Integrated peripheral vascular diagnostic system and method therefor
First Claim
1. An integrated, peripheral vascular diagnostic system electronically linking a doppler ultrasound unit generating ultrasound doppler data signals and at least one from the group consisting of a pulse volume recorder (PVR), an ocular pneumoplethysmograph (OPG), a photoplethysmograph (PPG), and an audio frequency analysis (AA) unit for characterizing blood flow with a sensitive microphone, each respectively generating PVR, OPG, PPG, and AA data signals, the integrated diagnostic system comprising:
- means for electronically acquiring, obtaining and converting said data signals into an initial set of digital data signals;
a computer system including a processor, a memory, a keypad input device, a display monitor, a printer and means for interfacing together said processor, said memory, said keypad, said display monitor, said printer and said means for obtaining and converting said data signals;
a data compilation means for compiling said initial set of digital data signals and keypad entry data into said memory, said keypad entry data entered into said computer system via said keypad, said data compilation means incorporated into said computer system, said data compilation means compiling and initially storing said initial set of digital data signals substantially concurrently with the acquisition of said data signals by said means for acquiring, obtaining and converting; and
,a report generator means, as part of said computer system, for generating at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals and not during data acquisition, displaying at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals and not during data acquisition, and printing at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports from said digital data signals and said keypad data from said data compilation means;
an analog playback means, as past of said report generator means, for simultaneously presenting both a visual analog version of said initial set of digital data signals and an audio analog version of said initial set of digital data signals; and
,means for selecting, during the presentation, a portion of said stored initial set of digital data signals to be included in said vascular diagnostic report, said report generator means including means for storing said vascular diagnostic report with said selected portion of digital data signals.
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Abstract
The integrated peripheral vascular diagnostic system electronically links a pulse volume recorder PVR, an ocular pneumoplethysmograph OPG, a photoplethysmograph PPG, an audio-frequency analyzer AA unit which characterizes blood flow with a sensitive microphone, and a doppler ultrasound unit. This diagnostic equipment generates data signals. These data signals are converted into digital data signals and are stored in a database. The diagnostic system includes a computer with a processor, a memory, a keypad input device, a display monitor, a printer and an interface for connecting these electronic components together along with an interface for the PVR, OPG, PPG, AA and doppler ultrasound. The diagnostic system further includes a report generator which generates, displays and prints a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports from the digital instrument data signals and the keypad entry data. The diagnostic system also includes, in a further embodiment, an audio playback device such that the technician, when preparing the vascular diagnostic report, can listen to analog versions of the digital instrument data signals. The method for electronically integrating the vascular diagnostic system includes electronically obtaining and converting the instrument data signals into digital data signals, inputting keypad entry data representing manually acquired vascular medical data from the patient, compiling the digital data and the keypad entry data into a database and generating, displaying and printing a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An integrated, peripheral vascular diagnostic system electronically linking a doppler ultrasound unit generating ultrasound doppler data signals and at least one from the group consisting of a pulse volume recorder (PVR), an ocular pneumoplethysmograph (OPG), a photoplethysmograph (PPG), and an audio frequency analysis (AA) unit for characterizing blood flow with a sensitive microphone, each respectively generating PVR, OPG, PPG, and AA data signals, the integrated diagnostic system comprising:
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means for electronically acquiring, obtaining and converting said data signals into an initial set of digital data signals; a computer system including a processor, a memory, a keypad input device, a display monitor, a printer and means for interfacing together said processor, said memory, said keypad, said display monitor, said printer and said means for obtaining and converting said data signals; a data compilation means for compiling said initial set of digital data signals and keypad entry data into said memory, said keypad entry data entered into said computer system via said keypad, said data compilation means incorporated into said computer system, said data compilation means compiling and initially storing said initial set of digital data signals substantially concurrently with the acquisition of said data signals by said means for acquiring, obtaining and converting; and
,a report generator means, as part of said computer system, for generating at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals and not during data acquisition, displaying at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals and not during data acquisition, and printing at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports from said digital data signals and said keypad data from said data compilation means; an analog playback means, as past of said report generator means, for simultaneously presenting both a visual analog version of said initial set of digital data signals and an audio analog version of said initial set of digital data signals; and
,means for selecting, during the presentation, a portion of said stored initial set of digital data signals to be included in said vascular diagnostic report, said report generator means including means for storing said vascular diagnostic report with said selected portion of digital data signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for electronically integrating a vascular diagnostic system by electronically linking a doppler ultrasound unit generating ultrasound doppler instrument data signals and at least one from the group consisting of a pulse volume recorder (PVR), an ocular pneumoplethysmograph (OPG), a photoplethysmograph (PPG), and an audio frequency analysis (AA) unit for characterizing blood flow with a sensitive microphone, each respectively generating PVR, OPG, PPG, and AA instrument data signals, the method comprising the steps of:
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electronically acquiring, obtaining and converting said instrument data signals into an initial set of digital data signals; inputting keypad entry data representing manually acquired vascular medical data; compiling and initially storing said initial set of digital data signals and said keypad entry data into a data base, said initial storage of said initial set of digital data occurring substantially concurrently with the acquisition of said instrument data signals; and
,generating and displaying at a time subsequent to said initial digital data storage and not during data acquisition, and printing a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports based upon said digital and said keypad data, a portion of said display and printing including the display and printing of analog representations of said digital data, the step of generating including the step of selecting a portion of said initial set of digital data representing said instrument data signals and subsequently storing said portion of digital data as part of said vascular diagnostic reports and; simultaneously presenting both a visual analog version of said initial set of digital data signals and an audio analog version of said initial set of digital data signals prior to the step of selecting. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification