Vascular testing system

• US 20060052714A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collaborative Care Diagnostics LLC
• Original Assignee: Biomedix, Inc.
• Inventors: Romans, John Alexander, Glava, Victor Florin, Blanch, Gary Warner, Karels, Andrew Paul, Poliac, Marius, Ince, Daniel James, Steaderman, Charles Fredrec, Rogers, William Lee, Siers, Michael Jerome, Grave, Ricky Lee
• Granted Patent: US 7,214,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/492
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02141 Details of apparatus construction, e.g. pump units or housings therefor, cuff pressurising systems, arrangements of fluid conduits or circuits A61B5/02233, A61B5/0235 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02225 using the oscillometric method

Abstract

A method of vascular testing includes inflating a cuff at a vascular location, controllably deflating the cuff, producing a pressure waveform while deflating the cuff, and producing an output representing a pressure at which blood flow returns, while deflating the cuff, based upon analysis of the pressure waveform. Further, a testing system for measuring vascular pressures according to the present invention includes a pressure applicator, a pressure sensor, and a diagnostic test unit. The pressure applicator is positionable along exterior portions of a human body for dynamically applying pressure to a desired vascular location. The pressure sensor is capable of detecting oscillations in a pressure at the pressure applicator. The testing system is capable of determining a peak pressure oscillation amplitude, and is also capable of determining, as a function of the peak pressure oscillation amplitude, a pressure of a return of flow at the desired vascular location as pressure applied to the desired vascular location by the pressure applicator is lessened.

Claims

1. A method of vascular testing, the method comprising:

inflating a cuff at a vascular location;

controllably deflating the cuff;

producing an pressure waveform while deflating the cuff; and

producing an output representing a pressure at which blood flow returns, while deflating the cuff, based upon analysis of the oscillometric pressure waveform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the output represents a pressure that corresponds to an oscillation amplitude of about seventy-five percent (75%) of a peak oscillation amplitude derived from the pressure waveform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure waveform is an oscillometric pressure waveform.

4. A testing system for measuring vascular pressures, the testing system comprising:

a pressure applicator positionable along exterior portions of a human body, for dynamically applying pressure to a desired vascular location;

a pressure sensor capable of detecting oscillations in a pressure at the pressure applicator; and

means for determining, as a function of a peak pressure oscillation amplitude, a pressure of a return of flow at the desired vascular location as pressure applied to the desired vascular location by the oscillometric pressure applicator is lessened.

5. The testing system of claim 4 and further comprising:

a first system interface capable of communicating with the means for determining the pressure of the return of flow via the Internet.

6. The testing system of claim 5 and further comprising:

a second system interface, wherein the first and second interfaces have different authorities to edit information stored in a common database.

7. The testing system of claim 4, wherein the pressure sensor does not contact a patient'"'"'s body.

8. The testing system of claim 4, wherein the pressure of the return of flow at the desired vascular location corresponds to an oscillation amplitude of about seventy-five percent (75%) of the peak pressure oscillation amplitude.

9. The testing system of claim 4, wherein the means for determining the pressure of the return of flow is capable of gathering blood pressure data from multiple vascular locations.

10. A method of vascular testing, the method comprising:

inflating a cuff to occlude blood flow;

deflating the cuff over a time period;

sensing cuff pressure to produce an pressure signal representing pressure as a function of time, during the time period;

deriving from the pressure signal a relationship of oscillation amplitude as a function of cuff pressure; and

determining a pressure of return of blood flow based upon the relationship of oscillation amplitude as a function of cuff pressure.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the pressure signal is an oscillometric pressure signal.

12. A method for deriving vascular pressures, the method comprising:

providing an applied pressure higher than a patient'"'"'s systolic blood pressure to a vascular location;

decreasing the applied pressure;

detecting oscillations in a pressure measurement taken at the vascular location, wherein the pressure measurement includes vascular pressures and the applied pressure;

determining a peak oscillation amplitude of oscillations in the pressure measurement; and

deriving a measured pressure at the vascular location as a function of the peak oscillation amplitude of the oscillations in the pressure measurement.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the measured pressure is a return of blood flow pressure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the return of blood flow pressure is a pressure corresponding to an oscillation amplitude of about seventy-five percent (75%) of the peak value of the amplitude of the oscillations in the pressure measurement.

15. A method of vascular testing, the method comprising:

inflating a cuff to a pressure that occludes blood flow;

decreasing cuff pressure;

sensing cuff pressure to produce a signal representing cuff pressure as a function of time as the cuff pressure is decreased;

deriving, from the signal, amplitudes of oscillations as a function of cuff pressure;

determining a peak oscillation amplitude of the oscillations; and

determining a cuff pressure associated with an oscillation amplitude that is a predetermined percentage of the peak oscillation amplitude.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined percentage is about seventy-five percent (75%).

17. A testing system comprising:

a cuff;

a pressure sensor for sensing cuff pressure;

means for deriving an oscillometric signal from the sensed cuff pressure; and

means for deriving from the oscillometric signal a return of flow pressure.

18. The testing system of claim 17 and further comprising:

a first system interface capable of communicating with the means for deriving the return of flow pressure via the Internet.

19. The testing system of claim 18 and further comprising:

a second system interface, wherein the first and second interfaces have different authorities to edit information stored in a common database.

20. The testing system of claim 17, wherein the pressure sensor does not contact a patient'"'"'s body.

21. The testing system of claim 17, wherein the return of flow pressure corresponds to an oscillation amplitude of about seventy-five percent (75%) of a peak pressure oscillation amplitude of the oscillometric signal.

22. The testing system of claim 17, wherein the means for deriving the return of flow pressure is capable of gathering blood pressure data from multiple vascular locations.