Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Cardiovascular
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-25
2001-01-30
O'Connor, Cary (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Cardiovascular
C600S300000, C600S920000, C600S920000, C600S920000, C600S920000, C600S553000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179782
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring and analyzing a physical quantity of interest, in particular a blood pressure signal, by the application of fuzzy logic rules.
The invention particularly, but not exclusively, concerns the measurement of arterial blood pressure, and the description hereinbelow will cover this field of application for convenience of illustration.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As is well known, the evaluation of arterial pressure represents an essential parameter to the diagnostics of the human body, in both normal and pathological situations.
A significant example of a field where a knowledge of arterial pressure is needed is the prevention of cardio-circulatory diseases.
The measurement of arterial pressure, at one time tied to the attendance by specialized medical personnel equipped with appropriate instruments, can now be carried on “at home”, thanks to the availability of automatic pressure measuring devices which are easy to operate and relatively inexpensive.
Accordingly, the number is growing of those who choose to add such automatic blood pressure meters to their domestic first-aid equipment.
Prior art devices can take measurements with varying degrees of accuracy in a short time, and require no special knowledge or skill on the part of their users.
They have an important limitation, however, in that they offer no support for classification of the evidence provided by the pressure readings. Consequently, there exists a risk that they may infuse baseless worry or overconfidence.
The data gathering operations, e.g., for arterial pressure, and attendant classification, e.g., within the clinical picture of each patient, may appear simple at first sight. Actually, these are lengthy, complicated operations contingent on a number of factors. In particular, the arterial pressure signal is dependent on:
the patient's characteristic parameters, such as age, sex, race, possible pathological and/or functional conditions; and
parameters tied to local environmental conditions, such as temperature, pressure, possible noise.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention provides a device for measuring arterial pressure, which can sense and classify data within appropriate ranges that may differ from one clinical picture to another of the various patients undergoing the test. The device includes a measuring system for a physical quantity of interest whose output is connected to a fuzzy processing system.
The apparatus includes a measuring device which can memorize the characteristic parameters of a user undergoing the test, including a possible personalized medical strategy.
In particular, the measuring device is provided with appropriate interfaces for reading characteristic parameters stored up in an external support, ancillary to the measuring device, and provided with suitable processing systems for the measured data on the basis of the characteristic parameters made available to the device, in particular fuzzy processing systems.
In addition, an embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for measuring and analyzing a physical quantity of interest by applying fuzzy logic rules, said quantity having first and second significant values which are dependent on a plurality of characteristic parameters.
Accordingly, this invention is to provide a personalized smart system for measuring arterial pressure in an automatic manner, and subsequently analyzing the readings so as to provide a classification thereof, the classification being based on a knowledge of the patient's characteristic parameters, including any medical directions.
The features and advantages of the measuring/analyzing method and apparatus according to the invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limitative examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4080653 (1978-03-01), Barnes, Jr. et al.
patent: 4320767 (1982-03-01), Villa-Real
patent: 5503624 (1996-04-01), Roeher et al.
patent: 5584298 (1996-12-01), Kabal
patent: 5782885 (1998-07-01), Andersson
patent: 5924052 (1999-07-01), Palm
patent: 6030344 (2000-02-01), Guracar et al.
patent: 2 694 421 (1994-02-01), None
patent: WO 94/28481 (1994-12-01), None
Galanthay Theodore E.
Iannucci Robert
Natnithithadha Navin
O'Connor Cary
Seed IP Law Group LLP
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