Rheological treatment methods and related apheresis systems

Abstract

Therapeutic apheresis treatments and diagnostic monitoring methods are described, specifically relating to the depletion and/or removal of a broad bandwidth of certain rheologically active elements from the blood of a patient followed by return of the blood so treated to the patient, and to methods or procedures of apheresis treatment, especially biophysiologic blood filtering treatments and computer medicated delivery methods configured to provide such apheresis treatments to patients with certain chronic, age-related, degenerative, atherogenic, thrombotic or inflammatory diseases; especially those associated with RAM accumulation-deposition causing disturbances of blood rheology or microcirculatory impairment.

1 - 31 . (canceled)  
   
   
       32 . A treatment protocol generator for use in a system that endeavors to generate disease specific treatment protocols based on a patient profile, said treatment protocol generator comprising: 
 (a) a treatment protocol derivation means for analyzing disease specific historical composite patient profiles to derive treatment protocols having enhanced therapeutic effects;    (b) an identifying means for identifying particular data of a patient profile which will serve to optimize the disease specific apheresis treatment; and    (c) a treatment protocol generating means for generating treatment protocol that, when executed, will enable optimization of the therapeutic effect of apheresis treatment.    
   
   
       33 . The treatment protocol generator of  claim 32 , further comprising: 
 (a) a comparing means for comparing said data of said patient profile against a prescribed set of data to identify any of said treatment protocols substantially conforming to desired therapeutic result; and    (b) classifying means for classifying said identified suitable treatment protocols in order of suitability based on said patient profile.    
   
   
       34 . The treatment protocol generator of  claim 32 , wherein said identifying means comprises means for identifying, in accordance with said composite historical patient profiles, data from said database that will result a treatment protocol predicted to have a superior therapeutic effect; and 
 wherein said data includes at least one of medical history data, physical characteristic data, medical condition data, diagnosis data, historical procedure data, clinical effect data, disease specific history data, physical examination data, and interview data.    
   
   
       35 . The treatment protocol generator of  claim 32 , wherein said treatment protocol generator further comprises optimal set selecting means for selecting an optimal set of treatment parameters based on at least one of the following factors: 
 (i) their respective predicted abilities to exhibit therapeutic results more closely matching said prescribed set of therapeutic results as indicated by said composite historical patient profiles;    (ii) their respective predicted abilities to validate said composite historical patient profiles;    (iii) their respective predicted abilities to discriminate between said composite historical patient profiles;    (iv) their respective predicted abilities to induce superior therapeutic response; and    (v) similarity between their disease specific characteristics and those in composite historical patient profile database whose therapeutic response most closely conform to the desired therapeutic response.    
   
   
       36 - 37 . (canceled)  
   
   
       38 . An apheresis treatment data collection and treatment system, comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of interconnected computer systems located at a respective plurality of apheresis treatment sites, said plurality of interconnected computer systems being configured to receive input reflective of apheresis treatment parameters and clinical effects produced by apheresis treatments, wherein at least one of said plurality of interconnected computer systems is located at a dedicated out-patient apheresis treatment facility; and    (b) a centralized database system including a storage facility that stores apheresis treatment parameter data and clinical effects data that are received from said plurality of interconnected computer systems, said centralized database system further including a means for creating a composite patient profile based upon apheresis treatment data that is collected for patients treated at said plurality of apheresis treatment sites.    
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein said plurality of interconnected computer systems and said centralized database system are interconnected to form a computer network.  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein said computer network is connected to the Internet.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein said computer network utilizes a computerized data management system for coordinating, managing, directing, entering, accessing, and analyzing all aspect of medical subspecialty-directed, disease-specific apheresis services throughout said computer network, said data management system comprising: 
 (a) at least one processing unit for processing data in said data management system;    (b) at least one storage device for storing information in said data management system; and    (c) a software component for managing and controlling said processing unit and said storage device.    
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 41 , wherein said data management system further comprises: 
 (a) means for tracking apheresis patients;    (b) means for providing real-time paperless data entry of apheresis treatment parameters during apheresis procedures at said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities;    (c) means for providing central access for real-time remote monitoring, via a secure Internet link, of all steps in said apheresis treatment process at said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities; and    (d) means for allowing all authorized members of said computer network to enter patient data and retrieve reports and analysis based on all prior patients treated.    
   
