Arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus and ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus

• US 20030212334A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Colin Corporation (Fukuda Denshi Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ogura, Toshihiko, Narimatsu, Kiyoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,796,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/490
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02233 Occluders specially adapted therefor tourniquets A61B17/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02255 the pressure being controlled by plethysmographic signals, e.g. derived from optical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6828 Leg

Abstract

An ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus for measuring a blood pressure of an ankle of a living subject, including an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on the ankle of the subject; a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle; a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion; an increasing-point detecting device for detecting at least one increasing point where a magnitude of the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device, significantly increases; and an ankle-blood-pressure determining device which determines a pressure of the cuff when the increasing-point detecting device detects the second increasing point, as a systolic blood pressure of one of a plurality of tibial arteries of the ankle of the subject that has stenosis.

Claims

1. An ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus for measuring a blood pressure of an ankle of a living subject, comprising:

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

a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

an increasing-point detecting means for detecting at least one increasing point where a magnitude of the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device, significantly increases; and

an ankle-blood-pressure determining device which determines a pressure of the cuff when the increasing-point detecting means detects the second increasing point, as a systolic blood pressure of one of a plurality of tibial arteries of the ankle of the subject that has stenosis.

2. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 1;

a superior-limb-blood-pressure measuring device which measures a systolic blood pressure of a superior limb of the living subject; and

an inferior-and-superior-limb-blood-pressure-index determining means for determining an inferior-and-superior-limb blood-pressure index of the subject, based on the systolic blood pressure of the ankle measured by the ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus and the systolic blood pressure of the superior limb measured by the superior-limb-blood-pressure measuring device.

3. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

an increasing-point detecting means for detecting at least one increasing point where a magnitude of the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device, significantly increases; and

an arteriostenosis judging means for judging that the subject has arteriostenosis, based on a fact that the increasing-point detecting means detects the second increasing point.

4. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion; and

a display device which displays the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device.

5. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which changes a pressure in the cuff;

an ankle-pulse-wave detecting device which detects an ankle pulse wave produced from the ankle and transmitted to the cuff;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

an amplitude-difference-value determining means for determining an amplitude difference value indicating a degree of difference between respective amplitudes of respective heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the ankle pulse wave and the distal pulse wave that are detected by the ankle-pulse-wave detecting device and the distal-pulse-wave detecting device, respectively, in a state in which the pressure of the cuff is made lower than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle by the cuff-pressure changing device; and

an arteriostenosis judging means for judging that the subject has arteriostenosis, based on a fact that the amplitude difference value determined by the amplitude difference-value determining means is greater than a reference value.

6. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which changes a pressure in the cuff;

an ankle-pulse-wave detecting device which detects an ankle pulse wave produced from the ankle and transmitted to the cuff;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

a phase-difference determining means for determining a difference of respective phases of respective heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the ankle pulse wave and the distal pulse wave that are detected by the ankle-pulse-wave detecting device and the distal-pulse-wave detecting device, respectively, in a state in which the pressure of the cuff is made lower than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle by the cuff-pressure changing device; and

an arteriostenosis judging means for judging that the subject has arteriostenosis, based on a fact that the phase difference determined by the phase-difference determining means is greater than a reference value.

7. An ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus for measuring a blood pressure of an ankle of a living subject, comprising:

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

a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

an increasing-point detecting device which detects at least one increasing point where a magnitude of the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device, significantly increases; and

an ankle-blood-pressure determining device which determines a pressure of the cuff when the increasing-point detecting device detects the second increasing point, as a systolic blood pressure of one of a plurality of tibial arteries of the ankle of the subject that has stenosis.

8. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an ankle-blood-pressure measuring apparatus according to claim 7;

a superior-limb-blood-pressure measuring device which measures a systolic blood pressure of a superior limb of the living subject; and

an inferior-and-superior-limb-blood-pressure-index determining device which determines an inferior-and-superior-limb blood-pressure index of the subject, based on the systolic blood pressure of the ankle measured by the ankle-blood-pressure measuring device and the systolic blood pressure of the superior limb measured by the superior-limb-blood-pressure measuring device.

9. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which decreases a pressure in the cuff from a pressure higher than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

an increasing-point detecting device which detects at least one increasing point where a magnitude of the distal pulse wave continuously detected by the distal-pulse-wave detecting device when the pressure of the cuff is decreased by the cuff-pressure changing device, significantly increases; and

an arteriostenosis judging device which judges that the subject has arteriostenosis, based on a fact that the increasing-point detecting device detects the second increasing point.

10. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which changes a pressure in the cuff;

an ankle-pulse-wave detecting device which detects an ankle pulse wave produced from the ankle and transmitted to the cuff;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

an amplitude-difference-value determining device which determines an amplitude difference value indicating a degree of difference between respective amplitudes of respective heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the ankle pulse wave and the distal pulse wave that are detected by the ankle-pulse-wave detecting device and the distal-pulse-wave detecting device, respectively, in a state in which the pressure of the cuff is made lower than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle by the cuff-pressure changing device; and

an arteriostenosis judging device which judges that the subject has arteriostenosis, based on a fact that the amplitude difference value determined by the amplitude-difference-value determining device is greater than a reference value.

11. An arteriostenosis inspecting apparatus, comprising:

an inflatable cuff which is adapted to be worn on an ankle of a living subject;

a cuff-pressure changing device which changes a pressure in the cuff;

an ankle-pulse-wave detecting device which detects an ankle pulse wave produced from the ankle and transmitted to the cuff;

a distal-pulse-wave detecting device which is adapted to be worn on a distal portion of the subject that is located on a distal side of the ankle and detects a distal pulse wave produced from the distal portion;

a phase-difference determining device which determines a difference of respective phases of respective heartbeat-synchronous pulses of the ankle pulse wave and the distal pulse wave that are detected by the ankle-pulse-wave detecting device and the distal-pulse-wave detecting device, respectively, in a state in which the pressure of the cuff is made lower than a systolic blood pressure of the ankle by the cuff-pressure changing device; and

an arteriostenosis judging device which judges that the subject has arteriostenosis, based on a fact that the phase difference determined by the phase-difference determining device is greater than a reference value.