Activating functional electrical stimulation of abdominal muscles to assist coughing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901299-B2
Application number	US-201415102588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 9, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A system for assisted coughing includes a first sensor for measuring a parameter which can indicate a closed glottis and producing a first signal, a processor for receiving the first signal, determining a state indicating the closed glottis and generating an instruction for a Functional Electric Stimulation (FES) controller based, at least in part, on the determining, and a FES controller for generating an electric stimulation signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for assisted coughing comprising:
a first air flow sensor configured for sensing a patient's air flow, for measuring a parameter which indicates a closed glottis and producing a first signal;
a processor and associated memory for receiving the first signal, determining a state indicating the closed glottis and generating an instruction for Functional Electric Stimulation (FES) based, at least in part, on the determining; and
a FES controller for generating an electric stimulation signal based on the instruction;
wherein the processor determines a specific point in time associated with the indication of the closed glottis based, at least in part, on detecting a start of a plateau in the first signal.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the processor is further configured for detecting a command input, and to attempt to determine a state indicating closed glottis following the command input.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the first sensor comprises a nasal air sensor configured for sensing the patient's nasal air flow.

4. The system of claim 1 and further comprising a sensor configured to accept a command input.

5. The system of claim 4 in which the sensor configured to accept the command input comprises at least one patient command sensor selected from a group comprising:
the first air flow sensor configured for sensing the patient's nasal air flow:
an eye blink sensor;
a microphone;
an electromyography (EMG) electrode configured for sensing the patient's EMG activity of the neck muscles;
a chest belt for monitoring respiration; and
an electrophysiological sensor for sensing abdominal muscles.

6. A method of assisted coughing comprising:
analyzing a first signal from an air flow sensor configured to sense a patients air flow; determining when a patient's glottis is closed based, at least in part, on the analysis; and
producing Functional Electric Stimulation (FES) based, at least in part, on the determining;
wherein the determining that the patient's glottis is closed is based, at least in part, on determining a specific point in time associated with a start of a plateau in the signal from the air flow sensor.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the determining when the patient's glottis is closed based, at least in part, on analyzing a nasal air signal from the patient's air flow sensor.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the determining when the patient's glottis is closed is based, at least in part, on determining a slope in the first signal followed by determining a start of a plateau in the first signal, the plateau lasting at least 50 milliseconds.

9. The method of claim 8 and wherein:
a negative slope is fitted to a straight line having a slope α;
and the plateau is fitted to a straight line having a slope β;
a value of α is below a threshold Tα; and
a value of β is below a threshold Tβ.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein α and β are calculated as follows:

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Assignees

• Yeda Res & Dev
• Mor Research Applic Ltd

Inventors

• Haviv Lior
• Sobel Noam
• Catz Amiram
• Glass Itzhak
• Plotkin Anton
• Weissbrod Aharon
• Shushan Sagit

Classifications

• A61B5/4836 Primary

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

• A61N1/36031

  using physiological parameters for adjustment · CPC title

• A61N1/36034

  specified by the stimulation parameters · CPC title

• A61N1/36003

  of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance · CPC title

• G06F3/012

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title