Medical Imaging Relaxation Index for Sedation Decision Support

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current medical imaging procedures, such as MR scans, are stressful for patients, particularly those with claustrophobia or anxiety disorders, leading to motion artifacts and inaccurate diagnoses due to patient movement, with anesthesia decisions being subjective and potentially risky.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method predicts relaxation requirements by determining a subject's state and characteristics, generating a relaxation index to guide anesthesia administration or calming treatments based on physiological and psychological data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If anesthesia or sedation is administered to calm the patient, then patient stillness during scan is improved, but patient safety and cost increase due to potential risks and unnecessary sedation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepatient stillnessVSAvoidpatient safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of patient characteristics (age, weight, medical history, anxiety level) and predicts relaxation requirements before the imaging procedure begins. This allows medical staff to prepare appropriate calming measures in advance, administering them only when predicted to be necessary, thus ensuring patient stillness while minimizing unnecessary sedation and associated risks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors patient vitals and movement during the scan procedure, comparing actual behavior against predicted relaxation needs. This feedback loop allows dynamic adjustment of calming measures, ensuring patient safety by avoiding over-sedation while maintaining adequate stillness when needed, and providing data for improving future predictions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If anesthesia or sedation is administered to ensure patient stillness, then image quality is improved, but procedure cost increases due to unnecessary sedation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidprocedure cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system predicts relaxation requirements and recommends specific calming measures before the procedure starts, allowing medical staff to choose cost-effective interventions (such as reassurance, music, or mild sedation) only when necessary to ensure image quality, thereby avoiding unnecessary expensive sedation while maintaining diagnostic image quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If medical staff make subjective decisions about anesthesia administration, then patient assessment flexibility is maintained, but prediction accuracy decreases due to lack of standardized method

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassessment flexibilityVSAvoidprediction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides a universal standardized assessment framework that works across all patient types (children, adults, different anxiety levels) while allowing medical staff to adapt the recommended calming measures to individual patient needs. The system processes multiple patient characteristics simultaneously and provides customized recommendations, maintaining both standardization for accuracy and flexibility for individualized care.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4654211A1Medical imaging
Publication Date: 2025.11.26 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV
  • EP4654211A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4654211A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4654211A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Proposed concepts aim to provide schemes, solutions, concepts, designs, methods, and systems pertaining to a method for predicting relaxation requirements of a subject prior to the subject undergoing a medical imaging procedure. In particular, embodiments aim to provide a method for determining a relaxation index of a subject describing a prediction of a requirement for the subject to be calmed before undergoing the medical imaging procedure based on a determined subject state and a determined subject characteristic.