Method and system for using ultrasound in cardiac diagnosis and therapy
First Claim
1. An ultrasound imaging system suitable for measuring cardiac output of a patient'"'"'s heart, said system comprising:
- (1) an ultrasound imaging catheter comprising at least one transducer utilizing piezoelectric properties to generate acoustic signals from electrical signals in order to obtain ultrasound signals, wherein the at least one transducer is suitable for insertion into the patient'"'"'s heart and to obtain ultrasound signals associated with an area of the patent'"'"'s heart in which cardiac output is to be measured;
(2) digital and/or analog electronics capable of generating and processing ultrasound signals from the at least one transducer to generate B-mode, M-mode, or Doppler representations of the cardiac output of the patient'"'"'s heart; and
(3) an associated computer that can generate and process the ultrasound signals in order to measure the cardiac output in the patient'"'"'s heart.
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Abstract
A method and system for estimating the volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle of the heart to a succeeding chamber/conduit, or vice-versa, while imaging the intersection of such structures is described. The process utilizes either the M-mode to estimate volume differences in a view of the ventricle over time or Doppler processing techniques to obtain flow profiles across intersections (e.g., valves), or blood vessels, which are then utilized to calculate output. This process can be combined with ECG guidance/triggering to measure/track changes in output from beat to beat, or during the course of an evaluation or therapeutic procedure. This process can be specifically used for the placement of permanent pacemaker electrodes.
89 Citations
35 Claims
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1. An ultrasound imaging system suitable for measuring cardiac output of a patient'"'"'s heart, said system comprising:
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(1) an ultrasound imaging catheter comprising at least one transducer utilizing piezoelectric properties to generate acoustic signals from electrical signals in order to obtain ultrasound signals, wherein the at least one transducer is suitable for insertion into the patient'"'"'s heart and to obtain ultrasound signals associated with an area of the patent'"'"'s heart in which cardiac output is to be measured;
(2) digital and/or analog electronics capable of generating and processing ultrasound signals from the at least one transducer to generate B-mode, M-mode, or Doppler representations of the cardiac output of the patient'"'"'s heart; and
(3) an associated computer that can generate and process the ultrasound signals in order to measure the cardiac output in the patient'"'"'s heart. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of placing an electrode at a desired position at or near the left ventricle of a patient'"'"'s heart in order to electrically activate the left ventricle of the patient'"'"'s heart using the electrode, said method comprising:
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(1) advancing the electrode to the proximity of the upper left ventricle;
(2) placing an ultrasound imaging catheter in a position to image the left ventricle of the patient'"'"'s heart, wherein the ultrasound imaging catheter comprises at least one transducer utilizing piezoelectric properties to generate acoustic signals from electrical signals in order to obtain ultrasound signals and wherein the at least one transducer is suitable for insertion into the patient'"'"'s heart and to obtain ultrasound signals associated with an area of the patent'"'"'s heart;
(3) utilizing the ultrasound imaging catheter to image the electrode at or near the left ventricle of a patient'"'"'s heart and to guide the electrode to the desired position; and
(4) attaching the electrode to the desired position. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An ultrasound imaging system to assist in cardiac electrophysiology procedures related to a patient'"'"'s heart, said system comprising:
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(1) an ultrasound imaging catheter comprising a multi-element array transducer utilizing piezoelectric properties to generate acoustic signals from electrical signals in order to obtain ultrasound signals, wherein the multi-element array transducer is suitable for insertion into the patient'"'"'s heart and to obtain ultrasound signals associated with the patent'"'"'s heart;
(2) digital and/or analog electronics capable of generating and processing ultrasound signals from the multi-element array transducer to generate and display a representation of (a) the electrocardiogram of the patient'"'"'s heart, (b) a real time image of the patient'"'"'s heart, or (c) the cardiac output of the patient'"'"'s heart. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification