Abstract:
The present invention is a method for locating a sensor (38) over an underlying artery having a blood pulse. The sensor (38) is positioned at a plurality of locations above a known approximate location of the artery while applying a hold down pressure to the artery. Waveform pressure data are sensed at each one of the plurality of locations. The sensor (38) is positioned over the underlying artery based upon the sensed waveform pressure data at each one of the plurality of locations.
Abstract:
A technique for determining blood flow in a living body by changing the thermal energy level by a predetermined amount at a site in a blood flow path and detecting temperatures at locations upstream and downstream of the site. The temperature difference at such locations is determined and the blood flow is calculated as a function of the change in energy level and of the temperature differences measured prior to and following the change in energy level.
Abstract:
The invention concerns an apparatus for registration of the human blood pressure and other quantities belonging to the blood circulation system. The apparatus contains a bracelet (WB) having first cuff means (MA) to load the wrist artery and means (PA) for registration of pressure variations (MPP) and pressure (MP) in the first cuff means (MA). The apparatus contains also second cuff means (MB) to load the wrist in an area beside the first cuff means. The apparatus may also contain a wrist unit (WU) with electrode means (RE, BPE) to registrate an EKG-signal, means (CPU) for analysing the registrated signals and a display (DD) for indicating the results.
Abstract:
A pressure information separating means (24) is adapted to separate a pressure in a cuff obtained through an A/D converter (23) into a cuff pressure and an arterial pulse wave component. A measurement value of form reflective of the waveform of one arterial pulse wave is determined by an arterial pulse wave extracting means (24a). An arithmetic means (26) is adapted to detect a feature value in the time sequence of the measurement value of form, and determined maximum and minimum blood pressure values on the basis of a cuff pressure corresponding to the feature value of the measurement value of form. Since the points in time of maximum and minimum blood pressure values are determined on the basis of the waveform of the arterial pulse wave, the occurrence of an error due to an individual difference can be minimized, and a blood pressure can be measured accurately.
Abstract:
A heated catheter for monitoring cardiac output. Displaced from a distal end of a heated catheter (30) is a resistive heater (32) that heats blood flowing within a heart muscle (10). The resistive heater is mounted on the catheter so that when the catheter is inserted into the heart, the resistive heater is disposed in the right ventricle. A temperature sensor (34) is disposed downstream of the resistive heater, in or proximate the pulmonary artery during use. A differential amplifier (40, 70) provides an electrical current to the resistive heater that varies as a function of the difference between the temperature of the resistive heater, measured by a temperature sensor (35), and a predetermined temperature. In another embodiment of the invention, a resistive heater (90) has a resistance that varies with temperature. The resistive heater comprises one arm of a bridge circuit (85). A differential amplifier (110) provides an electrical current to the bridge circuit in response to the voltage developed across the bridge circuit.
Abstract:
A method for continuously determining cardiac output (CO) in a subject comprising continuously measuring arterial blood pressure data at a site and converting said arterial blood pressure data to a digital signal representative of a pulse contour curve waveform, calculating heart rate, grade of slope, systolic peak pressure, the presence of reflected waves, and pressure at the dicrotic notch from said digital signal; determining the area, SA, under said pulse contour curve from the start of a pulse to the dicrotic notch of said pulse contour curve; for any pulse which is reflective, subtracting from said area A any portion, B, of said area A, representing an approximate area due to wave reflection to obtain a stroke area, SA; and calculating CO as a product of SA and HR. Apparatus for continuously determining cardiac output (CO) in a subject comprising means for carrying out each step of the method are also disclosed.
Abstract:
A monitoring device for cardiac efficiency receives signals representative of volume and pressure of the ventricle, oxygen consumption and heart rate and processes these signal to determine distinct energy levels during a cardia cycle to delineate preload and afterload potentials. Cardiac efficiency is then determined as the energy transferred in a transition from the preload level to the afterload level as related to the preload level. Circulatory efficiency is determined as the ratio of transition energy over metabolic rate. Stroke and cardiac deficiency are determined by the ratio of stroke and cardiac preload/afterload potential band overlap divided by maximum stroke and cardiac preload potential, respectively. Circulatory deficiency is determined by the ratio of cardiac preload/afterload potential band overlap divided by the metabolic rate.
Abstract:
A catheter for measurement comprising light emitting and light receiving optical fibers inserted into the catheter in which respective tip surfaces of both optical fibers are disposed face-to-face and apart from each other at a required distance on the outer wall of the catheter and fixed thereto. Rays of light for measurement and reference are emitted from the light emitting fiber of the catheter and, by measuring the degree of penetration of said two kinds of light emitting from the light receiving optical fiber after passing through blood present between the tip surfaces of both optical fibers, an oxygen saturation degree or flowing speed of blood can be found in real time.
Abstract:
A device for the measurement of the blood pressure of a patient comprising means for producing a light (8) through an optical fiber (6), means for receiving and measuring (7, 11-17) the reflected light through a second optical fiber (5), and a cylindrically shaped pressure sensor (1) having a side window (27) and a plate (28) having two sections (33 and 34) which moves in accordance with the applied blood pressure thereby causing the reflection and detection of different amounts of light based on the applied blood pressure.
Abstract:
An improved apparatus (10) and method for continously measuring cutaneous blood pressure is disclosed. A portion of cutaneous tissue, preferably from a digit such as a finger or toe, is isolated by an isolation ring (21), and a pressure sensing device (24) associated with the isolation ring (21) measures the changes in pressure in the isolated cutaneous tissue. The pressure sensing device (24) is connected to a hollow digit support member (12) by a transducer support member (22).