U.S. patent application number 14/203987 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-02 for real-time tracking of cerebral hemodynamic response (rtchr) of a subject based on hemodynamic parameters.
This patent application is currently assigned to ROPAMedics LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is ROPAMedics LLC. Invention is credited to Alireza Akhbardeh, Amir Tehrani.
Application Number | 20140296655 14/203987 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51621501 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140296655 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Akhbardeh; Alireza ; et
al. |
October 2, 2014 |
REAL-TIME TRACKING OF CEREBRAL HEMODYNAMIC RESPONSE (RTCHR) OF A
SUBJECT BASED ON HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS
Abstract
A system for measuring pain of a person, the system for use with
the tissue of the person. Various sensors and detectors on the
tissue provide signals to a controller for determining and
indicating a pain level of the person.
Inventors: |
Akhbardeh; Alireza; (Redwood
City, CA) ; Tehrani; Amir; (San Francisco,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ROPAMedics LLC |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
ROPAMedics LLC
San Francisco
CA
|
Family ID: |
51621501 |
Appl. No.: |
14/203987 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61776527 |
Mar 11, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
600/301 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 2562/0219 20130101;
A61B 5/01 20130101; A61B 5/4824 20130101; A61B 5/14553 20130101;
A61B 5/0476 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
600/301 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/00 20060101
A61B005/00; A61B 5/0205 20060101 A61B005/0205 |
Claims
1. A system for providing an indication of pain of a person such as
measuring pain or a surrogate of pain symptoms of a person, said
system for use with the tissue of the person, said system
comprising: A light source adapted for illuminating the tissue of
the person; An optical sensor adapted for sensing light emitted or
reflected by the tissue of the person, said optical sensor
generating a light signal indicative of a light parameter of the
sensed light; A surface electrode adapted for sensing an electrical
parameter of the tissue of the person, said surface electrode
generating an electrode signal indicative of an electrical
parameter of the sensed electrical parameter; A temperature sensor
adapted for sensing a temperature of the tissue of the person, said
temperature sensor generating a temperature signal indicative of
the sensed temperature; One or more circuits adapted for receiving
the light signal, the electrode signal, and the temperature signal
and providing corresponding signals; A controller adapted for
receiving and processing the corresponding signals and adapted for
providing a pain indication signal which is a function of the
corresponding signals; An indicator adapted to be responsive to the
controller for providing an indication which is indicative of the
pain indication signal; and A power supply for supplying power to
the system.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a motion sensor adapted
for sensing a motion of the person, said motion sensor generating a
motion signal indicative of the sensed motion; and wherein the
controller is adapted for receiving and processing the motion
signal and is adapted providing the pain indication signal as a
function of the motion signal and as a function of the
corresponding signals.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the motion sensor comprises at
least one of: an accelerometer; a GPS sensor; and a gyroscope.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises at
least one of: A light source emitting light having a frequency in
the range of near infrared wavelengths (e.g., about 10.sup.14 Hz;
about 1000 nm in wavelength); An LED; An LED emitting visible
light; and An LED emitting light having a frequency in the range of
infrared wavelengths (e.g., between 10.sup.11 to 10.sup.15 Hz;
between 1000 nm to 1 cm in wavelength).
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the optical sensor comprises at
least one of: A photodetector; and A light sensitive element.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the light parameters comprises at
least one of: Light intensity; Light frequency; Light wavelength;
and A light emitting pattern (chirp pattern).
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the surface electrode comprises at
least one of: an electrode; and Conductive elements adapted to
contact the tissue.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the electrical parameters
comprises at least one of: Voltage; Current; Resistance;
Capacitance; Inductance; Impedance; and Charge.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the temperature sensor comprises
at least one of: A resistive temperature sensitive element; A
bi-metallic element; and A MEMS temperature sensor.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more circuits
comprise: An analog to digital circuit; A signal conditioning
circuit; A filtering circuit; and Hardware and drivers for optical
transceivers in both normal and chirp modulation modes.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the light source, the optical
sensor, the surface electrode, the temperature sensor and the one
or more circuits comprise one unitary, integrated component and the
controller is a separate, unitary, integrated component and further
comprising a wireless link between the controller and the one or
more circuits.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the light source, the optical
sensor, the surface electrode, the temperature sensor, the one or
more circuits, the power supply and the controller comprise one
unitary, integrated component.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the indicator comprises at least
one of: One or more LEDs; An LCD device; A screen; and A set of
LEDs operating in visible wavelength as indicators of hemodynamic
change rate and/or pain level.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a
processor having a memory device storing computer executable
instructions which estimate hemodynamic parameters and wherein the
processor is adapted to execute the instructions.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein the hemodynamic parameters
comprise at least one of the following: hemoglobin oxygenation;
hemoglobin deoxygenation; heart rate; respiration rate; forehead
and/or body temperature; and forehead and/or body impedance.
16. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a
processor having a memory device storing computer executable
instructions wherein the processor processes the received,
corresponding signals according to at least one of the following:
instructions for an algorithm to compute the pain indication signal
based on hemodynamic parameters and hemodynamic response to
external and/or internal stimulus in real-time or near real-time;
instructions for comparing the signals to a reference (history of
hemodynamic parameters and hemodynamic response; and instructions
for scaling the hemodynamic response to the range of [0, 10].
17. (canceled)
18. (canceled)
19. The system of claim 16 wherein at least one of the following:
the instructions for the algorithm executed by the processor
comprises instructions for fusing over a preset time interval a
plurality of samples of a magnitude of the light signal LS, the
electrode signal ES and the temperature signal TS, adjusted by
preset weights a, b, and c, to compute a pain indicative signal PS
corresponding to a fused signal according to the following: Fused
Signal=.SIGMA.(a*LS+b*ES+c*TS); and the instructions for the
algorithm executed by the processor comprises instructions for
using over a preset time interval a plurality of samples of a
magnitude of a light pain signal LPS indicative of a pain level, an
electrode pain signal EPS indicative of a pain level, and a
temperature pain signal TPS indicative of a pain level, adjusted by
preset weights a, b, and c, to compute an estimated pain indicative
signal PS corresponding to a fused signal according to the
following: Fused Signal=.SIGMA.(a*LPS+b*EPS+c*TPS).
20. The system of claim 16 wherein the instructions for the
algorithm executed by the processor comprises instructions for
summing over a preset time interval of a plurality of samples of a
magnitude of the light signal LS, the electrode signal ES and the
temperature signal TS, wherein each sample is compared to a preset
range and the magnitude of the signals is adjusted according to a
relationship between each signal and the preset range.
21. The system of claim 1 further comprising instructions for
inputting personal input into the controller by an input device
such as a keypad or keyboard, said personal input including
conditions and/or environments of the person and wherein the pain
indication signal is coordinated with the personal input whereby
improved person pain management is provided.
22. The system of claim 16 wherein the personal input includes a
level of consciousness indicator, such as: 0 Awake; 2
Light/Moderate Sedation; 4 General Anesthesia; 6 Deep Hypnotic
State; 8 Burst Suppression; and 10 Fully unconscious.
23. The system of claim 1 the controller processes at least one of
the corresponding signals according to chirp based optical
modulation.
24. The system of claim 1 wherein the optical sensor comprises a
blood oxygenation sensor for sensing a blood oxygenation of the
person and wherein the chirp based optical modulation by the
processor comprises measuring the light signal in different
wavelengths as indicative of blood oxygenation.
25. The system of claim 1 wherein the chirp based optical
modulation comprises varying a carrier frequency in optical
modulation over time to mimic hemodynamic response in different
wavelengths over time to detect hemodynamic response recursively
over time in a serial (recursive) approach.
26. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller calculates
respirations and heart rate by evaluating different frequency
components in raw sensor data from the optical sensor.
27. The system of claim 1 wherein a respiratory signal is a
frequency component of the raw data [2-5 Hz] which can be extracted
using a band pass frequency with cut off [2-5 Hz], and wherein the
processor evaluates frequency components of 5-100 Hz to get heart
rate.
28. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a
processor having a memory device storing computer executable
instructions comprising machine learning techniques and wherein the
processor is adapted to execute the instructions, wherein said
machine learning techniques includes at least one of: Adaptive and
non-adaptive noise cancellation of noise in the signals; Signal
Envelope Detection; Low pass, band-pass, band-stop and high pass
digital filters to extract different hemodynamic parameters from
sensor data spectrum; and supervised or unsupervised clustering
including at least one of k-means, fuzzy c-means artificial neural
networks, support vector machine, fuzzy systems to characterize
hemodynamic response across different persons (persons) and across
days (inter and intra subject variability characterization).
29. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller calibrates the
system using a baseline wander correction algorithm based on at
least one of adaptive or non-adaptive filtering.
30. The system of claim 1 further comprising providing data to the
controller indicative of feedback from a person to train the
controller or set a range.
31. The system of claim 30 wherein the data comprises subjective
pain measurements from the person synchronized with pain indicator
measurements by the system, wherein the subjective pain measurement
comprise: 0-1 No pain; 2-3 Mild pain; 4-5 Discomforting--moderate
pain; 6-7 Distressing--severe pain; 8-9 Intense--very severe pain;
10 Unbearable pain.
32. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller synchronizes
objective hemodynamic parameters of the sensor signals with
subjective measurements provided by the person so that the sensor
and person or a physician establish communication and coordination
between the sensors and the person or physician.
33. The system of claim 1 at least one of the following: wherein
the controller generates commands to which the person responds to
at a particular point to define a baseline. wherein the controller
is responsive to a person or physician to trigger the hemodynamic
monitor to make measurements and define a baseline. wherein a
person indicates his/her pain status among environmental parameters
to train the device for threshold definition. wherein the device
communicates with the persons regarding its pain status in order to
define a baseline and threshold for device training and
personalization.
34. The system of claim 1 wherein said system is configured to be
implantable within a person.
35. The system of claim 1 said system is configured to measure at
least one of the following: pain associated with an addiction;
predict rising pain levels; track uterus-related pain or uterus
contractions; epidural pain management; post-childbirth pain
management; teething or other child-related pain; post-surgery
pain; pain medication drug discovery; and neurological
disorders.
36. The system of claim 1 for use in combination with a PCA (patent
controlled analgesia) infusion pump for controlling the delivery of
medication to treat pain.
37. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller includes telemetry
circuitry to communicate information indicative of the pain
indicative signal to another device.
38. A method for providing an indication of pain of a person such
as measuring pain or a surrogate of pain symptoms of a person, said
method comprising: illuminating the tissue of the person; sensing
light emitted or reflected by the tissue of the person; generating
a light signal indicative of a light parameter of the sensed light;
sensing an electrical parameter of the tissue of the person;
generating an electrode signal indicative of an electrical
parameter of the sensed electrical parameter; sensing a temperature
of the tissue of the person; generating a temperature signal
indicative of the sensed temperature; processing the light signal,
the electrode signal and the temperature signal and providing a
pain indication signal which is a function of the processed
signals; and providing an indication which is indicative of the
pain indication signal.
39. A system for cerebral monitoring of a person, said system for
use with the tissue of the person, said system comprising: A light
source adapted for illuminating the tissue of the person; A optical
sensor adapted for sensing light emitted or reflected by the tissue
of the person, said optical sensor generating a light signal
indicative of a light parameter of the sensed light; A surface
electrode adapted for sensing an electrical parameter of the tissue
of the person, said surface electrode generating an electrode
signal indicative of an electrical parameter of the sensed
electrical parameter; A temperature sensor adapted for sensing a
temperature of the tissue of the person, said temperature sensor
generating a temperature signal indicative of the sensed
temperature; One or more circuits adapted for receiving the light
signal, the electrode signal, and the temperature signal and
providing corresponding signals; A controller adapted for receiving
and processing the corresponding signals and adapted for providing
a cerebral monitoring signal which is a function of the
corresponding signals; An indicator adapted to be responsive to the
controller for providing an indication which is indicative of the
cerebral monitoring; and A power supply for supplying power to the
system.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/776,527, filed Mar. 11,
2013.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM
LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND
[0004] The present invention is in the medical field of blood flow
and brain activity monitoring including hemodynamic measurement.
More specifically, the present invention is in the medical, person
management, animals and pets management, and pharmaceutical
management fields of measuring blood flow and cerebral hemodynamic
changes and impacts associated with several sensory stimuli
including pain, brain injury, other neurological disorders, and
anesthesia as well as others.
[0005] Measurement of pain can include a subjective component when
a person's mood, culture, and other sociological, psychological,
and other factors contribute to sensation and reporting of pain.
Some persons like neonates, infants, children, Alzheimer persons,
and/or persons under anesthesia, or in an ICU, have no mechanism of
self-reporting. Also, if pain progression could be measured and a
threshold set, early intervention could minimize pain progression.
This is also true for persons with migraine or cluster headaches
and other pains.
[0006] Pain management and treatment solutions rely on subjective
data. As a result, persons are either over-medicated or under
treated. Stimulation devices for treatment of pain could deliver
more appropriate therapy if the stimulation level was correlated to
objective, independent, reliable, and repeatable pain measurement.
The evaluation and treatment of persons occurs because many may not
be able to self-report their health condition, and the typical
behavioral signs may be subtle or absent.
SUMMARY
[0007] In one form, a system according to embodiments of the
invention indicates pain or a surrogate of pain symptoms of a
person and is for use with the tissue of the person. A light source
is adapted for illuminating the tissue of the person. An optical
sensor is adapted for sensing light emitted or reflected by the
tissue of the person. The optical sensor generates a light signal
indicative of a light parameter of the sensed light. A surface
electrode is adapted for sensing an electrical parameter of the
tissue of the person. The surface electrode generates an electrode
signal indicative of an electrical parameter of the sensed
electrical parameter. A temperature sensor is adapted for sensing a
temperature of the tissue of the person. The temperature sensor
generates a temperature signal indicative of the sensed
temperature. One or more circuits is adapted for receiving the
light signal, the electrode signal, and the temperature signal and
provides corresponding signals. A controller is adapted for
receiving and processing the corresponding signals and is adapted
for providing a pain indication signal which is a function of the
corresponding signals. An indicator is adapted to be responsive to
the controller for providing an indication which is indicative of
the pain indication signal. A power supply supplies power to the
system.
[0008] A system for cerebral monitoring of a person and a method
for providing an indication of pain of a person such as measuring
pain or a surrogate of pain symptoms of a person are also
presented.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a sensor system according to the system
and method and a plurality of exemplary locations for the placement
of the sensor system on a person's forehead.
[0010] FIG. 1A is block diagram illustrating a system and
method.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the device for the
real-time tracking of the cerebral hemodynamic changes on
ambulatory subjects using the Real-time Tracking of Cerebral
Hemodynamic Response (RTCHR) system.
[0012] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the physics of chirp optical
modulation to track hemodynamic response changes.
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates the period of time during which the
assessments of FIGS. 5-8 were taken.
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to external severe cold
pain stimuli.
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to external severe heat
pain stimuli. Hemodynamic response did not return to baseline due
to continued burning sensation.
[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to external severe
sharp pain stimuli.
[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to internal severe back
pain stimuli. Subject with back pain was asked to twist his back to
temporarily increase pain level.
[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates graphs of heart and respiration rate
Estimation: The derivative of forehead pulse can be used to
estimate Heart and respiration rates.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Vital signs should not be used as primary indicators of
person health condition, but rather vital signs should be
considered as a cue to begin further assessment. Other than vital
signs, human brain reactivity to external/internal stimuli such as
pain and anesthesia has been extensively studied with the use
mainly of magnetic resonance imaging and positron-emission
tomography. However, the use of these sophisticated methods may be
unrealistic as an affordable and ambulatory product for everyday
use. Of interest to assessing these persons in a clinical and
non-clinical setting is the noninvasive measurement of regional
cerebral tissue oxygenation with the pulse oximetry, EEG, and
near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) techniques. An objective of this
invention is to develop cheaper techniques of detecting the
cerebral hemodynamic characteristics and changes associated with
sensory stimuli, including pain and anesthesia, among others. An
objective of this invention is to develop a device for real-time
profiling and detection of the cerebral hemodynamic patterns and
changes on an ambulatory and non-ambulatory subjects using fully
automatic and advanced machine learning techniques. Also provided
is a system that can communicate and provide person feedback with
healthcare professionals or persons to adjust the therapy or adjust
other interventions.
[0020] The present invention includes a device and method for a
real-time profiling, pattern recognition, and tracking of the
cerebral hemodynamic changes of persons (ambulatory and/or
non-ambulatory) using automatic and advanced machine learning
techniques to process biological data collected using a sensor
patch or a series of sensors (e.g., red and infrared lights
transmitters, and/or electroencephalography--EEG, and not limited
to other sensors such as accelerometers, position sensor, impedance
sensor, and the like).
[0021] In an embodiment, a device could be designed and used for
neonatal persons where a baseline is created and deviation from
brain hemodynamics and/or other sensor parameters could alarm the
nurse of infants' discomfort which could lead to pain progression
or distress. The device could be a patch with wireless data
communication capability. The device could transmit and receive
data from the hospital monitor. The device could also include
visual, audio, or electronic feedback such as colored LEDs, alarm,
or data transmission to inform the hospital staff or parents of the
pain or stress status of the person.
[0022] In another embodiment, the device could include an optional
microphone (122; see FIG. 1A) to record neonates crying and
distress levels. The device could also simultaneously detect and
measure the hemodynamic or other sensors levels to define a pain or
cry threshold. Such a device could be programmed to alarm the
hospital staff and parents that the neonate is progressing toward
higher levels of pain and distress. Therefore, an intervention
could be applied before the neonate reached a maximal pain or
distress level.
[0023] In yet another embodiment, a device could be designed and
developed for persons under anesthesia undergoing surgery. These
persons have no capability to report pain. Similar to the
previously described device, a profile and threshold of the
hemodynamic and other sensors could be established even prior to
surgery when the person is awake and continue to record sensor
measurements during surgery. If a device detects deviation from the
anesthesia baseline that indicates pain or consciousness, the
anesthesiologist could adjust the drug levels to comply with device
trending and recommendation. This device could be a patch that also
includes communications and person feedback, which can also be
integrated with hospital monitoring systems. In yet another
embodiment, a device could command the anesthesiologist or the
anesthesia machine to deliver additional drugs to minimize pain or
sensors information deviation measured by the device. In an
embodiment, all devices could be disposable or reusable.
[0024] In another embodiment, a device could be worn by an
ambulatory, non-ambulatory, or mobile person where the pain
management device directly communicates with a control device. The
control device could be a pager, a mobile phone with an app, or
other variation. The control device could be programmed to request
a measurement from the hemodynamic measurement device. This
measurement could be programmed on hourly, daily, or other
intervals. The person himself could request for an objective pain
measurement through use of the mobile device. If the patch senses
deviation from a baseline or emergence of pain is imminent, while
it takes the objective measurements, it could send a signal to the
mobile device and request the person to include his subjective
level of pain. Such simultaneous objective and subjective pain
measurement data could be matched and used for better treatment of
the person. Persons could be alarmed of a baseline deviation and a
potential for the emergence or an increase in pain sensation. For
example, it is understood if migraine pain is detected early before
reaching debilitating levels, persons can immediately intervene
with medication and or make a change in their environment to
minimize pain progression. Such a device could be a noninvasive
patch or an implantable device placed under the hair, in forehead,
or another part of the head and neck. This device could be a very
thin and invisible device. Such a device is capable of measurements
on-demand, objective, and subjective pain, and other sensor
data.
[0025] Given different body positions could lead to a different
type of pain (i.e., low back while standing is sensed more than
lying down). In an embodiment, the device includes a position
sensor. The device could also include a GPS sensor as certain
environments and/or movements could lead to higher level pain
inducement or sensation.
[0026] Such a device could also be used to measure a person's
compliance with medications of other therapies. The mobile device
could remind the person of taking medications on time and, within a
given interval of time, measure changes in objective pain
measurements to learn if the medication was effective. Physicians
can also program and/or receive information about person objective,
or subjective pain levels and medication of other therapy
compliance. Physicians could also command pain level measurements
both objective from the patch and subjective from the mobile device
app and the person. The received information could be used for
treatment titration and compliance improvement.
[0027] The device and method could also include communications in
the form of a Q&A with the person to better categorize pain,
mood, stress, emotional, and behavioral variations in sensor
measurements level. The sensors results could be matched with a
person's conditions and/or environments to therefore provide
improved person pain management. Thus, the objective sensor
measurement may be combined, synchronized, and/or aligned with a
person's subjective input in a variety of environments.
[0028] It is contemplated that at least some embodiments of the
devices or methods of the invention could be implemented to aid in
reducing addictions to opiates medication, i.e., narcotics and pain
killers such as Oxycontin.TM. (onycodone HCl). Addiction to opiate
drugs are increasing at alarming rates and causing significant
issues to the healthcare system including rising costs, suicides,
and dependencies. However, if these drugs are administered when the
patient really needs it rather than at a prescribed rate, there is
a possibility to reduce dependencies.
[0029] It is contemplated that at least some embodiments of the
devices or methods of the invention could also help to
self-discipline or discipline patients to administer/consume the
medications when there is significant pain on the horizon. The
predictability of rising pain levels based on history of a patient
could help with minimizing the required medication to treat the
pain at an early onset. Therefore, at least some embodiments of the
devices or methods of the invention could minimize required
medications for the treatment of pain.
[0030] In today's subjective pain measurement, a person is asked to
rate the pain level from 1-10 in a doctor's office or another
location. The same format of subjective pain measurements, Q&A,
or other approaches can be combined into a mobile APP and
synchronized with the measurement by the system of the invention or
vice versa. A person may feel more pain in one environment or
position vs. another. The system may measure the same pain level
but the person's perception could be different at a different
environment. The system will identify these differences or changes
and create different profiles related to mood, stress, environment,
and/or positions to help with person management. For example, one
environment may require increased pain medication to alleviate
pain. Therefore, the device will be intelligent enough to provide
proper information to the person. Besides measurement and
monitoring of pain, this device could be used for managing a brain
injury, for diagnosis of a brain injury as well as used for sleep
apnea diagnosis.
[0031] The real-time tracking of cerebral hemodynamic response
(RTCHR) optical technology systems, unlike pulse oximetry, uses
chirp modulation in the hardware to measure the level of hemoglobin
oxygenation ("oxy Hb"). The RTCHR technology is also different than
spectroscopy because spectroscopy requires several wavelengths of
light. The pulse oximeter uses the property that oxyhemoglobin and
deoxyhemoglobin absorb light of different wavelengths in a specific
way. A light source is provided to sequentially pass light of
different wavelengths through a sample of oxy Hb. A detector
determines the amount of light, at each wavelength, has been
absorbed. Pulse oximetry uses two wavelengths (i.e., 650 and 950
nm). One is a red light, which has a wavelength of approximately
650 nm. The other is an infrared light, which has a wavelength of
950 nm. The pulse oximeter determines the oxygen saturation by
comparing the amount of red light and infra-red light are absorbed
by the blood. Depending on the amounts of oxy Hb and deoxy Hb
present, the ratio of the amount of red light absorbed compared to
the amount of infrared light absorbed changes.
[0032] Functional Near-Infra-Red Spectroscopy (fNIRS) uses a
similar approach, but it looks at all waveforms in a near infra-red
field. Further, fNIRS uses the near-infrared region of the
electromagnetic spectrum (i.e., from about 800 nm to 2500 nm).
Typical applications include pharmaceutical, medical diagnostics
(including blood sugar and blood oxygenation), food and
agrochemical quality control, and combustion research, as well as
research in functional neuroimaging, sports medicine & science,
elite sports training, ergonomics, rehabilitation, neonatal
research, brain computer interface, urology (bladder contraction),
and neurology (neurovascular coupling). In NIRS, multiple LED
senders and receivers with different wavelength/light settings are
used to get light reflection at different wavelengths. To get more
spectrum data at more wavelengths, more LED sensors and receivers
are needed. This dramatically increases the price of the NIRS, and
it increases complexity of hardware and software.
[0033] In the present invention, lights with different wavelengths
are induced over time using frequency modulation (chirp profile) to
fit the need of a specific person or obtain most accurate
hemodynamic measurements. In this approach, multiple LEDs are not
needed, and the invention only needs one pair LED transceivers and
different lights are induced over time using chirp frequency
excitation of LEDs (see FIG. 3). This will make RTCHR technology
different than current pulse oximetry and existing NIRS devices,
which need multiple LED senders/receivers. This will make the
technology inexpensive compared to NIRS and compatible to the cost
of a pulse oximetry device.
[0034] In an embodiment, the device includes the correlation of
presence and level of pain with heart rate, temperature, brain
activity, blood pressure, or vice versa. The system measures all
these parameters simultaneously and can analyze the data to
identify patterns and intelligence. The system could also correlate
pain level to certain positions, activity levels, and/or
locations/environments.
[0035] The system could be used for human and animal subjects as
well. Pet owners have significant interests to know if their pets
are experiencing pain, and if the pain management and treatment is
effective. Therefore, another variation of this device could be
designed and developed to fit certain pet specifies. The system
could be used for drug/pharmaceutical development purposes as
well.
[0036] Referring now to the invention in more detail, FIG. 1 shows
a lateral view of the face and location of a real-time tracking of
cerebral hemodynamic response (RTCHR) patch system 100 for
real-time tracking of cerebral hemodynamic response changes on an
ambulatory subject. It records hemodynamic response changes, heart
rate, respiration, and Electroencephalogram (EEG). To localize
hemodynamic response and estimate stimulus type, one or more
additional patch systems 100 positioned on the forehead, on the
skull or other part of body can be used. In FIG. 1: [0037] 1)
Optical sender/receiver unit 1A, 2B. [0038] 2) Standard Surface
electrode 2A, 2B. [0039] 3) Accelerometer/GPS sensor 3. [0040] 4)
Temperature sensor 4. [0041] 5) Data acquisition unit 5 to fetch
data from sensors, apply any necessary filtering, convert the
sensor data in a form for transmission to a control 7, and transmit
recorded sensor data via wired or wireless transmission to the
control 7. [0042] 6) Display 6 such as LCD/LEDs on the patch system
100 to display pain level and heart/respiration rates. [0043] 7)
Control 7 fetches sensor data via wired or wireless transmission
line and applies necessary signal processing and machine learning
techniques to estimate hemodynamic parameters in real-time while
subject can do his/her normal daily activities. It then displays
the hemodynamic parameters and stores raw and estimated results in
a dedicated server. The control box could be stand-alone or
integrated with patch.
[0044] FIG. 1A is block diagram illustrating a RTCHR system 100 and
method. The system 100 measures pain of a person and is for use
with the tissue (e.g., skin) of the person. A light source 102 is
adapted for illuminating the tissue of the person. An optical
sensor 104 is adapted for sensing light emitted or reflected by the
tissue of the person. The optical sensor 104 generates a light
signal indicative of a light parameter of the sensed light. The
light signal is indicative of pulse oxygen levels, respirations and
heart rate.
[0045] A surface electrode 106 is adapted for sensing an electrical
parameter of the tissue of the person. The surface electrode 106
generates an electrode signal indicative of an electrical parameter
of the sensed electrical parameter. The electrode signal is
indicative of heart rate, sweat and respirations.
[0046] A temperature sensor 108 is adapted for sensing a
temperature of the tissue of the person. The temperature sensor 108
generates a temperature signal indicative of the sensed
temperature. The temperature signal is indicative of body
temperature.
[0047] One or more circuits 110 are adapted for receiving the light
signal, the electrode signal, and the temperature signal and
providing corresponding signals 112. The circuits 110 apply any
necessary filtering, convert the sensor data in a form for
transmission to a controller 114, and transmit recorded sensor data
via wired or wireless transmission to the control 114. Thus, in one
embodiment, the controller 114 includes optional telemetry
circuitry to communicate with other devices. For example, the
controller 114 may communicate with a mobile device such as a cell
phone or hospital monitor and provide information indicative of the
signals to the mobile device. The controller 114 is adapted for
receiving and processing the corresponding signals and is adapted
for providing a pain indication signal which is a function of the
corresponding signals. An indicator 116 is adapted to be responsive
to the controller 114 for providing an indication which is
indicative of the pain indication signal pain signal such as a
signal indicative of measured pain or indicative of a surrogate of
pain symptoms. [Herein, the pain indication signal is also referred
to as a pain signal.]. A power supply 118 supplies power to the
system.
[0048] A motion sensor 120 is adapted for sensing a motion of the
person. The motion sensor 120 generates a motion signal indicative
of the sensed motion. The controller 114 is adapted for receiving
and processing the motion signal and is adapted providing the pain
signal as a function of the motion signal and as a function of the
corresponding signals. The indicator 116 may be driven by the
circuit(s) 110 and/or by the controller 114. In one form, the
controller is a processor having a memory device 122 storing
computer executable instructions for calculating the pain signal
and wherein the processor is adapted to execute the
instructions.
[0049] In one exemplary optional form, a method for measuring pain
of a person is described. The method is for use with the tissue of
the person, and comprises:
illuminating the tissue of the person; sensing light emitted or
reflected by the tissue of the person; generating a light signal
indicative of a light parameter of the sensed light; sensing an
electrical parameter of the tissue of the person; generating an
electrode signal indicative of an electrical parameter of the
sensed electrical parameter; sensing a temperature of the tissue of
the person; generating a temperature signal indicative of the
sensed temperature; processing the light signal, the electrode
signal and the temperature signal and providing a pain signal which
is a function of the processed signals; and providing an indication
which is indicative of the pain signal.
[0050] The phrase measuring pain as used in this document is in
reference to measuring one or more parameters that are reflective
of pain. As doctors will understand, the device does not measure
pain per se but measures one or more parameters that are reflective
of pain and directly related to a level of pain.
[0051] In one exemplary optional form, the motion sensor comprises
at least one of an accelerometer; a GPS sensor; and a
gyroscope.
