Method, device, and system for diagnosing and monitoring frailty

US10299736B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona · US

Inventors

• Bijan Najafi · Vernon Hills, US
• Saman Parvaneh · Tucson, US
• Martha Jane Mohler · Tucson, US
• David Armstrong · Tucson, US
• Mindy Joy Fain · Tucson, US
• Marvin J. Slepian · Tucson, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 27, 2015
• Grant date: May 28, 2019
• Expiry date: Jul 31, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B5/1123
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems according to present principles provide ways to diagnose frailty and assess the severity of its clinical status—e.g., non-frail, pre-frail, and frail, especially as measured and quantified during activities of daily living. Systems and methods according to present principles objectively quantify physical activity behaviors and identify specific motor tasks, which indicate clinical frailty syndrome behaviors such as flopping, cautious-sitting, non-uniform walking fluctuations, cognitive decline, slowness, weakness, and exhaustion. Additionally, the systems and methods allow improved sensitivity and specificity of frailty identification by further assessing physiological parameters such as heart rate, respiration rate, and skin temperature in response to, or recovery from, specific activities.