Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Cardiovascular
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-16
2002-09-03
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Cardiovascular
C600S508000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06443904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to sports and medicine, particularly to applications in which the capacity of a person is controlled during a fitness exercise according to a value of respiratory flow measured before the fitness exercise.
During a fitness exercise the ventilation frequency, i.e. inspiration and expiration, increases as the workload increases. Normally the respiratory capacity of a person is always so good that is does not limit the fitness exercise even at heavy workload, but the oxygen uptake and removal of carbon dioxide are sufficient for metabolism. The respiratory capacity may, however, limit exercising if the person suffers from a disease of respiratory organs or respiratory bronchioles, such as asthma. Persons suffering from exercise induced asthma may experience dyspnoea and stridor during a fitness exercise because due to asthma their respiratory organs may be inflamed and swollen. The number of asthmatics is increasing in the West, being already about 2 to 4% of the population.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The basis for treating asthma and other respiratory diseases is good physical condition which prevents serious complications and helps to cope with difficult situations. The general instructions for improving the physical condition cannot be applied to asthmatics because their respiratory flow values vary considerably. In practice, asthmatics therefore have to determine their respiratory flow before each fitness exercise and decide on the exercise workload on the basis of the respiratory flow. U.S. publication No. 5,626,144 discloses a PEF meter (Peak Expiratory Flow) for measuring the respiratory flow. By blowing into the meter the user finds out the current expiratory flow. On the basis of the measured value the person can decide whether to take medication before a fitness exercise and plan the exercise workload at a broad level. U.S. publication No. 3,675,640 describes a solution between a variable describing the person's capacity, such as inhaled oxygen or exhaled carbon dioxide, and physical stress. In the solution described in the publication the patient's maximal capacity is determined according to measurement results obtained during a fitness exercise in a clinical environment and results achieved by a healthy person.
The prior art method of determining the capacity is designed for hospitals and requires a complex and expensive apparatus. Consequently, the method cannot be applied in everyday sports.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide an improved method and an apparatus implementing the method for determining the stress level of a fitness exercise. This is achieved with the following method of controlling a fitness exercise performed by a person. The method comprises measuring the person's heart rate information during the fitness exercise and informing the person if, during the fitness exercise, the value of a stress parameter formed from the measured heart rate information exceeds a threshold value formed for the stress parameter before the fitness exercise. In the method the threshold value of the stress parameter is formed for the fitness exercise using the value of the person's expiratory flow.
The invention also relates to a heart rate monitor which comprises means for measuring the heart rate of a person during a fitness exercise, a calculation unit for forming the value of one or more stress parameters from the measured heart rate during the fitness exercise, the calculation unit being arranged to compare the value of the stress parameter during the fitness exercise with a threshold value formed for the stress parameter before the fitness exercise, the heart rate monitor further comprising display means for showing exceeding of the threshold value of the stress parameter to the person during the fitness exercise. The calculation unit is arranged to use the value of the person's expiratory flow measured for the fitness exercise for forming the threshold value of the stress parameter.
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining the optimal exercise level of a person and for controlling it during a fitness exercise. The solution is particularly suitable for a fitness exercise performed by a person who suffers from a disease of respiratory organs, such as asthma. In this description a fitness exercise refers to a physical exercise performed at a heart rate level of at least about 20 heart beats per minute over the person's heart rate at rest.
A method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises measuring the heart rate information of a person during a fitness exercise. The heart rate information to be measured refers to heart rate parameters that can be measured from heartbeats, such as the average heart rate per minute, standard deviation of the heart rate, change rate of the heart rate or other similar parameters that can be calculated from the heart rate. One or more of the above-mentioned heart rate parameters are used as a stress parameter which describes the exercise workload. A threshold value which should not be exceeded during the fitness exercise is set for the stress parameters. In an embodiment the person's stress level during the fitness exercise is used as the stress parameter in addition to a heart rate parameter or instead of it. The stress level is formed using one or more of the following parameters: one or more heart rate parameters, one or more physiological parameters which describe the person's physiological properties, one or more stress parameters which describe the exercise workload.
The threshold value of the stress parameter is formed before the fitness exercise, and preferably the threshold value is re-formed before each fitness exercise The person's current maximal expiratory flow is used for forming the threshold value. In a preferred embodiment the expiratory flow is measured with a PEF meter. In an embodiment the measured PEF value is compared with the reference value of expiratory flow, and the threshold value of the stress parameter is formed on the basis of this comparison. The reference value of expiratory flow means e.g. the person's maximum value of expiratory flow. The reference value can also be formed on the basis of tabulated information or by means of a neural network using one or more physiological parameters. The method according to the invention is preferably implemented by a heart rate monitor into which the PEF value measured by the user is fed before the fitness exercise. In an embodiment the heart rate monitor forms the reference value of expiratory flow, which is read from a table included in the heart rate monitor or formed by means of a neural network using the physiological parameters to be fed into the heart rate monitor. During the fitness exercise the heart rate monitor measures the heart rate, and in an embodiment one or more of the following items are presented on the display of the heart rate monitor: heart rate parameter, threshold value of the heart rate parameter, stress level, threshold value of the stress level. Furthermore, if the user exceeds the threshold value of the stress parameter during the fitness exercise, the heart rate monitor gives a sound signal or a voice message, informs the user of exceeding by displaying information on the display of the heart rate monitor or with touch information, such as vibration or the like, in which case the user can reduce the exercise workload or finish the exercise.
In an embodiment of the invention the apparatus implementing the method according to the invention is a heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor is a device employed in sports, which measures human heart rate information from an electrical impulse transmitted by the heart, from the pressure produced by the heart beat on an artery or optically from the blood movement in an artery. The structures of the heart rate monitors available vary. There are, for example, heart rate monitors which comprise an
Hoffmann & Baron , LLP
Natnithithadha Navin
Polar Electro Oy
Shaver Kevin
LandOfFree
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