System and method for analyzing progress of labor and preterm labor

Inventors

Principe, Jose C. • Maroserro, Dorothee • Euliano, Tammy Y. • Euliano, II, Neil Russell

Assignees

CONVERGENT ENGINEERING Inc • University of Florida Research Foundation Inc • Convergent Engr Inc

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring uterus contraction activity and progress of labor. The system of the subject invention can comprises (1) a plurality of sensors; (2) an amplifying/filtering means; (3) a computing means; and (4) a graphical user interface. Accurate clinical data, which can be extracted and provided to the user in real-time using the system of the invention, include without limitation, progress of labor, prediction and monitoring of preterm labor, and intrauterine pressure prediction. In a preferred embodiment, the system of the invention includes an intelligence means, such as a neural network system, to analyze and interpret clinical data for use in clinical diagnosis as well as delivery strategy.

Core Innovation

The invention provides a uterine contractile monitoring system that uses a plurality of surface sensors to receive and communicate myometrium signals from a patient's abdomen. The system stores the communicated information and uses computing means comprising hardware and software to extract and analyze multiple channels of electrohysterogram (EHG) signals. The software includes an EHG extraction function and a function for utilizing and analyzing the multiple EHG signals to generate contraction-related data mapped to a grid of locations corresponding to sensor placement.

The core analysis performs pairwise subtraction of the multiple EHG signals to emphasize local contractility of the uterus at each respective surface sensor. The software derives data detailing differences in timing and amplitude of the signals after pairwise subtraction. The derived values are assessed and assigned to a grid of locations corresponding to the sensors placed on the patient's abdomen, and the extraction further obtains parameters such as time of contraction, location of contraction, extent of contraction, direction of propagation, and speed of propagation over the abdomen.

From the grid, the system extracts additional contraction characteristics including average contraction over time, spatial location of the peak of contraction and its variance, spread of the contraction, abdominal intensity distribution, abdominal frequency distribution, patterns of contraction intensity over time, distance of peak power propagation, power changes over time, and frequency changes over time. The computing means further uses the grid to ascertain uterine tonus, fundal dominance, and spatio-temporal patterns of uterine contractions for clinically relevant monitoring.

Claims Coverage

The document includes two independent claims, a system claim and a method claim. Each independent claim centers on an EHG extraction and multi-channel analysis workflow that uses pairwise subtraction and grid-based mapping to extract spatio-temporal uterine contraction parameters, which are then used to determine uterine tonus and fundal dominance and to produce clinically relevant data communicated to a clinician.

Across both independent claims, the essential coverage is for abdominal multi-sensor EHG extraction, pairwise subtraction to emphasize local contractility, derivation of timing and amplitude differences, assignment to a sensor-location grid, and extraction of spatio-temporal contraction parameters that are used to ascertain uterine tonus and fundal dominance, culminating in clinically relevant data that is communicated to a clinician.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications