System and method to trigger breathing response for the reduction of associated anxiety

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9511203-B2
Application number	US-201214111614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2012
Priority date	Apr 14, 2011
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A system and a method include a display configured to display video and/or still images, and an image source that is in communication with the display and configured to allow content of the image source to be displayed on the display. Further, the system and method include a physiological information gatherer configured to obtain a current physiological information of a patient when the patient is positioned to see the video and/or still image on the display. A processor is configured to receive the current physiological information from the physiological information gatherer, and the processor, being in communication with the image source, is further configured to transmit to the display the current physiological information and a target breathing rate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a display configured to display images and/or videos;
an image source configured to be in communication with the display, the image source comprising a content, the content being the images and/or videos, and the image source being further configured to allow the content to be displayed on the display;
a physiological information gatherer configured to measure a current physiological information of a patient when the patient is positioned to see the images and/or videos on the display; and
a processor configured to receive the measured current physiological information from the physiological information gatherer, the processor being further configured to be in communication with the image source, and the processor being further configured to transmit to the display the measured current physiological information and a target breathing rate for display on the display,
wherein the images and/or videos in the image source are ranked according to an anxiety provoking level value, wherein the anxiety provoking level value is a degree of anxiety of the patient caused by the images and/or videos in the image source,
wherein the processor is configured to display on the display a first image and/or video with a first anxiety provoking level value,
wherein the processor is configured to determine when the measured current physiological information of the patient viewing the images and/or videos is below a threshold,
wherein when the measured current physiological information is below the threshold, the processor is configured to display on the display a second image and/or video having a second anxiety provoking level value higher than the first anxiety provoking level value of the first image and/or video, and
wherein the processor is configured to select the first and second images and/or videos of the images and/or videos in the image source and output the selected first and second images and/or videos to the display for display based on the measured current physiological information of the patient and the anxiety provoking level value of the images and/or videos in the image source that are ranked.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the physiological information gatherer comprises at least one of a breathing rate monitor, a heart rate monitor and an electrodermal monitor.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the measured current physiological information of the patient is configured to be measured using a photoplethysmograph.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the measured current physiological information displayed on the display comprises a specification of at least one of an exhale rate, an inhale rate and an inhale-exhale ratio.

5. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a light source, the light source being configured to flicker at a frequency, and the light source being configured to be controlled by the processor, wherein the light source is further configured to flicker at the frequency when a first group of the images and/or videos are displayed.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the light source is further configured to turn off when a second group of the images and/or videos are displayed, the second group of the images and/or videos having anxiety provoking level values different from the first group.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the image source comprises images of words configured to be displayed on the display, and wherein the patient is prompted to read out loud the images of words displayed.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the measured current physiological information comprises information of an exhalation period and the display is further configured to display a word of the images of words at a beginning of the exhalation period, the word of the images of words having the anxiety provoking level value.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the measured current physiological information of the patient is configured to be obtained using at least one of a non-invasive device and a non-contact device of obtaining information regarding a breathing rate and/or a heart rate of the patient.

10. A method comprising acts of:
displaying images and/or videos on a display;
allowing a content of an image source to be displayed on the display by configuring the image source to be in communication with the display, the content comprising the images and/or videos;
measuring via a physiological information gatherer a measured current physiological information of a patient when the patient is positioned to see the images and/or videos on the display;
receiving the measured current physiological information from the physiological information gatherer by a processor, the processor being in communication with the image source;
transmitting by the processor to the display the measured current physiological information and a target breathing rate for display on the display:
displaying on the display the measured current physiological information together with a desired physiological information level;
ranking the images and/or videos in the image source according to an anxiety provoking level value, wherein the anxiety provoking level value is a degree of anxiety of the patient caused by the images and/or videos in the image source;
displaying on the display a first image and/or video with a first anxiety provoking level value via the processor;
determining by the processor when the measured current physiological information of the patient viewing the images and/or video is below a threshold;
displaying on the display via the processor a second image having a second anxiety provoking level value higher than the first anxiety provoking level when the measured current physiological information is below the threshold; and
selecting by the processor the first and second images and/or videos of the images and/or videos of the image source and outputting the selected first and second images and/or videos to the display for display based on the measured current physiological information of the patient and the anxiety provoking level value of the images and/or videos in the image source that are ranked.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the physiological information gatherer comprises at least one of a breathing rate monitor and a heart rate monitor, and wherein the method further comprises one of an act of displaying a current breathing rate and/or a current heart rate on the display; and an act of providing a tactile device configured to provide feedback regarding the measured current physiological information to the patient.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the measured current physiological information comprises a specification of an exhale rate in an exhalation period and/or an inhale rate in an inhalation period, wherein the image source comprises the images and/or videos in a first category and a second category, wherein the images and/or videos of the first category comprise an object triggering an anxiety reflex in the patient, and wherein the images and/or videos of the second category comprise a further object triggering a relax reflex in the patient, and wherein the method further comprises an act of displaying the images and/or videos in a first time period and a second time period, the first time period is where the images and/or videos from the first category are displayed, and the second time period is where the images and/or videos from the second category are displayed, the first time period being correlated to the exhalation period and the second time period being correlated to the inhalati

Assignees

• Gillies Murray Fulton
• Tijs Tim Johannes Willem
• VOGT Jürgen
• Saalberg-Seppen Constance Jeanne Elizabeth
• Van Elswijk Gijs Antonius Franciscus
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Gillies Murray Fulton
• Tijs Tim Johannes Willem
• VOGT Jürgen
• Saalberg-Seppen Constance Jeanne Elizabeth
• Van Elswijk Gijs Antonius Franciscus

Classifications

• A61M2230/42

  Rate · CPC title

• A61B5/4836

  Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods (A61B5/0036 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M2230/06

  Heartbeat rate only · CPC title

• A61M2230/005

  Parameter used as control input for the apparatus · CPC title

• A63B23/185

  Rhythm indicators · CPC title