Apparatus and method for noninvasively detecting the quality of cardiac pumping
First Claim
1. An auditory pulse monitor for noninvasively detecting the amplitude of arterial pulses in a living subject on a beat-by-beat basis, comprising:
- a light-weight optical sensor including a light source and photodetector adapted for application to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply, said photodetector generating an output signal proportional to the amplitude of an arterial pulse;
an electronic circuit connected to said photodetector for generating a signal having a frequency proportional to the instantaneous output signal level of said photodetector, said frequency varying continuously during an individual heartbeat; and
an audio indicator connected to said electronic circuit for generating an audible tone indicating the amplitude of the arterial pulse.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An auditory pulse monitor for noninvasively detecting the amplitude of arterial pulses on a beat-by-beat basis. A light-weight optical sensor including a light source and photodetector is adapted for application to the skin surface of a subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply. The photodetector generates an output signal proportional to the amplitude of an arterial pulse, and an electronic circuit connected to the photodetector generates a signal having a frequency proportional to the photodetector output signal level. A speaker or other audio indicator connected to the electronic circuit generates an audible tone indicating the amplitude of the arterial pulse. Another aspect of the invention is an improvement in automated or automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). An AED is disclosed which optically detects arterial pulses after delivering a defibrillation shock and signals the need for CPR if it detects inadequate cardiac pumping following successful defibrillation.
-
Citations
56 Claims
-
1. An auditory pulse monitor for noninvasively detecting the amplitude of arterial pulses in a living subject on a beat-by-beat basis, comprising:
-
a light-weight optical sensor including a light source and photodetector adapted for application to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply, said photodetector generating an output signal proportional to the amplitude of an arterial pulse; an electronic circuit connected to said photodetector for generating a signal having a frequency proportional to the instantaneous output signal level of said photodetector, said frequency varying continuously during an individual heartbeat; and an audio indicator connected to said electronic circuit for generating an audible tone indicating the amplitude of the arterial pulse. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. An apparatus for noninvasively detecting the amplitude of arterial pulses in a living subject on a beat-by-beat basis, comprising:
-
a reflectance-type optical sensor including a light source and photodetector adapted for application to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply; and indicator means responsive to a signal from said photodetector for generating a variable-frequency audible indication of the beat-by-beat amplitude of said arterial pulses with said optical sensor held stationary on the skin with substantially constant pressure, said audible indication varying continuously during a single heartbeat in proportion to the instantaneous output signal from said photodetector. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. An auditory method of noninvasively detecting the amplitude of arterial pulses in a living subject on a beat-by-beat basis, comprising:
-
applying an optical sensor including a light source and photodetector to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply so as to generate an output signal from said photodetector which is proportional to the amplitude of an arterial pulse; generating an electrical signal having a frequency proportional to the instantaneous output signal level of said photodetector, said frequency varying continuously during an individual heartbeat; and generating an audible tone in response to said electrical signal to indicate the amplitude of the arterial pulse. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A method for noninvasively detecting the amplitude of arterial pulses in a living subject on a beat-by-beat basis, comprising:
-
applying a reflectance-type optical sensor including a light source and photodetector to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply; and generating a variable-frequency audible indication of the beat-by-beat amplitude of said arterial pulses based on a signal from said photodetector while it is held stationary on the skin with substantially constant pressure, said audible indication varying continuously during a single heartbeat in proportion to the instantaneous output signal from said photodetector. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
-
-
42. A method of providing feedback to a rescuer on effectiveness of chest compressions performed on a subject during external CPR, comprising:
-
applying an optical sensor including a light source and matched photodetector to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply so as to generate an output signal from said photodetector which is proportional to the amplitude of an arterial pulse produced by external chest compression performed on said subject during external CPR; and generating a variable-frequency feedback indication in response to said output signal indicative of the amplitude of the arterial pulses produced by said external chest compressions, said feedback indication varying continuously in frequency during a single heartbeat in proportion to the instantaneous output signal from said photodetector. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
-
-
50. A method for indicating the effectiveness of chest compressions performed on a subject during external CPR, comprising:
-
applying a reflectance-type optical sensor including a light source and photodetector to a skin surface of said subject over a tissue bed containing an arterial supply; and generating a variable-frequency indication of the amplitude of arterial pulses produced by said chest compressions during external CPR based on a signal from said photodetector, said indication varying continuously in frequency during a single heartbeat in proportion to the instantaneous output signal from said photodetector. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
-
Specification