Device for determining the probability of death of cardiac patients

Claim 3

The device of claim 1, wherein said cardiovascular patient is primarily at risk for mortality due to acute myocardial infarction.

Claim 4

The device of claim 1, wherein said cardiovascular patient is primarily at risk for mortality due to congestive heart failure.

Claim 5

The device of claim 1 wherein the computer uses a regression formula to compute the probability from said output.

Claim 6

The device of claim 8 wherein the regression formula is of the form: P=A[1-(1=e.sup.y).sup.-1 ], Y=b.sub.o =Σ.sub.i=1→n b.sub.i X.sub.i, where A is a positive number e equals the base of the natural log; i is an integer index; b o is a constant; X i , for i where 1≦i≦n, represent clinical variables, at lest some of which are determined by said output; b i is regression coefficient corresponding to the i th clinical variable; and n is a positive integer representing the number of clinical variables used in the regression equation.

Claim 7

The device of claim 4 wherein the coefficients of the regression formula are derived from a reference population using stepwise regression analysis.

Claim 8

The device of claim 1 wherein the output includes information relating to the patient's ECG ST-segment.

Claim 9

The device of claim 7 wherein the output indicates whether the patient's ECG ST-segment is elevated.

Claim 10

The device of claim 7 wherein the output indicates whether the patient's ECG ST-segment is depressed.

Claim 11

The device of claim 1 wherein the output includes information relating to the patient's ECG T-waves.

Claim 12

The device of claim 10 wherein the output indicates whether the patient's ECG T-waves are elevated.

Claim 13

The device of claim 10 wherein the output indicates whether the patient's ECG T-waves are depressed.

Claim 14

The device of claim 1 wherein the output includes information relating to the patient's ECG Q-waves.

Claim 15

The device of claim 1 wherein the computer is adapted to also receive inputs relating to basic clinical data for the patient and to use said inputs along with said outputs to calculate the numerical value representing said probability.

Claim 16

The device of claim 14 wherein the basic clinical data inputs include the patient's age.

Claim 17

The device of claim 1 wherein the computer is adapted to also receive inputs relating to certain of the patient's vital signs and to use said inputs along with said outputs to calculates the numerical value representing said probability.

Claim 18

The device of claim 16 wherein the inputs relating to certain of the patient's vital signs include the patient's heart rate.

Claim 19

The device of claim 16 wherein the inputs relating to certain of the patient's vital signs include the patient's blood pressure.

Claim 20

A method for the assessment of cardiovascular mortality risk at a health care facility or provider comprising the steps of: (a) providing the device of claim 1 to said health care facility or provider; (b) using said device to calculate an individual predicted cardiovascular mortality risk of a patient at said health care facility or provider; (c) repeating step (b) for a plurality of said patients, and using said individual predicted cardiovascular mortality risks to calculate a collective predicted cardiovascular mortality risk; and (d) adjusting the collective observed cardiovascular mortality rate for said facility or provider using said collective predicted cardiovascular mortality risk to yield a summary statistic representing the overall mortality risk at said facility or provider, or the risk adjusted mortality rate at said facility or provider.

Claim 21

The method of claim 19 wherein said individual predicted cardiovascular mortality risks conform substantially to a normal distribution, and may be characterized by a mean, called said collective predicted cardiovascular mortality risk, and a variance, and wherein said adjusted collective cardiovascular mortality rate is calculated by dividing said collective observed cardiovascular mortality risk by said collective predicted cardiovascular mortality risk, and multiplying the ratio so formed by a reference mortality rate.

Claim 22

The method of claim 20, wherein said reference mortality rate is a national statistic.

Claim 23

The method of claim 20, wherein said reference mortality rate is a regional or local statistic.