Patent Application
20080097237
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate the present invention and together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term “an array” may include a plurality of arrays unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The present invention provides a method for detecting a cerebrovascular accident comprising analyzing data representing pressure waves from blood vessels within a patient's head to recognize one or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident.
An embodiment of the invention relates to a wireless attachment device, comprising an attachment section configured for attachment to a patient; an audio device configured to pick up pressure waves from the patient's brain and output data representing the pressure waves; and a wireless transmitter connected to the audio device and configured to transmit the data representation of the pressure waves.
Preferably, the wireless attachment device comprises a bone screw and the attachment section comprises a shank with threads. Preferably, the audio device comprises an acoustic microphone. The wireless attachment device could further comprise an analog-to-digital converter. Preferably, the analog-to-digital converter is configured to receive analog data representing the pressure waves from the audio device and convert the analog data to digital data. Preferably, the wireless transmitter receives the digital data from the analog-to-digital converter. Preferably, the wireless attachment device comprises a bone screw, the audio device is provided at a distal end of a shank of the bone screw, the wireless transmitter is provided in a head of the bone screw, and a wire connecting the audio device to the wireless transmitter extends through the shank of the bone screw. Preferably, the attachment section comprises a pad configured to be adhesively bonded to the patient's head. Preferably, the wireless attachment device, the audio device and the wireless transmitter are integrated within the wireless attachment device to form a single device without any interconnecting electrical cables between the attachment device and the audio device or between the audio device and the wireless transmitter.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a system for detecting a cerebrovascular accident, the system including a wireless attachment device and a wireless receiver remote from the wireless attachment device, the wireless attachment device comprising an attachment section configured for attachment to a patient; an audio device configured to pick up pressure waves from the patient's brain and output data representing the pressure waves; and a wireless transmitter connected to the audio device and configured to transmit the data representation of the pressure waves to the wireless receiver
In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a system for detecting a cerebrovascular accident, comprising a wireless attachment device for attachment to a patient's head, the wireless attachment device comprising an audio device and a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver for receiving data wirelessly from the wireless transmitter, and a computer having a pattern recognition software thereon for analyzing the data received by the wireless receiver. The data includes pressure waves from blood vessels within the patient's head, and the pattern recognition software analyzes the data to recognize one or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident.
The system could further comprise at least three of the wireless attachment devices for attachment to a patient's head. The system could further comprise a triangulation software, wherein the triangulation software is configured to determine a location of the cerebrovascular accident. Preferably, the wireless attachment device comprises a bone screw and the audio device is an acoustic microphone. Preferably, the bone screw is attached to the patient's skull and a tip of the acoustic microphone protrudes from a distal end of the bone screw when the bone screw is attached to the patient's skull.
In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method for detecting a cerebrovascular accident, the method comprising attaching a wireless attachment device to a patient's head, the wireless attachment device comprising an audio device and a wireless transmitter, picking up pressure waves from blood vessels within the patient's head with the audio device, transmitting data representing the pressure waves, receiving the data representing the pressure waves, and analyzing the data received with a pattern recognition software to recognize one or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident. The method could further comprise attaching at least three of the wireless attachment devices to the patient's head. Preferably, the analyzing the data further comprises recognizing three or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident. The method could further comprise determining a location of the cerebrovascular accident. The method could further comprise converting analog input from the audio device to digital data for transmission by the wireless transmitter. Preferably, the attaching of the wireless attachment device to the patient's head includes attaching the wireless attachment device to the patient's skull. Preferably, the data is transmitted wirelessly.
Yet another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for detecting a cerebrovascular accident, the method comprising obtaining data representing pressure waves from blood vessels within a patient's head by the wireless attachment device, analyzing the data, and recognizing one or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident. The method could further comprise triangulating a location of the cerebrovascular accident when three or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident are recognized.
Further features of the present invention, as well as the structure of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present invention provides a device and method for identifying and predicting stroke events so that they can be prevented or at least diagnosed quickly and accurately. In an embodiment of the invention, one or more wireless attachment devices such as cranial pins or screws having integrated wireless communication capability, audio devices such as acoustic microphones, and analog-to-digital (A/D) converters are attached to a patient's head. The audio devices pick up pressure waves from the patient's brain, the A/D converters convert the pressure wave data from analog to digital, and a wireless transmitter sends the data wirelessly to a receiver. The wireless receiver then sends the data to be analyzed by a pattern recognition software that can identify a stroke event or predict an upcoming stroke event. The pattern recognition software can be run on, for example, a personal computer. If a stroke event is predicted or diagnosed, the patient or a caregiver is notified so that proper treatment can be obtained.
In another embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in
In a three screw formation, in order to optimize coverage of the skull, the screws are placed in a triangular formation as wide apart as possible on the top of the head. Likewise, in a four screw formation, in order to optimize coverage of the skull, the screws are placed in a rectangular formation as distally apart from each other as possible.
Triangulation is the process of finding coordinates and distance to a point by calculating the length of one side of a triangle, given measurements of angles and sides of the triangle formed by that point and two other known reference points. Determining coordinates and distance of the point can involve the solution of large meshes of triangles, with hundreds or even thousands of observations. Complex triangulation problems involving real-world observations with errors require the solution of large systems of simultaneous equations to generate solutions. The present invention contemplates using known triangulation software such as that used in MRI technology to locate the stroke event based on the data gathered and transmitted by the cranial pins. The triangulation software commonly utilizes Delaunay triangulation algorithms. The triangulation software may be run on, for example, an MRI machine or another computer such as a PC.
In an embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer that converts sound or pressure waves into an electrical signal. In use, the microphone picks up sound or pressure waves from within the patient's brain and converts them to analog electronic signals. The analog electronic signals are sent via the microphone wire to the A/D converter, which converts the signals to digital data. The digital data is sent to the wireless transmitter for processing. The wireless transmitter sends the data to a wireless receiver.
Wi-Fi refers to an underlying technology of wireless local area networks based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. Wi-Fi allows connectivity in peer-to-peer mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other.
The invention detects and processes long-period events that are signatures of stroke by analyzing the pressure wave data detected and broadcast by the bone screws placed in the patient's head. The term “long period event” is used in the field of predicting volcanic eruptions, where long-period events typically refer to small pre-eruption earthquakes that emit lower frequency pressure waves. These lower frequency pressure waves from the pre-eruption earthquakes can be represented as shown in
The invention detects and processes long-period events created by sudden changes in pressure within blood vessels and arteries of the patient's brain. These long-period events reveal blood flow occlusions that increase blood flow velocity and create a water hammer effect and resulting rapid changes in pressure. The rapid changes in pressure are picked up by the microphone and converted to analog electronic signals. The signals are converted to digital data and the Wi-Fi chip then broadcasts the digital data to a receiver that sends the data to be processed by software that can recognize a stroke signature (long period event) and determine a location of the stroke signature to predict and/or diagnose stroke. The invention also contemplates informing the patient or a caregiver of impending or occurring stroke, along with a location of the recognized stroke signature, so that proper treatment can be given in a timely manner.
In an embodiment of the invention, the stroke signature within the broadcast pressure wave data is recognized by a pattern recognition software, such as Seisan Earthquake Analysis Software. The pattern recognition software recognizes the long-period event caused by pressure waves resulting from the water hammer effect within the patient's arteries, just as it would recognize a long-period event for earthquake analysis. Pattern recognition software differentiates long-period events that are stroke signatures from other wave patterns (noise). It then pulls the long-period event data from the pressure data that has been transmitted wirelessly by the bone screws in the patient's head. According to an embodiment of the invention, after detecting three long-period events that are determined to be signatures of stroke, the pattern recognition software sends the data to a triangulation software to pinpoint the location of the event. Thereafter, the patient or a caregiver can be notified of diagnosis or prediction of the location and occurrence of the stroke event.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, three bone screws having an acoustic microphone, a microphone wire, an A/D converter, and a Wi-Fi chip are attached to a patient's head by screwing them into the skull a suitable distance to anchor them without penetrating through the skull. The bone screw is inserted into a patient's skull in any known and suitable method, which will be known to one skilled in the art The acoustic microphones in the bone screws pick up pressure waves from the blood vessels of the patients brain and send analog information representing the pressure waves via their respective microphone wires to respective A/D converters, which convert the analog information into digital data representing the pressure waves. The digital data is sent from the A/D converters to respective Wi-Fi chips, which transmit the digital data to a Wi-Fi receiver that is located suitably close to the patient to receive the wireless transmission.
The Wi-Fi receiver sends the data to be analyzed by Seisan Earthquake Analysis Software running on a PC. The Seisan software analyzes data representing the pressure waves to recognize one or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident. If one or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident are recognized by the software, a warning regarding an impending or occurring cerebrovascular accident is sent to the patient and/or a caregiver so that proper treatment can begin. In addition, if three or more signatures of a cerebrovascular accident are recognized by the software, information regarding the location of the signature with respect to each bone screw is sent to a triangulation software for triangulating a location of the cerbrovascular accident within the patient's head. The data sent is the wavelength and amplitude of the long period event wave the intersection of these wave points to the origin of the CVA. After a location is determined by the triangulation software, the patient and/or the caregiver is notified of the location of the cerebrovascular accident.
It is to be understood that the present invention contemplates other embodiments, including other wireless communications standards such as Bluetooth and Zigbee. Alternatively, Zigbee can be used in place of Wi-Fi. Zigbee refers to a specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs). ZigBee operates in the industrial, scientific and medical radio bands; 868 MHz in Europe, 915 MHz in the USA and 2.4 GHz in most jurisdictions worldwide. The technology is intended to be simpler and cheaper than other WPANs such as Bluetooth. In addition, the present invention contemplates using other devices than bone screws for attaching the Wi-Fi chip, A/D converter, and microphone to the patient's head. Indeed, a less permanent and invasive wireless attachment device can be used.
