METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING HYDRATION LEVELS

• US 20100174187A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Shi, Yan S., Cohen-Solal, Eric
• Application Number:
  US12/294,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174187A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/438
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0051 by applying vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1075 for measuring dimensions by non-invasive methods, e.g. for determining thickness of tissue layer A61B8/0858 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4869 Determining body composition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4875 Hydration status, fluid retention of the body

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining patient hydration levels is disclosed. The method includes measuring a thickness of a dermis layer.

Claims

1. An apparatus (100, 200, 300), comprising:

a transducer (101,301) operative to transmit mechanical waves and to receive reflections of the mechanical waves;

a receiver (201) operative to receive electrical signals corresponding to the reflections;

a processor (203) operative to calculate a distance (107,108) corresponding to each of the reflections, wherein the distance is representative of a thickness of a dermis layer.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the distance is a distance to a boundary of a dermis layer (104) and a subcuneous fat (SF) layer (105) and the distance is proportional to a dehydration level in a body.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the processor is operative to garner a plurality of calculations from the transducer and to calculate an average distance.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the processor is operative to compare the average distance with a baseline distance for a patient and to calculate the dehydration level based on the average distance.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanical waves are ultrasonic waves.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the plurality of calculations from the transducer are from more than one location on a body.

7. A method, comprising:

transmitting mechanical waves into body;

receiving a reflection of the mechanical waves from a subcutaneous fat (SF) layer (105);

calculating a distance (107) from a contact location on the body to a reflection location;

determining a thickness of a dermis layer (104) from the distance; and

based on the thickness, determining a hydration level of the body.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the distance is a distance between a stratum corneum layer (102) and the SF layer.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising providing a plurality of transducers (301) at an area where the mechanical waves are introduced into the body, and each of the transducers is operative to emit the mechanical waves and to receive the reflections.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising performing the transmitting and the receiving at least twice;

performing the determining for each of the distances; and

calculating an average thickness of the dermis layer.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the determining the hydration level further comprises comparing the average thickness with a baseline thickness for a patient.

12. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising performing the transmitting and receiving at a plurality of locations on the body.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

performing the determining for each of the plurality of locations; and

calculating an average thickness for each location; and

calculating a total average thickness from the average thickness from each location, wherein the determining the hydration level further comprises comparing the total average thickness with a baseline thickness.

14. An apparatus (200), comprising:

a dehydration sensor (501) operative to contact one surface of a body and including a plurality of transducers (502), each of which is operative to transmit mechanical waves and to receive reflections of the mechanical waves;

a receiver (201) operative to receive electrical signals corresponding to the reflections; and

a processor (203) operative to calculate a distance (107) corresponding to each of the reflections, wherein the distance is a distance between a stratum corneum layer (102) and a subcutaneous fat (SF) layer (105).

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the distance is representative of a thickness of a dermis layer (104) and the distance is proportional to a dehydration level in a body.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the processor is operative to garner a plurality of the calculations and to calculate an average distance.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the mechanical waves are ultrasonic waves.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the plurality of calculations are from more than one location on a body.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the each of the plurality of transducers is a single transducer.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor is operative to compare the average distance with a baseline distance for a patient and to calculate the dehydration level based on the average distance.