert a signal representative of electromyographic activity (EMG-AN) at a level of alae of a patient's nose and a beginning of nasal contractions to provide a first digitized signal;
a second analog-to-digital converter to convert a signal representative of electromyographic activity (EMG-THO) at a level of the patient's thorax and a beginning of thoracic inspiratory contractions to provide a second digitized signal; and
a processor, operatively connected to the first and second analog-to-digital converters, operative to:
determine rostro-caudal delay between the beginnings of the nasal contractions of the first digitized signal and of the thoracic inspiratory contractions of the second digitized signal;
compare said delay with a threshold; and
generate an alarm signal when said delay is greater than said threshold.

### Claim 2

A device for controlling a respiratory ventilator comprising:
a first analog-to-digital converter to convert a signal representative of electromyographic activity (EMG-AN) at a level of alae of a patient's nose and a beginning of nasal contractions to provide a first digitized signal;
a second analog-to-digital converter to convert a signal representative of determining electromyographic activity (EMG-THO) at a level of the patient's thorax and a beginning of thoracic inspiratory contractions to provide a second digitized signal; and
a processor, operatively connected to the first and second analog-to-digital converters, operative to:
determine rostro-caudal delay between the beginnings of the nasal contractions of the first digitized signal and of the thoracic inspiratory contractions of the second digitized signal;
compare said delay with a threshold; and
provide a signal authorizing the ventilator to be stopped when said delay is smaller than said threshold.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1, 2)

The device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising skin electrodes operatively connected to the first and second analog-to-digital converters.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein the first and second analog-to-digital converters receive the signals provided by said electrodes after preprocessing, the first and second digitized signals being filtered and shaped before the comparison of said delay with said threshold by the processor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2)

The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor is further operative to provide adaptive heart signal filtering of at least one of the first and second digitized signals using an EKG signal sensed by other skin electrodes and to provide a filtering of the first and second digitized signals at the mains frequency.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The device of claim 4, wherein the preprocessing comprises amplification and pre-filtering.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1, 2)

The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein said threshold is settable between 200 and 1,000 ms.