×

Apparatus and method for non-invasive measurement of cardiac output

  • US 9,297,874 B2
  • Filed: 03/12/2014
  • Issued: 03/29/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A method for non-invasively measuring cardiac output of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

  • providing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit of a size which is significantly smaller than the size of a full-body MRI unit, said MRI unit comprises a pair of opposed magnet assemblies generating a magnetic field across an air gap there between, said air gap is dimensioned to receive a human arm;

    placing said MRI unit at a height suitable to receive an arm of a human subject in a sitting or a supine position, and positioning said patient in a sitting or in a supine position respectively;

    placing an arm of said patient in said air gap;

    providing an array of RF coils around said patient'"'"'s arm, said array of RF coils is configured to pulse and detect electromagnetic signals;

    pulsing said RF coils and detecting signals produced thereby at selected time intervals over one or more heartbeat cycles of said patient;

    collecting data regarding the radial and the ulnar arteries in said patient'"'"'s arm;

    analyzing said data to determine the flow rate of blood through said radial and ulnar arteries at said selected time intervals;

    creating cross-sectional view images of said radial and ulnar arteries and determining cross-sectional areas of the radial and ulnar arteries at said selected time intervals;

    calculating the volume of blood flowing through the radial and ulnar arteries per heartbeat or per time unit; and

    calculating the total cardiac output of said patient by using known values of the percentage of cardiac output passing through the radial and ulnar arteries.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×