EP-4736778-A2 - NON-VISUAL ALERTS AND INDICATORS OF MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Abstract

An example method is performed by a single medical device and includes detecting, during a time interval, a sound indicative of cardiac activity of a subject; generating audio indicative of a pulse of the subject by analyzing the sound; and simultaneously outputting: the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject; and a visual signal indicating an additional physiological parameter of the subject detected during the time interval.

Inventors

• SIEDENBURG, CLINTON T.
• CHAPMAN, FRED W.
• PIRAINO, DANIEL W.
• TAYLOR, TYSON G.

Assignees

• STRYKER CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240202

Claims (15)

1. A medical device, comprising: a sensor configured to detect a physiological parameter of a subject; a speaker; and a processor configured to: determine a variance by comparing the physiological parameter to a reference value; and cause the speaker to output an audio signal having a characteristic that is proportional to the variance.
2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the physiological parameter is indicative of a cardiac activity of the subject, and/or wherein the physiological parameter comprises a sound corresponding to: a movement of blood through at least one blood vessel of the subject, a motion of a heart wall of the subject, or a motion of blood through a heart of the subject.
3. The medical device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the physiological parameter comprises a reflection of an incident beam from a heart of the subject, wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasound transducer, and wherein the incident beam comprises ultrasound.
4. The medical device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the variance comprises: a difference between a magnitude of the physiological parameter and the reference value, a difference between a magnitude of a frequency component of the physiological parameter and the reference value, or a difference between a frequency of the physiological parameter and the reference value.
5. The medical device of any one of claims 1-4, wherein determining the variance comprises: comparing the physiological parameter of the subject detected at a first time to the physiological parameter of the subject detected at a second time, and wherein the first time occurs during a first cardiac cycle of the subject and the second time occurs during a second cardiac cycle of the subject.
6. The medical device of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the characteristic comprises a pitch or a volume.
7. The medical device of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the audio signal comprises multiple tones, and the characteristic corresponds to a dissonance between the multiple tones.
8. The medical device of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the sensor is a first sensor and the physiological parameter is a first physiological parameter, the medical device further comprising: a second sensor configured to detect a second physiological parameter, and a display configured to output a visual signal indicating the second physiological parameter.
9. A method performed by a medical device, the method comprising: identifying data indicative of a physiological parameter of a subject; determining a variance by comparing the physiological parameter to a reference value; and generating audio indicative of the physiological parameter, wherein the audio has a characteristic that is proportional to the variance.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data indicative of the physiological parameter comprises a reflection of an incident beam to a frequency of the incident beam, and wherein determining the variance comprises: determining a velocity of a wall of a heart of the subject by comparing a frequency of the reflection of the incident beam to a frequency of the incident beam; and comparing the velocity of the wall of the heart of the subject to the reference value.
11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein determining the variance comprises determining: a difference between a magnitude of the physiological parameter and the reference value; a difference between a magnitude of a frequency component of the physiological parameter and the reference value; or a difference between a frequency of the physiological parameter and the reference value.
12. The method of any one of claims 9-11, wherein determining the variance comprises: comparing the physiological parameter of the subject detected at a first time to the physiological parameter of the subject detected at a second time, wherein the first time occurs during a first cardiac cycle of the subject and the second time occurs during a second cardiac cycle of the subject.
13. The method of any one of claims 9-12, wherein the characteristic comprises a pitch or a volume, or wherein the audio indicative of the physiological parameter comprises multiple tones, and the characteristic corresponds to a dissonance between the multiple tones.
14. The method of any one of claims 9-13, wherein the audio indicative of the physiological parameter of the subject is further indicative of an arrhythmia of a heart of the subject.
15. The method of any one of claims 9-14, wherein the physiological parameter is a first physiological parameter, the method further comprising: identifying data indicative of a second physiological parameter of the subject; and outputting a visual signal indicating the second physiological parameter of the subject.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/443,301 (titled "Blood Flow Monitors" and filed on February 3, 2023) as well as U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/615,730 (titled "Non-Visual Alerts and Indicators of Medical Conditions" and filed on December 28, 2023), each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND Medical devices are often configured to convey information to users. For example, monitor-defibrillators are configured to display multiple physiological parameters of a patient, in real-time, on a screen. The multiple physiological parameters, in some cases, enable a user to identify complex medical conditions of the patient. For instance, the presence of QRS complexes in an electrocardiogram (ECG) indicate either pulseless electrical activity (PEA) or a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). A rescuer, for instance, is able to distinguish whether a patient has PEA or ROSC by also reviewing a blood pressure of the patient along with the ECG. SUMMARY According to an aspect is provided a medical device, comprising: a first sensor configured to detect, during a time interval, a sound indicative of cardiac activity of a subject; a second sensor configured to detect, during the time interval, a physiological parameter of the subject; a processor configured to generate audio indicative of a pulse of the subject by analyzing the sound indicative of cardiac activity of the subject; a speaker configured to output the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject; and a display configured to output a visual signal indicating an additional physiological parameter of the subject detected during the time interval, the display outputting the visual signal simultaneously as the speaker is outputting the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject. Optionally, the sound indicative of cardiac activity of the subject comprises a reflection of an incident beam from a heart of the subject. Optionally, the first sensor comprises an ultrasound transducer and the incident beam comprises ultrasound. Optionally, the processor is configured to generate the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject by determining a velocity of a heart wall of the subject by comparing a frequency of the reflection of the incident beam to a frequency of the incident beam. Optionally, the processor is configured to generate the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject by determining a velocity of a heart wall of the subject by comparing a frequency of the reflection of the incident beam to a frequency of the incident beam, and defining a pitch or volume of the audio to be proportional to the velocity of the heart wall of the subject. Optionally, the reflection of the incident beam is from: blood flowing through a blood vessel of the subject; blood flowing through a heart of the subject; and/or a wall of the heart of the subject. 6Optionally, the physiological parameter comprises an electrocardiogram (ECG), a blood oxygenation, or a capnograph. Optionally, the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject is further indicative of an arrhythmia of a heart of the subject during the time interval. Optionaly, the processor is configured to generate the audio indicative of the pulse of the subject by analyzing the sound indicative of cardiac activity of the subject by determining a difference between a rate of the pulse and a reference value, and generating the audio to have a pitch that is proportional to the difference. Optionally, the medical device further comprises a monitoring circuit configured to detect an electrocardiogram (ECG) of a subject, and an input device configured to receive an input signal from a user. The display can be configured to visually output the ECG and the physiological parameter. The processor can be configured to determine that the ECG is indicative of an arrhythmia. The processor can be configured to, in response to determining that the ECG is indicative of an arrhythmia and the input device receiving the input signal from the user, generate a command to output an electrical shock to the heart of the subject. The medical device can further comprise a treatment circuit configured to, in response to the processor determining that the ECG is indicative of an arrhythmia and the input device receiving the input signal from the user, output an electrical shock to the heart of the subject. Optionally, the first sensor comprises a transmitter configured to output ultrasound toward the heart of the subject and a receiver configured to detect a reflection of the ultrasound from blood in the heart of the subject, the sound being the reflection of the ultrasound from the blood in the heart of the subject. Optionally, the medical device further comprises a housing and an adhesive disposed on the housing. The adhesive can be configured for attaching the first sensor to skin, e.g. on a chest, of the subject. The processor can be furthe