Capnography Waveform Segmentation and Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing capnography systems face challenges in displaying and analyzing CO2 concentration waveforms, including synchronization issues, difficulty in distinguishing clinically significant from insignificant patterns, and inefficient data storage, which hinders healthcare professionals' ability to effectively monitor patient respiratory conditions.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for producing a representative waveform that filters out non-medically significant information, characterizing waveforms by shape and scale factors, and displaying them in a more interpretable format, allowing for comparison and trend analysis over time, with optional updates and confidence indexing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple waveforms are displayed continuously to capture breath cycles, then the ability to monitor respiratory conditions is improved, but the difficulty in distinguishing clinically significant from insignificant patterns increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring capabilityVSAvoidpattern differentiation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the waveform display into multiple panels, with each panel displaying a single breath cycle waveform. This segmentation allows clinicians to focus on individual waveforms without the distraction of continuous scrolling, making it easier to distinguish clinically significant patterns from artifacts while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If waveform data is stored for trend analysis, then the ability to monitor changes over time is improved, but the data storage requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetrend analysis capabilityVSAvoiddata storage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and stores only the essential waveform characteristics and key features rather than storing the complete raw waveform data continuously. This extraction approach maintains the ability to perform trend analysis and monitor changes over time while significantly reducing the data storage requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If high resolution waveform data is captured, then the ability to observe characteristic shapes is improved, but the amount of clinically insignificant information increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewaveform resolutionVSAvoidclinically insignificant data
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and displays only the clinically relevant portions and characteristics of the waveform data, filtering out noise and insignificant artifacts. This selective extraction maintains high measurement precision for clinically significant features while reducing the volume of meaningless information that would otherwise clutter the display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Ease of operation

If the waveform display is synchronized to breath cycles, then the ease of observation is improved, but the complexity of the display system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewaveform observationVSAvoiddisplay synchronization
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the display into multiple independent panels, each synchronized to display a single breath cycle waveform. This segmentation approach simplifies the synchronization mechanism by treating each panel independently rather than requiring complex coordination across the entire display, while still providing breath-cycle-synchronized observation for each waveform.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2445403B1Method and apparatus for producing a waveform
Publication Date: 2023.06.14 ORIDION MEDICAL 1987
  • EP2445403B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2445403B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2445403B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

There is provided herein a method for producing a representative CO2 waveform, the method comprising obtaining two or more CO2 waveforms, for each of the two or more CO2 waveforms determining one or more scale factors and one or more shape factors, computing, based on the one or more shape and scale factors of each of the two or more CO2 waveforms, a representative set of shape factors and scale factors representing the two or more CO2 waveforms and constructing a representative waveform based on the representative set of shape and scale factors.