Skin perfusion evaluation apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for evaluating perfusion adjacent a skin surface, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing having first an second interior regions, the housing being configured to engage the skin surface;
a plunger located in the first region of the housing for applying pressure to a first zone of the skin surface;
a vacuum connection coupled to the second region of the housing to permit suction to be applied to the second region of the housing and to a second zone of the skin surface;
a first temperature sensor located in the first region for generating an output signal related to the temperature of the first zone of the skin surface;
a second temperature sensor located in the second region for generating an output signal related to the temperature of the second zone of the skin surface; and
means coupled to the first and second temperature sensors for determining a differential temperature between the first and second zones of the skin surface to provide an indication of perfusion adjacent the skin surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for evaluating perfusion adjacent a skin surface includes a housing having first an second interior regions. The housing is configured to engage the skin surface. The apparatus also includes a plunger located in the first region of the housing for applying pressure to a first zone of the skin surface, a vacuum connection coupled to the second region of the housing to permit suction to be applied to the second region of the housing and to a second zone of the skin surface, a first temperature sensor for generating an output signal related to the temperature of the first zone of the skin surface, a second temperature sensor for generating an output signal related to the temperature of the second zone of the skin surface, and a processor circuit coupled to the first and second temperature sensors for determining a differential temperature between the first and second zones of the skin surface to provide an indication of perfusion adjacent the skin surface.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for evaluating perfusion adjacent a skin surface, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing having first an second interior regions, the housing being configured to engage the skin surface;
a plunger located in the first region of the housing for applying pressure to a first zone of the skin surface;
a vacuum connection coupled to the second region of the housing to permit suction to be applied to the second region of the housing and to a second zone of the skin surface;
a first temperature sensor located in the first region for generating an output signal related to the temperature of the first zone of the skin surface;
a second temperature sensor located in the second region for generating an output signal related to the temperature of the second zone of the skin surface; and
means coupled to the first and second temperature sensors for determining a differential temperature between the first and second zones of the skin surface to provide an indication of perfusion adjacent the skin surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for evaluating perfusion adjacent a skin surface, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing;
a plunger movably coupled to the housing, the plunger being configured to apply a predetermined pressure to the skin surface;
a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the skin surface below the plunger; and
means for calculating a differential temperature between a first reference temperature measured by the sensor before pressure is applied to the skin surface by the plunger and a second temperature measured by the sensor after pressure is applied to the skin surface by the plunger, the differential temperature providing an indication of perfusion in the skin surface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification