Medical radar system for guiding cardiac resuscitation

Abstract

Medical radar devices, including ultra-wideband (UWB) devices, for use in assisting and / or guiding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by indicating one or more of: compression depth, compression frequency, and a return to spontaneous circulation. The devices and methods described herein may use reflected energy applied to a patient's chest to determine cardiac motion and / or chest compression and provide feedback to the person applying the CPR. In some variations the device is incorporated as a part of another resuscitation device, such as a defibrillator or automatic compression device.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61 / 653,724, filed on May 31, 2012, and titled “UWB Sensor and Algorithms for Guiding Cardiac Resuscitation.”INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE[0002]All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The devices, systems and method described herein relate to the administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In particular, described herein are CPR assist devices and methods that allow high-quality CPR including the rapid and accurate determination of the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]Recently revised American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for cardiopulmonary ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes devices, systems, and methods for assisting in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by applying energy to the chest and monitoring the compressions. The devices can be standalone or integrated into other systems such as resuscitation systems or defibrillators. They can determine the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) by analyzing blood pressure data. The devices can be sealed and placed on the patient's chest through clothing. The processor can use reflected energy signals to track motion in the chest and determine if the patient has returned to spontaneous circulation. The technical effects of the patent include improved CPR assistance and feedback on compression depth and frequency.

Problems solved by technology

The return to spontaneous circulation is a recognized metric for determining the termination of resuscitation; however it is difficult to assess quickly when performing CPR.

Unfortunately, this type of measurement is extremely subjective, time consuming to perform, and sensitive to external motion, e.g. transport by ground or air ambulance.

Similarly, evaluating the quality of compressions, such as the rate and depth of compressions, typically relies on simple counting and visual estimates, both of which are inaccurate.

Several CPR assist devices that incorporate accelerometer technology to measure chest compressions have been introduced but these are ineffective when the patient is on a compliant surface, such as a gurney or bed, because the applied compression often causes the compliant surface to compress rather than the patient's chest.

Although devices and methods for monitoring and providing feedback when performing CPR have been proposed and introduced, the inventor is not aware of any non-invasive systems capable of consistently and accurately determining ROSC, either alone or in combination with CPR assist tools that monitor and provide feedback on chest compression.

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