Controlling coughing and swallowing

摘要

To protect an airway of a patient, it is important for the patient to be able to swallow and cough effectively. To promote an effective cough or swallow, electrodes are positioned upon skin of the neck of the patient, the electrodes configured for both capturing electromyographic (EMG) information, and for transmitting a stimulating electrical signal to the body. A microphone is positioned upon or near the neck to capture audio information emanating from the body of the patient. Software analyzes the EMG and audio information to identify an attempted or needed cough or swallow, and causes the electrodes to apply an electrical stimulus to the neck of the patient to produce a more efficacious cough or swallow. An additional microphone can be positioned to capture ambient noise, so that such noise can be reduced in the audio information of the first microphone.

主权项

1. A method of protecting an airway of a patient, comprising:
monitoring muscle movement information of the patient with a muscle monitoring device; monitoring patient audio information using a first acoustic signal transducer positioned upon an electrode and oriented to detect sound emanating from the body of the patient; monitoring environmental audio information using a second acoustic signal transducer positioned upon an electrode and oriented to detect sound emanating from an environment outside of the body of the patient; electronically processing the patient and environmental audio information to reduce environmental audio information within the patient audio information to improve detection of sounds emanating from the body; analyzing the muscle movement information and the electronically processed audio information by at least one electronic device to identify an attempted cough or swallow; and applying an electrical stimulus to the neck of the patient using a conductor of an electrode when the analysis indicates an attempted cough or swallow, varying at least one of an amplitude or frequency during the stimulus, the applied electrical stimulus operative to promote an efficacious cough or swallow.