Detection of congestion from monitoring patient response to a recumbent position

Abstract

Systems and methods obtain information that allows detection of whether a patient suffers from congestion by monitoring a response of the patient to a recumbent position of the patient's body. The patient may be monitored to determine a respiration pattern for a non-recumbent position such as standing and a respiration pattern for a recumbent position such as lying down. The two patterns may be compared, either by a processing device or a physician, to determine a difference in the two respiration patterns. Furthermore, the congestion may be inferred from detecting an amount of time that the patient spends in a recumbent position or from detecting the recumbent angle that the patient obtains, either of which is presumed to indicate whether a recumbent position presents discomfort to the patient due to the presence of congestion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention is related to the detection of congestion of a patient. More particularly, the present invention is related to the detection of congestion through monitoring a patient's response to a recumbent position of the patient's body.BACKGROUNDA patient suffers from congestion when filling pressure of the heart, which results from the return of blood from the body to the heart, is relatively high due to the heart's inability to effectively pump blood back out to the body. Thus, congestion is indicative of heart failure and is one factor that should be closely monitored for a heart failure patient. Congestion may be manifested in several ways in the heart failure patient's body.One condition highly correlated with congestion is respiratory distress upon lying down. Congestion often results in the lungs becoming partially filled with fluid once the patient lies down, and the lungs maintain the partially filled state until the patient becomes upright. This f...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Differences in the two breathing patterns may indicate respiratory distress due to the recumbent position, which is a sign of congestion.

The amount of time that the patient is in a recumbent position may indicate patient discomfort due to respiratory distress arising from the recumbent position, which is a sign of congestion.

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