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Method and system for measuring pulmonary artery circulation information

  • US 9,839,408 B2
  • Filed: 08/10/2012
  • Issued: 12/12/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:

  • positioning a transbronchial catheter inside an airway of a lung of a patient;

    sending ultrasonic waves from the transbronchial catheter toward a pulmonary artery of a patient;

    receiving ultrasonic waves from at least one ultrasound transducer of the transbronchial catheter, the at least one ultrasound transducer being functionally coupled to a wall of the airway, wherein the received ultrasonic waves passed through at least one portion of the pulmonary artery without using heart catheterization;

    determining a measured pulmonary pressure value by electronically processing the ultrasonic waves received from the at least one ultrasound transducer of the transbronchial catheter, the received ultrasonic waves having passed through the at least one portion of the pulmonary artery; and

    providing an electronically processed comparison of the measured pulmonary pressure value with a database of a plurality of predetermined pulmonary pressure values to determine whether pulmonary hypertension is indicated, wherein the plurality of predetermined pulmonary pressure values comprise baseline measurements of other patients obtained using heart catheterization,wherein the determination of whether pulmonary hypertension is indicated is outputted as visual information to an operator of the transbronchial catheter.

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