Patent · US Active

Diagnosis of sleep apnea

US7909771B2 · kind B2 · utility

16Cited by

2References

10Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Biotronik CRM Patent AG · CH

Inventors

Wolfgang Meyer · Erlangen, DE
Manuel Ebert · Baiersdorf, DE
Jochen Proff · Kalchreuth, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Jun 29, 2007
Grant date	Mar 22, 2011
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jan 19, 2030

Classification

Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
CPC primaryA61B5/4818
WIPO fieldMedical technology
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for detecting sleep apnea by analyzing characteristic physiological oscillations of the heart rate variability (HRV). Starting from recorded ECG data of the patient, for example, as a long-term sequence of the changing RR intervals, the heart rate variability is examined using autocorrelation calculations for the occurrence of rhythmic oscillations of various frequencies. If oscillations typical for apnea occur having very long period durations in the range of 20 to 80 seconds, these are detected as a maximum of the autocorrelation function. If a pathological sleep apnea accordingly exists, individual apnea events may be identified by prompt analysis of short recorded RR sequences, e.g., in the minute interval.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.