   
       43 - 47 . (canceled)  
   
   
       48 . A method for storing and processing input reflective of apheresis treatment parameters and clinical effects produced by apheresis treatments in a apheresis treatment data collection and treatment system, said method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) configuring a plurality of interconnected computer systems located at a respective plurality of apheresis treatment sites to receive input reflective of apheresis treatment parameters and clinical effects produced by apheresis treatments, wherein at least one of said plurality of interconnected computer systems is located at a dedicated out-patient apheresis treatment facility; and    (b) storing apheresis treatment parameter data and clinical effects data that are received from said plurality of interconnected computer systems in a centralized database system, said centralized database system further including a means for creating a composite patient profile based upon apheresis treatment data that is collected for patients treated at said plurality of apheresis treatment sites.    
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 48 , further comprising the step of interconnecting said plurality of interconnected computer systems and said centralized database system to form a computer network.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising the step of connecting said computer network is to the Internet.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 50 , further comprising the step of utilizing, by said computer network, a computerized data management system for coordinating, managing, directing, entering, accessing, and analyzing all-aspect of medical subspecialty-directed, disease-specific apheresis services throughout said computer network, the method further comprises the steps of: 
 (a) processing data in at least one processing unit in said data management system;    (b) storing information in at least one storage device in said data management system; and    (c) managing and controlling said processing unit and said storage device by a software component in said data management system.    
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the step of managing and controlling further comprises the steps of: 
 (a) tracking apheresis patients;    (b) providing real-time paperless data entry of apheresis treatment parameters during apheresis procedures at said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities;    (c) providing central access for real-time remote monitoring, via a secure Internet link, of all steps in said apheresis treatment process at said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities; and    (d) allowing all authorized members of said computer network to enter patient data and retrieve reports and analysis based on all prior patients treated.    
   
   
       53 - 54 . (canceled)  
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 51 , further comprising the step of expanding a software unit in each of said plurality of interconnected computer systems to include, among other information, information about additional diseases.  
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 51 , further comprising the steps of: 
 (a) initializing and indexing, by said software component, patient data, upon receiving said patient data through said apheresis treatment data collection and treatment system; and    (b) saving, by said software component, said patient data in at least one of said storage devices in the form of composite patient profiles.    
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 56 , further comprising the step of using, by said software component, said processing unit to: 
 (a) process and analyze data in said patient profiles for all patients previously treated by said medical subspecialty-directed, disease-specific apheresis providers within said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities; and    (b) create patient profiles for patients currently undergoing treatment, and save created profiles in at least one of said storage devices.    
   
   
       58 . A system for storing and processing input reflective of apheresis treatment parameters and clinical effects produced by apheresis treatments in a apheresis treatment data collection and treatment system, said system comprising: 
 (a) means for configuring a plurality of interconnected computer systems located at a respective plurality of apheresis treatment sites to receive input reflective of apheresis treatment parameters and clinical effects produced by apheresis treatments, wherein at least one of said plurality of interconnected computer systems is located at a dedicated out-patient apheresis treatment facility; and    (b) means for storing apheresis treatment parameter data and clinical effects data that are received from said plurality of interconnected computer systems in a centralized database system, said centralized database system further including a means for creating a composite patient profile based upon apheresis treatment data that is collected for patients treated at said plurality of apheresis treatment sites.    
   
   
       59 . The system of  claim 58 , further comprising means for interconnecting said plurality of interconnected computer systems and said centralized database system to form a computer network.  
   
   
       60 . The system of  claim 59 , further comprising means for connecting said computer network is to the Internet.  
   
   
       61 . The system of  claim 60 , further comprising means for utilizing, by said computer network, a computerized data management system for coordinating, managing, directing, entering, accessing, and analyzing all aspect of medical subspecialty-directed, disease-specific apheresis services throughout said computer network, the system further comprises: 
 (a) means for processing data in at least one processing unit in said data management system;    (b) means for storing information in at least one storage device in said data management system; and    (c) means for managing and controlling said processing unit and said storage device by a software component in said data management system.    
   
   
       62 . The system of  claim 61 , wherein said means for managing and controlling further comprises: 
 (a) means for tracking apheresis patients;    (b) means for providing real-time paperless data entry of apheresis treatment parameters during apheresis procedures at said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities;    (c) means for providing central access for real-time remote monitoring, via a secure Internet link, of all steps in said apheresis treatment process in said plurality of apheresis treatment facilities; and    (d) means for allowing all authorized members of said computer network to enter patient data and retrieve reports and analysis based on all prior patients treated.    
   
   
       63 - 67 . (canceled)  
   
   
       68 . An apheresis treatment data collection and treatment system, comprising: 
 (a) first means for enabling a user to enter information about a patient in a computer database;    (b) second means for creating a summary of the information entered into the local computer database;    (c) third means for periodically transmitting the summarized information to a data management system database;    (d) fourth means for allowing local users to search the data management system database for a specific patient profile;    (e) fifth means for performing data aggregation and analysis on the data management system database and for producing reports based on a search criterion; and    (f) sixth means for allowing the local users to download the produced reports.    
   
   
       69 . The system of  claim 68 , wherein the sixth means for allowing enables licensed users to establish the efficacy of RheoTherapy®.  
   
   
       70 . The system of  claim 69 , wherein the first means for allowing enables licensed users to input data for each patient on several transaction forms, the transaction forms are accessed from a main switchboard in the data processing system.  
   
   
       71 - 77 . (canceled)