Method of performing heart surgery using thermographic imaging
First Claim
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1. A method of performing heart surgery comprising the steps of:
- (a) preparing a patient for coronary bypass surgery, said patient having a heart including heart tissue;
(b) assessing blood flow characteristics in said heart tissue;
(c) making decisions on graft location and the number of grafts based substantially upon step (b) and placing or not placing a graft or grafts in accordance with said decisions; and
(d) completing said surgery.
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Abstract
A method of performing heart surgery is disclosed. The method comprises preparing a patient for coronary bypass surgery, assessing blood flow characteristics in the heart region, making decisions on graft locations and the number of grafts based upon the blood flow characteristics and completing the surgery. The method is also useful for surgery on other bodily organs and regions.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of performing heart surgery comprising the steps of:
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(a) preparing a patient for coronary bypass surgery, said patient having a heart including heart tissue; (b) assessing blood flow characteristics in said heart tissue; (c) making decisions on graft location and the number of grafts based substantially upon step (b) and placing or not placing a graft or grafts in accordance with said decisions; and (d) completing said surgery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. (four times amended) A method of performing bypass surgery on a coronary artery of a patient wherein one or more bypass grafts are attached to said coronary artery at selected locations, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing said patient for surgery, said patient having a heart, including heart tissue, said coronary artery attached to at least a portion of said heart tissue; (b) assessing temperature characteristics of said heart tissue; (c) making decisions on bypass graft location and number based substantially upon said temperature assessment of step (b) and placing or not placing a graft or grafts in accordance with said decisions, and (d) completing said surgery. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for performing heart surgery on a patient having a heart, including heart tissue, and a coronary artery attached to said heart, said method comprising, in the following order, the steps of:
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(a) preparing a patient for surgery; (b) assessing blood flow characteristics in said heart tissue of said patient; and (c) attaching a bypass graft at a selected position along said coronary artery, said selected position chosen based substantially on the blood flow assessment of step (b). - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method of performing surgery to bypass one or more portions of an artery, said artery normally supplying blood to heart tissue, said method comprising the following steps:
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(a) identifying one or more locations of stenosis within said artery; (b) performing a first dynamic assessment of blood flow characteristics of said heart tissue to which blood is normally supplied by said artery, said dynamic assessment including use of thermographic imaging; and (c) placing a first graft in said artery at a first point located downstream from one of said one or more locations of stenosis, based substantially on information obtained from step (b). - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification