Implantable Doppler Tomography System

• US 20110172521A1
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: ZDEBLICK, Mark, SAVAGE, George M.
• Application Number:
  US13/069,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172521A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36528 the parameter being measured by means of ultrasound

Abstract

The inventive implantable Doppler tomography system allows, for the first time, the use of Doppler shift for purposes of tracking cardiac wall motion. The present inventive Doppler tomography system methods and devices provide a critical new tool in the physician'"'"'s armamentarium which provides accurate, real time monitoring of the mechanical performance of the heart.

Claims

1. A method for describing movement of a tissue location in a subject, said method comprising:

(a) transmitting electromagnetic energy from a transmitter; and

(b) detecting said transmitted electromagnetic radiation at a sensor located at said tissue location; and

(c) using a determined Doppler shift in said electromagnetic radiation at said sensor to describe movement of said tissue location.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic energy is an RF field.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter and sensor are electrodes.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter transmits said electromagnetic energy in a pulse mode.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said tissue location is a cardiac location.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said cardiac location is a heart wall location.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said heart wall is a chamber wall.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said chamber wall is a ventricular wall.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said chamber wall is a septal wall.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is a method of determining timing of cardiac wall motion.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said method is a method of determining cardiac wall motion of a first cardiac wall relative to a second cardiac wall.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said method is a method of determining timing of cardiac wall motion of a first cardiac wall relative to a second cardiac wall.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said method is a method of detecting ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony is interventricular.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony is intraventricular.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein said method further comprises performing cardiac resynchronization therapy based on said detected dyssynchrony.

21. A computer readable storage medium having a processing program stored thereon, wherein said processing program operates a processor to operate a system according to claim 17 to perform a method according to claim 1.

22. A processor comprising a computer readable medium according to claim 21.

23. A kit comprising:

a computer readable storage medium according to claim 21.

17. A system for describing movement of a tissue location, said system comprising:

(a) an electromagnetic energy transmitter;

(b) a sensing element; and

(c) a signal processing element configured to employ a detected Doppler shift in said sensing element to describe movement of tissue location.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said system is an implantable device.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said implantable device further comprises a cardiac electrical stimulation element.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said implantable device is a cardiac resynchronization therapy device.