Arteriosclerosis-degree evaluating apparatus

• US 20030078508A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Colin Corporation (Fukuda Denshi Company Limited)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Tsuneo
• Granted Patent: US 6,730,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02125 of pulse wave propagation time
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0285 Measuring or recording phase velocity of blood waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure

Abstract

An arteriosclerosis-degree evaluating apparatus, including a blood-pressure measuring device which iteratively measures a blood pressure value of a living subject, a pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device which iteratively obtains, at substantially a same time as a time when the blood-pressure measuring device measures each blood pressure value of the living subject, a piece of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information that is related to a velocity at which a pulse wave propagates through an artery of the subject, and an output device which outputs a change of the pieces of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information iteratively obtained by the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device, relative to a change of the blood pressure values iteratively measured by the blood-pressure measuring device.

Claims

1. An arteriosclerosis-degree evaluating apparatus, comprising:

a blood-pressure measuring device which iteratively measures a blood pressure value of a living subject;

a pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device which iteratively obtains, at substantially a same time as a time when the blood-pressure measuring device measures each blood pressure value of the living subject, a piece of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information that is related to a velocity at which a pulse wave propagates through an artery of the subject; and

an output device which outputs a change of the pieces of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information iteratively obtained by the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device, relative to a change of the blood pressure values iteratively measured by the blood-pressure measuring device.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blood-pressure measuring device comprises:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on a portion of the subject;

a blood-pressure-value determining means for determining the blood pressure value of the subject based on a signal obtained while a pressure in the cuff is changed;

a pressure-pulse-wave detecting device which includes a pressure-pulse-wave sensor that is adapted to be pressed against a prescribed artery of the subject, and which continuously detects, through the pressure-pulse-wave sensor, a pressure pulse wave produced from the prescribed artery;

a relationship determining means for determining a relationship between magnitude of pressure pulse wave, and blood pressure, based on at least one blood pressure value determined by the blood-pressure-value determining means and at least one magnitude of the pressure pulse wave detected by the pressure-pulse-wave detecting device; and

a blood-pressure monitoring means for iteratively determining, according to the determined relationship, a monitor blood pressure value of the subject, based on a magnitude of each of heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the pressure pulse wave continuously detected by the pressure-pulse-wave detecting device,

wherein the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device iteratively obtains a piece of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information at substantially a same time as a time when the blood-pressure monitoring means determines each monitor blood pressure value of the living subject, and

wherein the output device outputs a change of the pieces of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information iteratively obtained by the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device, relative to a change of the monitor blood pressure values iteratively determined by the blood-pressure monitoring device.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output device displays, in a two-dimensional graph defined by an axis indicative of blood pressure and an axis of pulse-wave propagation velocity, a symbol at a position corresponding to each of the blood pressure values iteratively measured by the blood-pressure measuring device and a corresponding one of the pieces of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information iteratively obtained by the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device iteratively obtains the piece of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information that is related to the velocity at which the pulse wave propagates through the artery including an aorta of the subject.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a first heartbeat-synchronous signal detecting device which detects a first heartbeat-synchronous signal from a first portion of the subject;

and

a second heartbeat-synchronous signal detecting device which detects a second heartbeat-synchronous signal from a second portion of the subject,

wherein the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device iteratively obtains the piece of pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information, based on a time of occurrence of a prescribed periodic point of each of a plurality of heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the first heartbeat-synchronous signal and a time of occurrence of a prescribed periodic point of a corresponding one of a plurality of heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the second heartbeat-synchronous signal.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first heartbeat-synchronous signal detecting device comprises a first cuff which detects, as the first heartbeat-synchronous signal, a first pulse wave produced from an upper arm of the subject as the first portion of the subject.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second heartbeat-synchronous signal detecting device comprises a second cuff which detects, as the second heartbeat-synchronous signal, a second pulse wave produced from an ankle of the subject as the second portion of the subject.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device determines, as the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information, a pulse-wave propagation time equal to a time difference between the time of occurrence of the prescribed periodic point of the first pulse wave and the time of occurrence of the prescribed periodic point of the second pulse wave.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related-information obtaining device determines a pulse-wave propagation time equal to a time difference between the time of occurrence of the prescribed periodic point of the first pulse wave and the time of occurrence of the prescribed periodic point of the second pulse wave, and determines, as the pulse-wave-propagation-velocity-related information, a pulse-wave propagation velocity by dividing the determined pulse-wave propagation time by a distance difference between a first distance between the heart of the subject and the first portion and a second distance between the heart and the second portion.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising

an input device which is operable for inputting a height of the subject;

a memory device which stores a predetermined relationship between height and distance difference; and

means for determining, according to the predetermined relationship between height and distance difference, stored in the memory device, the distance difference between the first and second distances, based on the height of the subject, inputted through the input device.