Neurophysiological monitoring training simulator
Inventors
Cadwell, John A. • Miles, Melissa • Romero, Mark
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11443649-B2
Publication Date
2022-09-13
Expiration Date
Abstract
A training simulator for intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) systems includes channels where at least one of the channels is identified as an active stimulation channel and a subset of the rest of the channels is identified as reference or pick up sites. Channels of the subset having signal data that exceed a predefined threshold are retained for further processing, while channels with signal data that do not exceed the threshold are eliminated from further reporting. Response data for the remaining channels are generated in advance of a future time when the response would occur. The generated data is time stamped and stored for display at a time window when requested by the system.
Core Innovation
The invention is a computer-implemented system for simulating a patient’s physiological responses to one or more stimuli over a simulation timeframe. The system includes programmatic instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium. The programmatic instructions define a plurality of channels that are virtually representative of anatomical sites of the patient and identify at least one stimulation site.
The system identifies a first subset of the channels as reference sites and uses predefined relationships between channels to generate simulation data indicative of physiological responses at each reference-site channel based on the simulated stimuli. The system further selects a second subset of channels from the first subset, where each channel in the second subset has simulation data indicative of a physiological response that exceeds one or more predefined thresholds.
The system generates data indicative of physiological responses at each second-subset channel by using expected signals identified for each channel at a future time T1 and associates the generated data with a later time T2. After associating the generated data with time T2, the system receives a request for data corresponding to one or more time windows encompassing time T2 and generates a data stream from each channel comprising the generated data associated with time T2.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim is clm-00001. It covers a computer-implemented physiological-response simulation using virtual channels, subset selection by thresholding, and scheduled generation and delivery of time-associated response data using expected signals at a future time T1 mapped to later time T2. The dependent claims add specific ways of defining expected future-time signals and refine the time-window and global-modulator behavior.
Virtual channels mapped to anatomical sites
Programmatic instructions define a plurality of channels, each virtually representative of an anatomical site of the patient.
Stimulation site and reference subset generation using predefined relationships
The programmatic instructions identify at least one stimulation site; identify a first subset of the plurality of channels as reference sites; and generate simulation data indicative of physiological responses at each reference-site channel using predefined relationships between the plurality of channels based on the one or more simulated stimuli.
Threshold-based pruning to a second subset
The programmatic instructions identify a second subset of the plurality of channels from the first subset, wherein each channel in the second subset has simulation data indicative of a physiological response that exceeds one or more predefined thresholds.
Future-time expected signals to compute data at a later time T2
During each time window within the simulation timeframe and for each channel in the second subset, the programmatic instructions identify one or more signals expected to affect the channel at a future time T1, generate data indicative of physiological responses resulting from the one or more signals expected to affect the channel at future time T1, and associate the generated data with time T2.
Request-driven acquisition and per-channel data streams for time windows
The programmatic instructions receive a request for data corresponding to one or more time windows encompassing time T2, acquire the generated data associated with time T2 from each channel, and generate a data stream from each channel in which each data stream comprises the generated data associated with time T2.
Overall, clm-00001 is directed to simulating patient physiological responses using virtual channels tied to anatomical sites, computing reference responses from predefined interrelationships, pruning to a threshold-exceeding second subset, and generating time-windowed response data by mapping expected future-time signals at T1 into generated data associated with later time T2 that can be requested and streamed per channel.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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