Tonometry system for monitoring blood pressure
First Claim
1. A system for continuously monitoring a patient'"'"'s arterial blood pressure, comprising:
- a sensor having a continuous stress sensitive diaphragm that is adapted to be deformed responsive to stress within tissue adjacent a preselected artery of the patient, the sensor having a radiation source separate from the continuous diaphragm, the source irradiating the diaphragm with electromagnetic radiation, and also having an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted adjacent and separated from the diaphragm such that the receiver receives electromagnetic radiation reflected from the diaphragm, the sensor sensing deformations from selected portions along said diaphragm from the reflected electromagnetic radiation and produces a vessel stress signal representing the deformation along each selected portion of said diaphragm;
a mounting apparatus for placing said sensor in a relatively fixed location relative to a preselected portion of the patient'"'"'s anatomy associated with the preselected artery, the mounting apparatus including;
a base portion configured to be mounted on said preselected portion of the patient'"'"'s anatomy, a sensor platform movably engaged to the base portion, the sensor platform including a sensor housing, and a quick disconnector connecting said sensor platform to said base portion, whereby said disconnector allows said sensor platform and said sensor to be quickly removed from said base portion; and
means for adjustably moving said sensor relative to the tissue adjacent the artery of interest, whereby said sensor is placed inoperative engagement with the tissue adjacent the preselected artery for determining the blood pressure within the preselected artery.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for noninvasively continuously monitoring arterial blood pressure includes a tissue stress sensor that has a continuous diaphragm for sensing stress within tissue adjacent a preselected artery caused by arterial pulsations within that artery. The stress sensitive diaphragm is coupled with electromechanical means for producing electrical signals that represent the stress within the tissue that is communicated to the sensor. These signals are then processed electronically in order to yield an output that is indicative of the arterial blood pressure of the preselected artery. The disclosed system includes methods of operation for determining blood pressure while maintaining a preselected artery in an optimum applanation state and an off-optimum applanation state.
149 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A system for continuously monitoring a patient'"'"'s arterial blood pressure, comprising:
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a sensor having a continuous stress sensitive diaphragm that is adapted to be deformed responsive to stress within tissue adjacent a preselected artery of the patient, the sensor having a radiation source separate from the continuous diaphragm, the source irradiating the diaphragm with electromagnetic radiation, and also having an electromagnetic radiation receiver mounted adjacent and separated from the diaphragm such that the receiver receives electromagnetic radiation reflected from the diaphragm, the sensor sensing deformations from selected portions along said diaphragm from the reflected electromagnetic radiation and produces a vessel stress signal representing the deformation along each selected portion of said diaphragm;
a mounting apparatus for placing said sensor in a relatively fixed location relative to a preselected portion of the patient'"'"'s anatomy associated with the preselected artery, the mounting apparatus including;
a base portion configured to be mounted on said preselected portion of the patient'"'"'s anatomy, a sensor platform movably engaged to the base portion, the sensor platform including a sensor housing, and a quick disconnector connecting said sensor platform to said base portion, whereby said disconnector allows said sensor platform and said sensor to be quickly removed from said base portion; and
means for adjustably moving said sensor relative to the tissue adjacent the artery of interest, whereby said sensor is placed inoperative engagement with the tissue adjacent the preselected artery for determining the blood pressure within the preselected artery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
a bellows in fluid communication with said reservoir mounted between said mounting apparatus and the sensor and adapted to respond to a pressure of said fluid in said reservoir and to displace said sensor into operative engagement with the tissue adjacent the preselected artery, thereby applanating said artery in response to a displacement of said fluid.
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5. The system of claim 3, wherein said moving means comprises a sensor head portion for housing said sensor;
and a motor having a pivoting output shaft, said motor being attached between said mounting apparatus and said sensor head portion for pivoting said sensor head portion thereby causing said sensor to be pivotally moved into operative engagement against the tissue adjacent the preselected artery whereby the preselected artery is applanated by said sensor.
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6. The system of claim 1, further comprising control electronics coupled with said sensor for performing at least one function from a set of control functions, said set of control functions comprising:
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determining a location of the preselected artery relative to said continuous diaphragm along a length of said diaphragm;
determining an optimum applanation state of the preselected artery, wherein said optimum applanation state is defined by one or more members of a set of applanation parameters and said optimum applanation state is that state of applanation best suited for blood pressure determination;
determining a desired location of said sensor relative to said mounting apparatus such that a desired applanation state is achieved in the preselected artery;
storing a set of stress data that is collected by said sensor, said stress data being indicative os stress communicated to said sensor from the tissue adjacent the preselected artery, wherein said stress is caused by arterial pulsations;
processing said stress signal to thereby produce a waveform signal corresponding to a waveform that is descriptive of the arterial blood pressure within the preselected artery; and
processing said stress signal to thereby determine a systolic blood pressure within the preselected artery, a diastolic blood pressure within the preselected artery and a mean blood pressure within the preselected artery, respectively.
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7. The system of claim 6, wherein said system is adapted to operate when the preselected artery is maintained in an off-optimum applanation state that is different from said optimum applanation state and wherein said control electronics generate correction data that is used to produce a corrected said stress signal when said stress signal corresponds to tissue stress caused while the preselected artery is in said off-optimum applanation stat such that said corrected stress signal corresponds to a stress signal produced while the preselected artery is in said optimum applanation state.
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8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means control electronics adapted to receive said vessel stress signal from said sensor and capable processing said vessel stress signal to produce an output indicative of the arterial blood pressure of the preselected artery.
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9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a calibration head disposed in close proximity to said diaphragm and a heater attached to said calibration head for altering a temperature of said diaphragm.
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10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
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a heater for selectively altering a temperature of said diaphragm;
a source of reduced air pressure operative coupled to the sensor for displacing said diaphragm; and
control electronics coupled with said sensor and configured to receive stress signals representing the displacement of the diaphragm in response to said altering of said temperature, the control electronics being configured to analyze the stress signals and to correct the effects of the temperature on said stress signal produced by said sensor.
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Specification