System and method for distraction of patient during scanning
| Title: | System and method for distraction of patient during scanning |
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| Patent Number: | 9,131,205 |
| Publication Date: | September 08, 2015 |
| Appl. No: | 13/988538 |
| Application Filed: | November 21, 2011 |
| Abstract: | A system and method for reducing anxiety of a patient during medical scanning in a medical scanner which may produce significant levels of acoustic noise. A processor or control unit receives a measure of variation in a parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning. The processor then generates outputs to audio and video playback units that present an audio-video scenery to the patient during the scanning in accordance with the measure of variation in the parameter of the scanner noise. An image object in the video imagery is linked to the audio signal, so as to distract the patient's attention away from the scanner noise. The audio-video scenery may be switched according to an estimated scanner noise level. An effective distraction of the patient is obtained with a limited audio signal level which is far lower than the scanner noise. |
| Inventors: | Gillies, Murray Fulton (Eindhoven, NL); Van Ee, Raymond (Geldrop, NL); Van Elswijk, Gijs Antonius Franciscus (Eindhoven, NL); Tijs, Tim Johannes Willem (Helmond, NL) |
| Assignees: | Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Eindhoven, NL) |
| Claim: | 1. A system for reducing anxiety of a patient during a medical scanning procedure in a medical scanner device creating scanner noise, the system comprising a processor arranged to receive a measure of variation in a parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, and arranged to generate output signals to audio and video playback units so as to present an audio signal and a video imagery to the patient in accordance with the measure of variation in the parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, wherein an image object in the video imagery is linked to the audio signal, so as to distract the patient's attention away from the scanning procedure, wherein the processor is arranged to receive a measure of variation in the parameter of the scanner noise in the form of one of: a predetermined estimate of temporal evolution of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, a user input indicating a predetermined type of scanning, a signal input from the medical scanner device indicating a type of scanning, and wherein the processor is arranged to increase a sound pressure level of the audio signal prior to a period where a high sound pressure level of the scanner noise is expected based on the measure of variation of the parameter of the scanner noise. |
| Claim: | 2. System according to claim 1 , wherein said parameter of the scanner noise comprises a sound pressure level of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, and wherein a parameter of the audio signal is varied in accordance with variation of the sound pressure level of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure. |
| Claim: | 3. System according to claim 1 , wherein a sound pressure level of the audio signal is varied in accordance with the variation in the parameter of the sound pressure level of scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure. |
| Claim: | 4. System according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is arranged to receive a measure of variation in the parameter of the scanner noise in the form of one of: a trigger signal indicating when a noise generating operation of the scanner is active during the medical scanning procedure, an input signal indicating a level of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, an input signal indicating a level of vibration of a part of the medical scanner device. |
| Claim: | 5. System according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is arranged to select an audio signal and a video imagery in accordance with the measure of the variation of the parameter of the scanner noise by means of a predetermined selection algorithm. |
| Claim: | 6. System according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is arranged to vary at least one parameter of a predetermined audio sequence in accordance with the measure of the variation of the parameter of the scanner noise by means of a predetermined variation algorithm. |
| Claim: | 7. System according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is arranged to vary a playback level of the predetermined audio sequence in accordance with a measure of sound pressure level variation of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure. |
| Claim: | 8. System according to claim 1 , wherein a dominant feature in the audio signal is linked with respect to connotation to a first object arranged for moving in the video imagery. |
| Claim: | 9. System according to claim 8 , wherein the video imagery comprises a second object arranged for moving in the video imagery which is arranged to move at a lower speed than the first object. |
| Claim: | 10. System according to claim 1 , arranged to receive an input indicating a preferred type of audio signal or video imagery to be presented. |
| Claim: | 11. System according to claim 1 , wherein the medical scanner device is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner. |
| Claim: | 12. System according to claim 1 , wherein the sound pressure level of the audio signal is lower than the sound pressure level of the scanner noise. |
| Claim: | 13. Method for reducing anxiety of a patient during a medical scanning procedure in an associated medical scanner device creating scanner noise, the method comprising receiving a measure of variation in a parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, and generating output signals to associated audio and video playback units so as to present an audio signal and a video imagery to the patient in accordance with the measure of variation in the parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, wherein an image object in the video imagery is linked to the audio signal, so as to distract the patient's attention away from the scanning procedure. |
| Claim: | 14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer program wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform a method for reducing anxiety of a patient during a medical scanning procedure in an associated medical scanner device creating scanner noise, the method comprising receiving a measure of variation in a parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, and generating output signals to associated audio and video playback units so as to present an audio signal and a video imagery to the patient in accordance with the measure of variation in the parameter of the scanner noise during the medical scanning procedure, wherein an image object in the video imagery is linked to the audio signal, so as to distract the patient's attention away from the scanning procedure. |
| Patent References Cited: | 5877732 March 1999 Ziarati 7823306 November 2010 Kersten et al. 10237924 March 2004 WO2005051471 June 2005 WO2010018534 February 2010 WO2010105153 September 2010 WO2010108105 September 2010 |
| Other References: | Van Ee et al. (2009). Multisensory Congruency as a Mechanism for Attentional Control over Perceptual Selection. Journal of Neuroscience 29(37):11641-11649. cited by applicant Aliakseyeu et al. 2009 Undisturbed Sleep: Evaluation of the perceived effectiveness of sound masking. PR-TN 2009/00228. cited by applicant [Ulrich et al. 2008. A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design. Healthcare Leadership White Paper Series 5. Georgia Institute of Technology. cited by applicant |
| Primary Examiner: | Rozanski, Michael |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.09131205 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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