[0052] In one exemplary optional form, the light source comprises
at least one of: a light source emitting light having a frequency
in the range of near infrared wavelengths (e.g., about 1014 Hz;
about 1000 nm in wavelength); an LED (light emitting diode); an LED
emitting visible light; and an LED emitting light having a
frequency in the range of infrared wavelengths (e.g., between 1011
to 1015 Hz; between 1000 nm to 1 cm in wavelength).
[0053] In one exemplary optional form, the optical sensor comprises
at least one of: a photodetector; and a light sensitive element and
the light parameters comprise at least one of: light intensity;
light frequency; light wavelength; and a light emitting pattern
(chirp pattern).
[0054] In one exemplary optional form, the surface electrode
comprises at least one of: an electrode (e.g., a wet electrode, an
AG/AGCL Electrode (Lead), or a dry electrode such as metal probes
adapted to contact the tissue); and conductive elements adapted to
contact the tissue.
[0055] In one exemplary optional form, the electrical parameters
comprise at least one of: voltage; current; resistance;
capacitance; inductance; impedance; and charge.
[0056] In one exemplary optional form, the temperature sensor
comprises at least one of: a resistive temperature sensitive
element; a bi-metallic element; and a MEMS temperature sensor.
[0057] In one exemplary optional form, the one or more circuits
comprise: an analog to digital circuit; a signal conditioning
circuit; a filtering circuit; and hardware and drivers for optical
transceivers in both normal and chirp modulation modes.
[0058] In one exemplary optional form, the light source, the
optical sensor, the surface electrode, the temperature sensor and
the one or more circuits comprise one unitary, integrated component
and the controller is a separate, unitary, integrated component and
further comprising a wireless link between the controller and the
one or more circuits.
[0059] In one exemplary optional form, the light source, the
optical sensor, the surface electrode, the temperature sensor, the
one or more circuits, the power supply and the controller comprise
one unitary, integrated component.
[0060] In one exemplary optional form, the indicator comprises at
least one of: one or more LEDs; an LCD device; a screen; and a set
of LEDs operating in visible wavelength as indicators of
hemodynamic change rate and/or pain level.
[0061] In one exemplary optional form, the controller comprises a
processor having a memory device storing computer executable
instructions which estimate hemodynamic parameters and wherein the
processor is adapted to execute the instructions.
[0062] In one exemplary optional form, the hemodynamic parameters
comprise at least one of the following: hemoglobin oxygenation;
hemoglobin deoxygenation; heart rate; respiration rate; forehead
and/or body temperature; and forehead and/or body impedance.
[0063] In one exemplary optional form, the controller comprises a
processor having a memory device storing computer executable
instructions wherein the processor processes the received,
corresponding signals according to at least one of the following:
instructions for an algorithm to compute the pain signal based on
hemodynamic parameters and hemodynamic response to external and/or
internal stimulus in real-time or near real-time; instructions for
comparing the signals to a reference (history of hemodynamic
parameters and hemodynamic response; and instructions for scaling
the hemodynamic response to the range of [0, 10].
[0064] In one exemplary optional form, the instructions for the
algorithm executed by the processor comprises instructions for
fusing over a preset time interval a plurality of samples of a
magnitude of the light signal LS, the electrode signal ES, and the
temperature signal TS, adjusted by preset weights a, b, and c, to
compute a pain indicative signal PS corresponding to a fused signal
according to the following:
Fused Signal=.SIGMA.(a*LS+b*ES+c*TS).
[0065] In another exemplary optional form, the instructions for the
algorithm executed by the processor comprises instructions for
using over a preset time interval a plurality of samples of a
magnitude of a light pain signal LPS indicative of a pain level, an
electrode pain signal EPS indicative of a pain level, and a
temperature pain signal TPS indicative of a pain level, adjusted by
preset weights a, b, and c, to compute an estimated pain indicative
signal PS corresponding to a fused signal according to the
following:
Fused Signal=.SIGMA.(a*LPS+b*EPS+c*TPS).
[0066] In one exemplary optional form, the instructions for the
algorithm executed by the processor comprises instructions for
summing over a preset time interval of a plurality of samples of a
magnitude of the light signal LS, the electrode signal ES and the
temperature signal TS, wherein each sample is compared to preset
ranges and the magnitude of the signals is adjusted according to a
relationship between each signal and the preset ranges.
[0067] In one exemplary optional form, the instructions comprise
instructions for inputting personal input into the controller by an
input device such as a keypad or keyboard, the personal input
including conditions and/or environments of the person and wherein
the pain signal is coordinated with the personal input whereby
improved person pain management is provided.
[0068] In one exemplary optional form, the personal input includes
a level of consciousness indicator, such as:
0 Awake;
2 Light/Moderate Sedation;
4 General Anesthesia;
6 Deep Hypnotic State;
8 Burst Suppression; and
[0069] 10 Fully unconscious.
[0070] In one exemplary optional form, the controller processes at
least one of the corresponding signals according to chirp based
optical modulation.
[0071] In one exemplary optional form, the optical sensor comprises
a blood oxygenation sensor for sensing a blood oxygenation of the
person and wherein the chirp based optical modulation by the
processor comprises measuring the light signal in different
wavelengths as indicative of blood oxygenation.
[0072] In one exemplary optional form, the chirp based optical
modulation comprises varying a carrier frequency in optical
modulation over time to mimic hemodynamic response in different
wavelengths over time to detect hemodynamic response recursively
over time in a serial (recursive) approach.
[0073] In one exemplary optional form, the controller calculates
respirations and heart rate by evaluating different frequency
components in raw sensor data from the optical sensor.
[0074] In one exemplary optional form, a respiratory signal has a
frequency component of the raw data [2-5 Hz] which can be extracted
using a band pass frequency with cut off [2-5 Hz], and wherein the
processor evaluates frequency components of 5-100 Hz to obtain
heart rate.
[0075] In one exemplary optional form, the controller comprises a
processor having a memory device storing computer executable
instructions comprising machine learning techniques and wherein the
processor is adapted to execute the instructions, wherein the
machine learning techniques include at least one of: adaptive and
non-adaptive noise cancellation of noise in the signals; signal
Envelope Detection; low pass, band-pass, band-stop and high pass
digital filters to extract different hemodynamic parameters from
sensor data spectrum; and supervised or unsupervised clustering
including at least one of k-means, fuzzy c-means artificial neural
networks, support vector machine, fuzzy systems to characterize
hemodynamic response across different persons (persons) and across
days (inter and intra subject variability characterization).
[0076] In one exemplary optional form, the controller calibrates
the system using a baseline wander correction algorithm based on at
least one of adaptive or non-adaptive filtering.
[0077] In one exemplary optional form, data is provided to the
controller indicative of feedback from a person to train the
controller or set a range.
[0078] In one exemplary optional form, the data comprises
subjective pain measurements from the person synchronized with pain
indicator measurements by the system, wherein the subjective pain
measurement comprise:
0-1 No pain; 2-3 Mild pain; 4-5 Discomforting--moderate pain; 6-7
Distressing--severe pain; 8-9 Intense--very severe pain; 10
Unbearable pain.
[0079] In one exemplary optional form, the controller synchronizes
objective hemodynamic parameters of the sensor signals with
subjective measurements provided by the person so that the sensor
and person or a physician establishes communication and
coordination between the sensors and the person or physician.
[0080] In one exemplary optional form, the controller generates
commands to which the person responds to at a particular point to
define a baseline. For example, the device will continuously or at
programmed intervals ask the person to respond to the device by
defining his subjective pain level through a mobile phone or other
communication interface. As a result, the device/system is capable
of calibrating/coordinating its objective measurements with the
person's subjective measurements. This process will also help with
baseline creation so that the objective and subjective pain levels
correlate at the moment in time.
[0081] In one exemplary optional form, the controller is responsive
to a person or physician to trigger the hemodynamic monitor to make
measurements and define a baseline.
[0082] In one exemplary optional form, a person indicates his/her
pain status among environmental parameters to train the device for
threshold definition.
[0083] In one exemplary optional form, the device communicates with
the persons regarding its pain status in order to define a baseline
and threshold for device training and personalization.
[0084] In one exemplary optional form, the system is configured to
be implantable within a person. One device variation could be a
single patch placed on the person forehead, head, or neck. Another
optional variation could be multiple sensors being placed on the
forehead or circumference of the head similar to a bandana. Yet
another optional variation of the device and method could be an
implantable device with sensors and battery and wireless operation
that can be continuous or activated by mobile phone or any other
activator to activate the sensor for a programmed period of time
and transmit information to the receiver outside or inside the
body. The implantable device could be rechargeable over the scalp.
This implantable device could be implanted underneath hair in or
underneath the scalp via a simple insertion like a hairpin or
incision. The implantable device will be removable as well.
Implantable device could have flat or other geometrical form
factors to fit the person's head/scalp/skull. The receiver device
could be a mobile phone, a hat, headband, or other similar form
factors. The implantable device could be powered using an external
power source such as an RF generator or coil-to-coil power
generation where a capacitor in the device stores enough energy to
perform a required measurement and transmission of the
information.
[0085] In further detail, referring to FIG. 2, the Real-Time
Tracking of Cerebral Hemodynamic Response (RTCHR) system 100
includes three stages. A first stage 202 employs a sensor unit for
recording data. The sensor unit includes, for example, a surface
electrode and optical sender/receiver LEDs, an accelerometer, a
GPS, and temperature sensors. The sensor data are processed and
properly conditioned in the next stage 204 and then, with a wired
or wireless transmission unit, the sensor data are transferred at a
third state 206 to a control for further processing (e.g., advance
real-time signal processing and machine learning) to estimate
hemodynamic response changes due to external/internal stimulus
(anesthesia, pain, and the like), heart rate, respiration and other
parameters. The advance real-time signal processing stage includes
real-time denoising, baseline wander removal, extraction of
different band of sensor data related to heart pulse, respiration
and/or cerebral hemodynamic response trace based on frequency
domain filtering envelop detection and real-time source
separations. To estimate hemodynamic response change over time some
statistical and morphological features such as norm,
root-mean-square, skewness, kurtosis, entropy, and the like are
extracted and input to a real-time machine learning stage to
compare blood oxygen consumption pattern between present and past.
Also, machine learning based predictive models can be used to
predict onset of pain in the close future in pain management
applications.
[0086] The advantage of the current invention as compared to other
digital interfaces is that in one embodiment of the invention a
single forehead patch can be used to estimate hemodynamic
parameters using a new optical modulation which makes it different
compared to current optical sensing such as oximetry and functional
near-infrared (fNIR) technology devices, such as shown in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 3A illustrates on the left a graph of the absorption of
spectra of oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb in the near infrared range (the
three graphical lines illustrate HbO.sub.2, Hb, and water, from
left to right). FIG. 3A on the right illustrates the path of light
on a human head from emitter to detector. A chirp signal such as
illustrated in FIG. 3B is used to emit light with different
wavelengths in red and near infra-red ranges. By use of chirp
modulation according to the invention, tracking of hemodynamic
response changes will be maximized and RTCHR provides a new class
of optical sensing compared to oximetry and spectroscopy.
[0087] Chirp based optical modulation according to one aspect of
the invention measures blood oxygenation in different wavelengths.
In chirp modulation, a carrier frequency in optical modulation
varies over time to mimic hemodynamic response in different
wavelengths over time. In contrast, in oximetry, only two
wavelengths are used and in NIR spectroscopy a set of optical
senders and receivers are used to get hemodynamic responses over
different wavelengths in parallel. Chirp based optical modulation
according to one aspect of the invention detects hemodynamic
response recursively over time. Since hemodynamic response is slow,
the system detects hemodynamic responses over different wavelengths
in a serial (recursive) approach. Modulation pattern and number and
range of frequency (wavelength) modulation can be controlled by a
person at software level, but hardware for chirp modulation may
also be used to implement control. For instance, a person could
take two wavelengths readings, one in red field and another in
near-infra red. On this case, the device acts as a pulse oximeter.
In other words, the system with its novel recursive modulation
ability can induce any pattern including two wavelength readings
(oximeter mode) or chirp mode (multiple wavelengths reading).
[0088] It is noteworthy that the single forehead patch could
include several of the hemodynamic and other sensors for multiple
measurements across different locations on the forehead or the
brain.
[0089] A typical application for RTCHR system 100 and method
according to the invention provide objective pain level assessment.
Currently in clinics, persons are asked to score their pain level
to a number between 0-10: 1-3: mild pain, 4-7 moderate pain and
8-10 sever pain. The system 100 and its method are capable of
estimating pain level by tracking hemodynamic baselines and/or
changes in response to internal/external pain stimulus. For
example, in one embodiment, previous sensor readings from few
minutes and/or hours ago are used as baseline hemodynamic response
and the current sensor reading is compared with the history of data
to determine level of deviation. Alternatively and in addition, a
baseline could be arbitrary. If a nurse, doctor, or the person
starts baseline recording at a certain point in time or under
certain conditions, this also could be considered baseline. The
device/system will allow a person (e.g., person, doctor,
technician) to choose and set up a certain condition as "baseline".
Yet, when an infant cries or is in stress due to pain, the higher
level or threshold could be considered baseline, too, not
necessarily the lowest measurement. Thus, a baseline is a
reference, either arbitrary or defined.
[0090] In general, a baseline is a reference point. For example, a
baseline may be established in several ways. 1) When the subject is
in a normal state or in pain. In a normal state, any increase in
pain is tracked; in a pain state, increases or decrease in pain due
to therapy are tracked. 2) In a situation where there is previous
data from a person, the data may be used to establish a baseline,
such as body temperature or blood pressure. For example, one day
data could be used to establish a normal range of body
temperature.
[0091] To demonstrate the ability of RTCHR to estimate pain levels,
subject data using the forehead patch as shown in FIG. 1, before,
during and after an external pain stimulus (e.g., sever cold, heat
and sharp pains) were recorded. FIGS. 5-8 illustrate the recorded
data, showing the hemodynamic changes in response to external and
internal pain stimulus. The Y-axis is an estimated pain level (1st
norm scaled to 0-10) per second for first and second subplots and
per 10 second for the third subplot. FIG. 4 illustrates the period
of time during which the assessments of FIGS. 5-8 were taken.
[0092] FIG. 5 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to external severe cold
pain stimuli. Levels 1-10 during the first 20 seconds illustrate
the baseline. Levels 11-20 during the next 20 seconds illustrate
the response during pain stimulus. Levels 21-30 during the last 20
seconds illustrate the response during recovery after pain stimulus
has ended.
[0093] FIG. 6 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to external severe heat
pain stimuli. Hemodynamic response did not return to baseline due
to continued burning sensation. Levels 1-10 during the first 20
seconds illustrate the baseline. Levels 11-20 during the next 20
seconds illustrate the response during pain stimulus. Levels 21-30
during the last 20 seconds illustrate the response during recovery
after pain stimulus has ended.
[0094] FIG. 7 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to external severe
sharp pain stimuli. Levels 1-10 during the first 20 seconds
illustrate the baseline. Levels 11-20 during the next 20 seconds
illustrate the response during pain stimulus. Levels 21-30 during
the last 20 seconds illustrate the response during recovery after
pain stimulus has ended.
[0095] FIG. 8 illustrates graphs of Objective Pain Level
Assessment: hemodynamic changes in response to internal severe back
pain stimuli. Subject with back pain was asked to twist his back to
temporarily increase pain level. Levels 1-10 during the first 20
seconds illustrate the baseline. Levels 11-20 during the next 20
seconds illustrate the response during pain stimulus. Levels 21-30
during the last 20 seconds illustrate the response during recovery
after pain stimulus has ended.
[0096] The RTCHR system 100 and its method also provide heart and
respiration rates. FIG. 9 illustrates graphs of heart and
respiration rate Estimation: The derivative of forehead pulse can
be used to estimate Heart and respiration rates. FIG. 9 shows a
typical forehead pulse and estimated heart and respiration rates.
To calculate respiration and heart rate, the processor evaluates
different frequency components in raw sensor data from the optical
sensor. A respiratory signal is a frequency component of the raw
data [2-5 Hz] which can be extracted using a band pass frequency
with cut off [2-5 Hz]. To get heart rate, the processor evaluates
frequency components of 5-100 Hz.
[0097] Heart rate and/or respiration rate can be measured or
calculated manually or automatically. In one embodiment,
respiration rate and heart rate signals can be extracted from a
light signal and/or surface electrode signal and for analysis
according to at least some embodiments of the systems and methods
of the invention.
[0098] Another application for RTCHR is in the area of sensation as
associated with brain activity. Images in movies and photos can
generate empathic pain. Subjects shown a series of images or movies
with injuries or other pain related events have reported definite
pain to at least one image of movie. It has been determined that
subjects who report pain in response to such images activate pain
matrix regions in the brain, which are responsible for generating
pain. Therefore, observing painful images modulates motor
responses, which suggest sensorimotor involvement. For example, a
person reported feeling physical pain when observing his wife
experience superficial pain. Various types of pain have been
measured, for instance, somatic pain (e.g., tingling, aching,
sharp, shooting, throbbing, sickening, splitting, heavy, stabbing,
and tender types of pain have been described) and visceral pain.
Further, rCBF response to heighted unpleasantness has been
recorded. Pain activates a large amount of neural tissue. However,
understanding chronic pain is unresolved. Imaging studies have
illustrated that chronic pain is associated with functional,
structural and chemical changes in the brain; however, it is not
known how neural activity is translated into a feeling. Areas of
the brain that are usually active provide for pain inhibition, and
a lack of pain inhibition causes chronic pain. In addition,
dysfunctional psychological processing changes underlying patterns
of brain activation and causes chronic pain. Typically, pain is
reported by asking subjective questions of persons and not by
imaging anatomic information and determining the activation of
brain distress centers. RTCHR may be used to better evaluate and
understand these aspects.
[0099] Studies have been made using a functional Magnetic Resonance
Imaging ("fMRI") scanner to study pain. The fMRI records the
variable magnetic property of tissue. For instance, fMRI scanning
has been utilized during the presentation of real noxious heat
stimuli, as well as during the suggestion of a real noxious heat
stimuli to a set of eight subjects. All the subjects reported a
sensation of at least heat during the suggestion and five reported
pain. In addition, fMRI can determine the Blood Oxygen Level
Dependent (BOLD) signal, which measures an "effect parameter".
However, a disadvantage of using BOLD is that the signal changes
are small making the analysis difficult, tedious and complicated,
requiring significant subjectivity. RTCHR may be used to better
evaluate and understand these aspects.
[0100] fMRI has been used to study empathetic pain. For instance,
ten pain responders and ten non-responders acting as controls were
give a set of pain images and a set of emotional images. Using fMRI
the anterior midcingulate cortex ("aMCC") was monitored. The
responders consistently activated aMCC, anterior insula, prefrontal
cortex and primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortex for
all pain images and emotional images. In contrast, the
non-responders consistently activated aMCC and prefrontal cortex
but failed to activate insula, S1 or S2. Therefore, regional
activation is specifically and actively involved in the generation
of pain, and empathetic pain appears to involve the same mechanism.
For example, using hypnosis one can direct generation of pain via
the usual pain neuromatrix. Once again, RTCHR may be used to better
evaluate and understand these aspects. Instead of using fMRI,
applying RTCHR provides objective measurements hemodynamic
response, heart and respiration rates, to determine and predict the
onset of pain.
[0101] It is known that brain lesions can cause pain. In addition,
it is known that newborns have an exaggerated sensitivity to touch
that diminishes with maturity. Further, it has been determined that
blocking descending inhibition in animals causes hyperalgesia. Thus
it is possible that functional pain is caused by a disruption to
descending inhibition. fMRI has also been used to study offset
analgesia. Offset analgesia is the perception of profound analgesia
during a slight incremental decrease of a noxious heat stimulus
that is more pronounced than would be predicted by the rate of the
temperature decrease. Offset analgesia is an active process
probably involving descending inhibitory mechanisms to modulate
pain. Using fMRI, twelve control subjects, free of neurological
disorder and chronic pain, completed an offset analgesia procedure.
They completed the offset procedure six times; twice at each
temperature (high, medium, and low). The results indicated that: 1)
during baseline, there is little pain and little activation; 2)
during constant, there is pain and plenty of pain activation; and
3) during offset there is less pain and little activation.
Therefore, one can conclude that normal controls can be induced to
feel pain without any physically noxious stimulus. Functional pain
person might generate pain in a similar fashion. Also, normal
controls can be induced to feel a noxious stimulus as less painful
without any physical change in the stimulus. Therefore, functional
pain persons may lack endogenous analgesic mechanisms such as
offset analgesia. RTCHR may be used to better evaluate and
understand these aspects.
[0102] It is possible to utilize a device of the invention to
measure issues with brain development in neonates. Some neonates
have problems with normal development of the brain and the device
is helpful to detect and report such issues despite whether the
neonate feels pain or not. For example, a "normal" level of sensor
measurement expected in a larger group of neonates (expected
baseline data) can be used as a baseline to compare to other
neonates who have severe deviation from the baseline. In addition,
the device may be used for cerebral monitoring such as a particular
brain function monitoring instead of the pain application. For
example, the device in at least certain persons may indicate or
detect early onset of epilepsy or another brain related issues
(e.g., Alzheimer, Parkinson's, brain tumors). Thus, the device may
be used to capture early onset of epilepsy or another brain related
issues in an inexpensive and ambulatory way by use of a single
patch on a forehead or a person or at other locations on the body.
In this context, the pain signal comprises a cerebral monitoring
signal.
[0103] It is also contemplated that the device may be used by
athletes for performance enhancement as it relates to cerebral flow
and pain perception.
Feedback
[0104] In one aspect, feedback from the person may be used to train
the system 100 or set a range. Also, a person may choose which
days/time should be compared with current time [reference point and
baseline setting]. Also, a person's subjective pain level can be
compared with objective (automated) pain assessment. This is called
interactive pain. Enabled with artificial intelligence and
real-time learning mode, this applies self-tuning, particularly
when there is a large difference between objective and subject pain
levels.
Oximeter/Device Combination
[0105] In one embodiment, a pulse oximeter can be modified to also
provide a cerebral hemodynamic tracking system according to the
invention to measure pain, trauma, epilepsy, level of
consciousness, attention monitoring and other brain related
applications. For example, the pulse oximeter is modified to detect
a light signal, an electrical parameter electrode signal and a
temperature signal. In addition, the firmware of pulse oximeter is
updated to have access to raw data from LEDs and apply an algorithm
for generating a pain signal which is a function of the
corresponding signals and for providing an indicator indicative of
the pain signal.
Calibration
[0106] In one form, baseline wander correction algorithms (based on
adaptive or non-adaptive filtering techniques) may be used to
perform self-calibration and to account for sensor data drift
coming from hardware and/or human condition changes such as
sweating or motion.
[0107] Another application of at least some embodiments of the
device or method of the invention is in various product
configurations for the OBGYN applications. For example, a consumer
patch and a smart phone app could be used to track uterus
contractions prior to childbirth. In today's environment, expectant
mothers have to record the frequency of the uterus contractions and
keep a record with a timer in hand. Once contractions happen too
closely, it will be time to attend a clinic or hospital for child
delivery. So often expectant mothers miss the true contraction
frequency and associated pain level. Uterus contractions cause
proportional pain. At least some embodiments of the device or
method of the invention attached to the forehead could keep track
of the pain associated with the uterus contractions and maintain a
concise time and pain amplitude profile without a subject's
intervention. As a result, at least some embodiments of the device
or method of the invention could advise the subject when to attend
to the clinic while simultaneously transmitting the complete
contraction profile to the clinic or the attending doctors prior to
arrival.
[0108] At least some embodiments of the device or method of the
invention could be used for epidural pain management to measure
pain and automatically administer pain medication.
[0109] At least some embodiments of the device or method of the
invention could be used for post childbirth pain management in
natural or C-section type childbirth where pain management is a
major issue. All data collected can be integrated into a patient
profile at the hospital EMR.
[0110] Yet another application could be a handheld device for
tracking children pain due to teething or other painful situations
to assist parents in managing children or infant pain. At least
some embodiments of the device or method of the invention could be
similar to a handheld thermometer with memory. Routine baseline
measurements can be recorded. Once the infant is in a stressful
situation and crying for no apparent reason, parents can place the
device on the forehead for a period of time to measure if pain is
present. At least some embodiments of the device or method of the
invention could be used on neonates at the hospitals or
non-responders in ICU and nursing homes.
[0111] Yet another application is in post-surgery where a patient's
pain is being managed by a PCA (patent controlled analgesia)
infusion pump. Many post-surgery cases involve keeping a patient at
a hospital for 3-7 days, connected to a PCA pump where the patient
controls the amount of pain medication delivery. While this is very
efficient compared to a preset infusion rate, in many situations
when a patient falls sleep for 8-12 hours, the lack of pain
management leads to adverse events such as inflammation or other
causes of chronic pain. In these situations, if the acute pain is
not treated properly, it can translate to chronic pain which is
inconvenient to the patient and costly the healthcare system.
[0112] At least some embodiments of the device or method of the
invention could be programmed to either administer a drug by
instructing the infusion to deliver more medication, wake the
patient up by sound or other stimulus, or send a notification to
the nursing station. Therefore, pain is managed continuously even
when patients are sleep. All data from the device will be
integrated into the hospital EMR.
[0113] Yet another application is in pain medication drug
discovery. Pain medication drug discovery today is a cumbersome
process. During clinical trials, a patient is asked for a
subjective pain level in order to learn if the drug is effective.
So often this type of drug discovery leads to failure due to a
placebo effect or improper subjective pain level reporting.
Utilizing at least some embodiments of the device or method of the
invention, a majority of the ambiguity in pain drug discoveries
could be resolved. Companies also can receive real-time effect of
their newly developed pain medications from subjects and patients
enrolled in clinical trials in real-time.
[0114] Yet another variation of At least some embodiments of the
device or method of the invention could be to identify and diagnose
other neurological disorders such as onset or prediction of bipolar
disorder, mood change, schizophrenia, and/or depressions.
[0115] The Abstract and summary are provided to help the reader
quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. They are
submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to
interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. The summary
is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in simplified form
that are further described in the Detailed Description. The summary
is not intended to identify key features or essential features of
the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid
in determining the claimed subject matter.
[0116] For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable
program components, such as the operating system, are illustrated
herein as discrete blocks. It is recognized, however, that such
programs and components reside at various times in different
storage components of a computing device, and are executed by a
data processor(s) of the device.
[0117] Although described in connection with an exemplary computing
system environment, embodiments of the aspects of the invention are
operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose
computing system environments or configurations. The computing
system environment is not intended to suggest any limitation as to
the scope of use or functionality of any aspect of the invention.
Moreover, the computing system environment should not be
interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any
one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary
operating environment. Examples of well-known computing systems,
environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use
with aspects of the invention include, but are not limited to,
personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices,
multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top
boxes, programmable consumer electronics, mobile telephones,
network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed
computing environments that include any of the above systems or
devices, and the like.
[0118] Embodiments of the aspects of the invention may be described
in the general context of data and/or processor-executable
instructions, such as program modules, stored one or more tangible,
non-transitory storage media and executed by one or more processors
or other devices. Generally, program modules include, but are not
limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data
structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular
abstract data types. Aspects of the invention may also be practiced
in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by
remote processing devices that are linked through a communications
network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules
may be located in both local and remote storage media including
memory storage devices.
[0119] In operation, processors, computers and/or servers may
execute the processor-executable instructions (e.g., software,
firmware, and/or hardware) such as those illustrated herein to
implement aspects of the invention.
[0120] Embodiments of the aspects of the invention may be
implemented with processor-executable instructions. The
processor-executable instructions may be organized into one or more
processor-executable components or modules on a tangible processor
readable storage medium. Aspects of the invention may be
implemented with any number and organization of such components or
modules. For example, aspects of the invention are not limited to
the specific processor-executable instructions or the specific
components or modules illustrated in the figures and described
herein. Other embodiments of the aspects of the invention may
include different processor-executable instructions or components
having more or less functionality than illustrated and described
herein.
[0121] The order of execution or performance of the operations in
embodiments of the aspects of the invention illustrated and
described herein is not essential, unless otherwise specified. That
is, the operations may be performed in any order, unless otherwise
specified, and embodiments of the aspects of the invention may
include additional or fewer operations than those disclosed herein.
For example, it is contemplated that executing or performing a
particular operation before, contemporaneously with, or after
another operation is within the scope of aspects of the
invention.
[0122] When introducing elements of aspects of the invention or the
embodiments thereof, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are
intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The
terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be
inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than
the listed elements.
[0123] In view of the above, it will be seen that several
advantages of the aspects of the invention are achieved and other
advantageous results attained.
[0124] Not all of the depicted components illustrated or described
may be required. In addition, some implementations and embodiments
may include additional components. Variations in the arrangement
and type of the components may be made without departing from the
spirit or scope of the claims as set forth herein. Additional,
different or fewer components may be provided and components may be
combined. Alternatively or in addition, a component may be
implemented by several components.
[0125] The above description illustrates the aspects of the
invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. This
description enables one skilled in the art to make and use the
aspects of the invention, and describes several embodiments,
adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the aspects of
the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best
mode of carrying out the aspects of the invention. Additionally, it
is to be understood that the aspects of the invention is not
limited in its application to the details of construction and the
arrangement of components set forth in the following description or
illustrated in the drawings. The aspects of the invention are
capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out
in various ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology
and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and
should not be regarded as limiting.
[0126] Having described aspects of the invention in detail, it will
be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without
departing from the scope of aspects of the invention as defined in
the appended claims. It is contemplated that various changes could
be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without
departing from the scope of aspects of the invention. In the
preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have been
described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will,
however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be
made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented,
without departing from the broader scope of the aspects of the
invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification
and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative
rather than restrictive sense.
* * * * *