Methods of Monitoring Physiological Properties

Abstract

A method of monitoring at least one physiological property of an organism includes directing energy at a first skin region of the organism and at a second skin region adjacent the first skin region, and detecting an energy response signal from the first skin region and an energy response signal from the second skin region, wherein both energy response signals contain information about blood flow and skin motion. The energy response signals are processed to produce an extracted energy response signal containing cleaner blood flow information. The extracted energy response signal may be compared with a physiological model to assess a physiological condition of the organism.

1 . A method of monitoring at least one physiological property of an organism, comprising:
 directing energy at a first skin region of the organism and at a second skin region adjacent the first skin region;   detecting an energy response signal from the first skin region and an energy response signal from the second skin region, wherein both energy response signals contain information about blood flow and skin motion; and   processing the energy response signals to produce an extracted energy response signal containing cleaner blood flow information,   wherein the directing, detecting and processing steps are performed by a device worn by the organism.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising comparing the extracted energy response signal with a physiological model to assess a physiological condition of the organism. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising telemetrically communicating the extracted energy response signal to a portable communication device, and displaying the energy response signal via the portable communication device in real time. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein processing the energy response signals to produce an extracted energy response signal comprises subtracting the energy response signal from the second skin region from the energy response signal from the first skin region. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising differentially amplifying the energy response signal from the first skin region and the energy response signal from the second skin region prior to the processing step. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising amplifying the extracted energy response signal prior to the comparing step. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the extracted energy response signal to a remote device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein transmitting the extracted energy response signal to the remote device comprises wirelessly transmitting the extracted energy response signal. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the remote device is selected from the group consisting of computing devices, communication devices, and entertainment devices. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the extracted energy response signal to the organism. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein directing energy at the first skin region and the second skin region comprises directing electromagnetic radiation via at least one optical emitter. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one optical emitter is selected from the group consisting of laser diodes (LDs), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one optical emitter comprises at least one array of optical emitters. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein detecting an energy response signal from the first skin region and an energy response signal from the second skin region comprises detecting via at least one detector selected from the group consisting of acoustic detectors, auscultatory detectors, motion detectors, optical detectors, thermal detectors, and piezoelectric detectors. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the physiological condition of the organism includes properties of skin, blood, and/or blood vessels of the organism. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the physiological condition of the organism comprises one or more of the following: blood pressure; volume of blood flow through a blood vessel, and size of at least one blood vessel. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first skin region comprises vascular and non-vascular tissue, and wherein the second skin region is dominated by non-vascular tissue. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein directing energy at the first skin region comprises directing electromagnetic radiation via at least one optical emitter and wherein detecting energy response signals from the first skin region and the second skin region comprises electrically biasing at least one optical emitter to operate as an optical detector. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one array of optical emitters comprises at least one monolithic array of optical emitters. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one array of optical emitters comprises at least one partially monolithic array of optical emitters. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein directing energy at the first skin region comprises directing electromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein detecting the energy response signal from the first skin region and the energy response signal from the second skin region comprises detecting electromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising measuring blood flow in the organism by detecting electromagnetic radiation at a first wavelength and measuring motion of the organism by detecting electromagnetic radiation at a second wavelength that is shorter than the first wavelength. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device is a wearable device that comprises a plurality of emitters and a plurality of detectors. 
     
     
         25 . A method of monitoring at least one physiological property of an organism, comprising:
 directing energy at a first skin region of the organism;   detecting an energy response signal from the first skin region and an energy response signal from a second skin region adjacent the first skin region, wherein both energy response signals contain information about blood flow and skin motion; and   processing the energy response signals to produce an extracted energy response signal containing cleaner blood flow information,   wherein the directing, detecting and processing steps are performed by a device worn by the organism.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein processing the energy response signals to produce an extracted energy response signal containing cleaner blood flow information comprises subtracting the energy response signal from the second skin region from the energy response signal from the first skin region. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising comparing the extracted energy response signal with a physiological model to assess a physiological condition of the organism. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising telemetrically communicating the extracted energy response signal to a portable communication device, and displaying the energy response signal via the portable communication device in real time. 
     
     
         29 . A method of monitoring at least one physiological property of an organism, comprising:
 directing energy at a skin region of the organism;   detecting a first energy response signal from the skin region that contains information about blood flow and a second energy response signal from the skin region that contains information about skin motion; and   processing the first and second energy response signals to produce an extracted energy response signal containing cleaner blood flow information,   wherein the directing and detecting steps are performed by a device worn by the organism.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein detecting the first and second energy response signals comprises detecting via at least one detector selected from the group consisting of acoustic detectors, auscultatory detectors, motion detectors, optical detectors, thermal detectors, and piezoelectric detectors. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein detecting the first and second energy response signals comprises detecting electromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths.