Method and apparatus for monitoring blood condition and cardiopulmonary function
First Claim
1. A method of at least partially evaluating a selected aspect of a patient'"'"'s metabolic function, wherein said selected aspect is an abnormal shunt of blood, indicating either or both of an anatomic or a physiological deficiency of at least one of said patient'"'"'s heart and lungs, the method comprising:
- measuring separately at least one selected characteristic of blood present in each of at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures by using at least one electronic sensor located within said patient'"'"'s thoracic cavity, but outside said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, to observe said blood through a respective wall of each of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures without removing any of said blood from said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and comparing respective resulting values of said at least one selected characteristic as measured in each of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures to determine whether an abnormal shunt is present.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Sensors located on a sensor carrier are placed adjacent one or more of a surgical patient'"'"'s major thoracic blood-containing structures such as the aorta or pulmonary artery, and characteristics of blood in the blood-containing structures are determined noninvasively by measuring transmission or reflection of light or other types of energy by the blood. Emitters and receptors included in the sensors are connected electrically with suitable electronic signal generating and processing components in a package remote from the sensor carrier.
140 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method of at least partially evaluating a selected aspect of a patient'"'"'s metabolic function, wherein said selected aspect is an abnormal shunt of blood, indicating either or both of an anatomic or a physiological deficiency of at least one of said patient'"'"'s heart and lungs, the method comprising:
measuring separately at least one selected characteristic of blood present in each of at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures by using at least one electronic sensor located within said patient'"'"'s thoracic cavity, but outside said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, to observe said blood through a respective wall of each of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures without removing any of said blood from said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and comparing respective resulting values of said at least one selected characteristic as measured in each of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures to determine whether an abnormal shunt is present. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16)
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2. A method of at least partially evaluating a selected aspect of a patient'"'"'s metabolic function, comprising:
introducing an identifying agent into said patient'"'"'s bloodstream to enable an electronic sensor to measure at least one selected characteristic of said patient'"'"'s blood, and thereafter measuring separately said at least one selected characteristic of blood present in each of at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures by using said electronic sensor, located within said patient'"'"'s thoracic cavity, but outside said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, to observe said blood through a respective wall of each of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures without removing any of said blood from said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and comparing respective resulting values of said at least one selected characteristic as measured in each of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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17. A method of at least partially evaluating a selected aspect of a patient'"'"'s metabolic function, comprising:
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(a) measuring separately at least one selected characteristic of blood present in each of at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures by using at least one electronic sensor located within said patient'"'"'s thoracic cavity, but outside said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, to observe said blood through a respective wall of each of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures without removing any of said blood from said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and comparing respective resulting values of said at least one selected characteristic as measured in each of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; and
including the steps of(b) providing a sensor carrier with at least a first one and a second one of said at least one electronic sensors mounted on a first side of said sensor carrier; (c) surgically creating a space for said sensor carrier between two of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; (d) placing said sensor carrier in said space; (e) directing a first quantity of energy toward said first one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures from an emitter portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor and receiving a portion of said first quantity of energy in a receptor portion of said first sensor located closely adjacent said first one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and forming an electrical signal from said receptor portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor that is representative of said portion of said energy received thereby; (f) directing a second quantity of energy toward a second one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures from an emitter portion of a second one of said at least one electronic sensor and receiving a portion of said second quantity of energy in a receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor located closely adjacent said second one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and forming an electrical signal from said receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor that is representative of said portion of said energy received thereby; (g) from said electrical signal from said receptor portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor determining a measurement of said at least one selected characteristic of said blood in said first one of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; and (h) from said electrical signal from said receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor determining a level of said at least one selected characteristic of said blood in said second one of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method of at least partially evaluating a selected aspect of a patient'"'"'s metabolic function, comprising:
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(a) measuring separately at least one selected characteristic of blood present in each of at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures by using at least one electronic sensor located within said patient'"'"'s thoracic cavity, but outside said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, to observe said blood through a respective wall of each of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures without removing any of said blood from said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and comparing respective resulting values of said at least one selected characteristic as measured in each of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; and
including the steps of(b) providing a sensor carrier with a first one of said at least one electronic sensor mounted on a first side thereof and a second one of said at least one electronic sensor mounted on an opposite second side thereof; (c) surgically creating a space for said sensor carrier between two of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; (d) placing said sensor carrier in said space; (e) directing a first quantity of energy toward said first one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures from an emitter portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor and receiving a portion of said first quantity of energy in a receptor portion of said first sensor located closely adjacent said first one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and forming an electrical signal from said receptor portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor that is representative of said portion of said energy received thereby; (f) directing a second quantity of energy toward a second one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures from an emitter portion of a second one of said at least one electronic sensor and receiving a portion of said second quantity of energy in a receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor located closely adjacent said second one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and forming an electrical signal from said receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor that is representative of said portion of said energy received thereby; (g) from said electrical signal from said receptor portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor determining a measurement of said at least one selected characteristic of said blood in said first of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; and (h) from said electrical signal from said receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor determining a level of said at least one selected characteristic of said blood in said second of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A method of at least partially evaluating a selected aspect of a patient'"'"'s metabolic function, comprising:
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(a) measuring separately at least one selected characteristic of blood present in each of at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures by using at least one electronic sensor located within said patient'"'"'s thoracic cavity, but outside said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, to observe said blood through a respective wall of each of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures without removing any of said blood from said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and comparing respective resulting values of said at least one selected characteristic as measured in each of said at least two selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; and
including the further steps of;(b) providing a sensor carrier with at least a first one of said at least one electronic sensor mounted thereon; (c) surgically creating a first space for a first part of said sensor carrier between said patient'"'"'s aorta and right pulmonary artery, and surgically forming a further space adjacent said patient'"'"'s inferior vena cava; (d) placing said first part of said sensor carrier in said first space; (e) directing a first quantity of energy toward a first one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures from an emitter portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor and receiving a portion of said first quantity of energy in a receptor portion of said first sensor located closely adjacent said first one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and forming an electrical signal from said receptor portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor that is representative of said portion of said energy received thereby; (f) directing a second quantity of energy toward a second one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures from an emitter portion of a second one of said at least one electronic sensor and receiving a portion of said second quantity of energy in a receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor located closely adjacent said second one of said two of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures, and forming an electrical signal from said receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor that is representative of said portion of said energy received thereby; (g) from said electrical signal from said receptor portion of said first one of said at least one electronic sensor determining a measurement of said at least one selected characteristic of said blood in said first of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures; and (h) from said electrical signal from said receptor portion of said second one of said at least one electronic sensor determining a level of said at least one selected characteristic of said blood in said second of said selected major thoracic blood-containing structures and placing a part of said sensor carrier carrying a third sensor into said further space.
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22. Apparatus for measuring a selected characteristic of a patient'"'"'s blood, comprising:
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(a) a sensor carrier including an elongate ribbon-like member having a pair of opposite faces; (b) first and second sensors mounted on said sensor carrier and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and wherein said first sensor is directed outwardly from a first one of said pair of opposite faces and said second sensor is directed outwardly from the other one of said pair of opposite faces, each of said first and second sensors having a respective receptor capable of providing a receptor output signal representative of a level of a selected characteristic of blood within an adjacent blood-containing structure, said sensor carrier and said first and second sensors all being small enough to be placed within said patient'"'"'s body cavity and proximate said patient'"'"'s heart, permitting substantially simultaneous observation of blood in a first blood-containing structure by said first sensor and of blood in a second blood-containing structure by said second sensor. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. Apparatus for measuring a selected characteristic of a patient'"'"'s blood, comprising:
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(a) a sensor carrier; (b) first and second sensors mounted on said sensor carrier and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, each of said first and second sensors having a respective receptor capable of providing a receptor output signal representative of a level of a selected characteristic of blood within an adjacent blood-containing structure, said sensor carrier and said first and second sensors all being small enough to be placed within said patient'"'"'s body cavity and proximate said patient'"'"'s heart, permitting substantially simultaneous observation of blood in a first blood-containing structure by said first sensor and of blood in a second blood-containing structure by said second sensor; and
including(c) a cable associated with an artificial heart, and wherein said sensors are connected electrically with a control unit through conductors included in said cable. - View Dependent Claims (44)
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Specification