Method of measuring endothelial function in a person

• US 6,908,436 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carefusion U.K. 232 Ltd. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Micro Medical Ltd. (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Millasseau, Sandrine Celine, Lawson, Christopher Patrick, Chowienczyk, Philip Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US10/385,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 600/485, 600500-503, 600/490, 600/504
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02125 of pulse wave propagation time
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence

Abstract

A method of measuring endothelial function in a person (2), which method comprises applying pressure to one arm of the person (2) such as to restrict blood flow in the arm (6), releasing the pressure in order to cause an increase in blood flow in the arm (6) due to reactive hyperaemia, and then measuring the difference in pulse propagation time between the two arms (6, 8) of the person.

Claims

1. A method of measuring endothelial function in a person, which method comprises applying pressure to one arm of the person such as to restrict blood flow in the arm, releasing the pressure in order to cause an increase in blood flow in the arm due to reactive hyperaemia, and then measuring the difference in pulse propagation time between the two arms of the person.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which the pressure is applied to the arm using restrictor means.

3. A method according to claim 2 in which the restrictor means is an inflatable restrictor means.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the inflatable restrictor means is a blood pressure cuff.

5. A method according to claim 1 in which the difference in pulse propagation time is measured using photoplethysmography.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the photoplethysmography comprises measuring the transmission/absorption of infra red light through/in the finger pulp of the person.

7. A method according to claim 1 in which the difference in the pulse propagation time between the two arms of the person is taken as a direct and continuous measure of the endothelial function.