Method and apparatus for detecting and treating heart failure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020268279-A1
Application number	US-202016805038-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 28, 2020
Priority date	Jul 25, 2008
Publication date	Aug 27, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Devices and systems provide methods of detecting a heart failure condition of a patient that may be based on one or more respiratory parameters of a patient. In an example embodiment, a monitoring device determines one or more heart failure condition indicators based on a measure of the patient respiratory airflow and/or a measure of treatment pressure. Respiratory parameters such as respiration rate, hypopneas, apneas, Cheyne-Stokes breathing patterns or apnea-hypopnea counts may be compared to thresholds that are selected to represent a change in the condition of a heart failure patient such as an onset of a decompensation event. Results of the comparisons may trigger a pressure treatment change and/or one or more warnings or messages to notify a patient or physician of a pending change to the patient's heart failure condition so that the patient may more immediately seek medical attention to treat the heart failure condition.

First claim

1 . An apparatus comprising a controller for evaluating a heart failure condition of a patient during respiratory pressure treatment comprising:
a sensor to determine a measure of treatment pressure delivered by a respiratory treatment device; and a processor coupled with the sensor, the processor configured to control a determination of a heart failure condition change indicator based on changes in the measure of treatment pressure over time, the indicator representing information about a change in a heart failure condition of the patient.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine a measure of respiration of the patient with data from a sensor; and
wherein the processor is configured to determine the heart failure condition change indicator based on the measure of respiration.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the processor implements a threshold comparison that detects an increase in a proportion of the measure of treatment pressure and an increase in an apnea or AHI count during a common time period.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a flow generator coupled with the processor and wherein the processor is configured to control a change to the respiratory pressure treatment delivered by the respiratory treatment device in response to the heart failure condition change indicator.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the change to the respiratory pressure treatment comprises initiating control of ventilation support to meet a target ventilation.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the indicator is based on a recent trend indicating increases in one or more pressure measures from prior treatment sessions.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense one or more patient characteristics, and wherein the determining of the heart failure condition change indicator is further based on the sensed one or more patient characteristics.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the one or more sensors comprises a sensor configured as a non-contact sensor.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the non-contact sensor is configured to detect respiratory parameters from a signal measured by the non-contact sensor.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the non-contact sensor is configured to monitor sound.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the non-contact sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the non-contact sensor comprises an ultrasonic screening sensor.

13 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the one or more sensors comprises a movement sensor configured to generate a movement signal indicative of patient respiration.

14 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a sensor of the one or more sensors is configured to transmit data to a controller of the respiratory treatment device and wherein the respiratory treatment device comprises a servo-controlled blower.

15 . A method for evaluating a heart failure condition of a patient during respiratory pressure treatment comprising:
determining a measure of treatment pressure delivered by a respiratory treatment apparatus with a sensor; and determining a heart failure condition change indicator with a processor based on changes in the measure of treatment pressure over time, the indicator representing information about a change in a heart failure condition of the patient.

16 . The method of claim 15 further comprising:
determining a measure of respiration of the patient with a sensor; and
wherein the determining of the heart failure condition change indicator is further based on the measure of respiration.

17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the determining of the heart failure condition change indicator comprises a threshold comparison that detects an increase in a proportion of the measure of treatment pressure and an increase in an AHI or apnea count during a common time period.

18 . The method of claim 15 further comprising controlling a change to the respiratory pressure treatment of the respiratory treatment apparatus in response to the heart failure condition change indicator.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the change to the respiratory pressure treatment comprises initiating control of ventilation support to meet a target ventilation.

20 . The method of claim 15 wherein the indicator is based on detecting a recent trend indicating increases in one or more pressure measures from prior treatment sessions.

21 . The method of claim 15 further comprising sensing with one or more sensors configured to sense one or more patient characteristics, and wherein the determining of the heart failure condition change indicator is further based on the sensed one or more patient characteristics.

22 . The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more sensors comprises a sensor configured for non-contact sensing.

23 . The method of claim 22 wherein the sensor configured for non-contact sensing is configured to detect respiratory parameters from a signal measured by the sensor configured for non-contact sensing.

24 . The method of claim 23 wherein the sensor configured for non-contact sensing is configured to monitor sound.

25 . The method of claim 24 wherein the sensor configured for non-contact sensing comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

26 . The method of claim 25 wherein the sensor configured for non-contact sensing comprises an ultrasonic screening sensor.

27 . The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more sensors comprises a movement sensor configured to generate a movement signal indicative of patient respiration.

28 . The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more sensors are configured to transmit data to a controller of the respiratory treatment apparatus, wherein the respiratory treatment apparatus comprises a servo-controlled blower.

Assignees

• ResMed Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Schindhelm Klaus Henry
• Wilcox Ian
• Coxon Rachel Ann

Classifications

• A61B5/0205 Primary

  Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition · CPC title

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• G16H50/20

  for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems · CPC title

• A61B5/0873

  using optical means · CPC title

• A61M2230/63

  Motion, e.g. physical activity · CPC title