Patent ID: 8649855

Claim:
A method of monitoring a sedated subject using a logic processor in a monitoring system comprising: receiving digital data representing said subject's EEG signal at said processor; using said processor to determine one or more burst onsets; using said processor to determine one or more suppression onsets; using said processor to determine one or more interburst or burst suppression intervals by comparing one or more burst onsets to one or more previous suppression onsets; using said processor to determine a true interburst interval or true mean burst suppression (BS) interval for a specified time length with statistical confidence wherein said mean burst suppression interval indicates time between burst onsets and previous suppression onsets, regardless of burst duration; using said mean burst suppression interval to inform therapy for said subject to maintain said desired state of sedation; calculating an absolute amplitude difference across said EEG signal, with an absolute amplitude difference history interval; smoothing said absolute amplitude difference to minimizes effects of signal variation on onset detection; and detecting burst onset when an absolute smoothed amplitude difference exceeds a median absolute amplitude times a specified multiplication factor.