Systems and methods for sensing lung fluid and functionality
Inventors
Elia, Liron • Iddan, Gavriel J.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10835178-B2
Publication Date
2020-11-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
An apparatus for monitoring for accumulation of lung fluid comprises a feeding tube having first electrode(s) positioned thereon for electrical contact with tissue of an esophagus of a target patient including a lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and/or tissue in proximity to the LES, second electrode(s) sized and shaped for contacting skin of the target patient, and a non-transitory memory having stored thereon code instructions for applying alternating current(s) to pair(s) of first and second electrodes, measuring a voltage over the pair(s), and computing an estimate of a change of lung fluid relative to a baseline in lung(s) of the target patient according to the applied alternating current and measured voltage, wherein the applying, the measuring, and the computing the estimate of the change in lung fluid are iteratively executed for monitoring the target patient for accumulation of lung fluid while the feeding tube is in use.
Core Innovation
The invention provides an apparatus and method for protecting a heart of a target patient from current during current based lungs monitoring for accumulation of lung fluid at a base of at least one lung. A feeding tube is inserted into a distal end of an esophagus during enteral feeding via a stomach and/or a digestive system, and at least one first electrode is disposed on a distal end of the feeding tube for electrical contact with tissue of the esophagus below a level of the heart, including a lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and tissue in proximity to the LES.
At least one second electrode is sized and shaped for contacting a surface of skin of the target patient below the level of the heart. A straight line connecting at least one pair of the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode passes through the base of the lung while excluding the heart, and this straight line represents flow of a non-cardiac current channel between the electrode pair that avoids or reduces current through the heart.
The invention establishes the non-cardiac current channel by applying at least one alternating current between the electrode pair, measuring a voltage over the electrode pair or a voltage drop, and computing an estimate of a change of lung fluid at the base of at least one lung relative to a baseline. The applying, measuring, and computing are iteratively executed for monitoring the target patient while the feeding tube is in use, where the lung fluid is of non-gastric origin.
Claims Coverage
The partial content identifies two independent claims (clm-00001 and clm-00026). Across these independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on a feeding-tube electrode arrangement that establishes a non-cardiac current channel to protect the heart, coupled with alternating-current voltage measurement and computing an impedance or estimate of lung-fluid change relative to a baseline for iterative monitoring during enteral feeding.
Non-cardiac current channel using feeding-tube and skin electrodes to protect the heart
A feeding tube for insertion into a distal end of an esophagus with at least one first electrode at a distal end positioned below a level of the heart including the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), together with at least one second electrode on skin below the level of the heart, wherein a straight line connecting the electrode pair passes through the base of the lung while excluding the heart, representing a non-cardiac current channel that avoids or reduces current through the heart.
Alternating current between electrodes, voltage measurement, and computing lung-fluid change relative to baseline
Code for establishing the non-cardiac current channel by applying at least one alternating current between the first and second electrodes, measuring voltage over the electrode pair or voltage drop between the electrodes, and computing an estimate of a change of lung fluid at the base of at least one lung relative to a baseline according to the applied alternating current and the measured voltage or voltage drop, with iterative execution for monitoring while the feeding tube is in use.
Iteratively monitoring lung fluid during enteral feeding with non-gastric lung fluid
The applying of alternating current, measuring of voltage drop, and computing of the estimated change in lung fluid are iteratively executed for monitoring the target patient while the feeding tube is in use for enteral feeding via a stomach and/or a digestive system, wherein the lung fluid is of non-gastric origin.
The independent claims require electrode placement and a resulting non-cardiac current channel that avoids or reduces current through the heart while measuring lung-fluid accumulation at the base of a lung, together with an alternating-current voltage measurement and computation of an estimated lung-fluid change relative to a baseline, iteratively performed during enteral feeding for non-gastric lung fluid.
Stated Advantages
Protecting a heart of a target patient from current during current based lungs monitoring while sensing lung fluid at a base of at least one lung.
Avoiding or reducing current through the heart by establishing a non-cardiac current channel that passes through the base of the lung while excluding the heart.
Documented Applications
Monitoring the target patient for accumulation of lung fluid at the base of at least one lung while a feeding tube is in use for enteral feeding via a stomach and/or a digestive system.
Differentiating pulmonary edema from pleural effusion using impedance values measured by skin electrodes at the base of the lung and at one or more lung lobes.
Generating impedance-score presentations including thresholds and trend-line extrapolation for impending accumulation risk and rule-based alerts.
Optionally estimating digestive system fluid, monitoring feeding-tube position, and detecting gastric reflux events to distinguish interference in lung-fluid sensing.
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