Graphically displaying evoked potentials
A method for graphically displaying evoked potentials is disclosed herein. The method transforms each of an averaged evoked potentials into a single vertical line, wherein a first amplitude range is represented by a first color, a second amplitude range is represented by a second color, a third amplitude range is represented by a third color and a fourth amplitude range is represented by a fourth color.
1. A method for graphically displaying evoked potentials in real-time to provide immediate indications when changes start to occur in a patient, the method comprising:
acquiring, at a processor in real-time, a plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses to pulses from an electrical stimulant source positioned on a patient's body, the plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses read by an electrode on the patient's head, each of the plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses having a set time period;
averaging, at the processor, each set time period of the plurality of brain electroencephalogram pulse responses to generate a plurality of averaged evoked potentials;
transforming, at the processor, each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials into a single vertical line, wherein a first amplitude range is represented by a first color band, a second amplitude range is represented by a second color band, a third amplitude range is represented by a third color band and a fourth amplitude range is represented by a fourth color band, wherein each single vertical line has multiple colored bands, wherein each band of color adjusts on a Y-axis of the graph based on the timing; and
displaying on a screen, each single vertical line representing each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials on a graph as an ordered time series, wherein each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials is displayed as a graphical image, wherein the graph has a Y-axis of milliseconds scaled to a duration of the response from the evoked potentials and an X-axis of minutes scaled based on a length of a patient record.
2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising a fifth amplitude range represented by a fifth color band, and a sixth amplitude range represented by a sixth color band.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electrical stimulant source is positioned on an ankle of the patient's body.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electrical stimulant source is positioned on an arm of the patient's body.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the set time period is thirty seconds.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials is representative of one hundred pulses of the plurality of pulses.
7. A method for graphically displaying evoked potentials in real-time to provide immediate indications when changes start to occur in a patient, the method comprising:
acquiring, at a processor in real-time, a plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses to pulses from an electrical stimulant source positioned on a patient's body, the plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses read by an electrode on the patient's
head, each of the plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses having a set time period;
averaging, at the processor, each set time period of the plurality of brain electroencephalogram responses to generate a plurality of averaged evoked potentials; transforming, at the processor, each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials into a single vertical line having a plurality of colored bands, wherein each colored band of the plurality of color bands represents a different amplitude of each of the plurality of evoked potentials, wherein each band of color adjusts on a Y-axis of the graph based on the set time period; and
displaying on a screen, each single vertical line representing each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials on a graph, wherein each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials is graphically displayed on the graph, wherein the graph has a Y-axis of milliseconds scaled to a duration of the response from the evoked potentials and an X-axis of minutes scaled based on a length of a patient record.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the electrical stimulant source is positioned on an ankle of the patient's body.
9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the electrical stimulant source is positioned on an arm of the patient's body.
10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the set time period is thirty seconds.
11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the each of the plurality of averaged evoked potentials is representative of one hundred pulses of the plurality of pulses.