Systems and methods for measuring pulse wave velocity with an intravascular device

• US 20060058653A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Corporation, Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Sathyanarayana, Shashidhar
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0261 using optical means, e.g. infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0285 Measuring or recording phase velocity of blood waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00

Abstract

The systems and methods described herein allow measurement of the velocity of a pulse wave propagating within a body lumen using an intravascular elongate medical device. The elongate medical device can include a data collection device configured to collect pulse wave data at a location within the lumen. The data collection device is communicatively coupled with a velocity measurement system and configured to output the collected data to the velocity measurement system. The velocity measurement system is configured to calculate the velocity of the pulse wave based on the collected data. The velocity of a pulse wave over a region of the lumen can be used for tissue characterization, diagnosis and the like.

Claims

1. A method of measuring the velocity of a pulse wave, comprising:

collecting pulse wave data with an intravascular device at a first location within a body lumen;

collecting pulse wave data with the intravascular device at a second location within the body lumen; and

calculating the velocity of the pulse wave in the region between the first and second locations with the pulse wave data collected at the first and second locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulse wave data collected at the first location comprises image data of the inner wall of the body lumen at the first location and wherein the pulse wave data collected at the second location comprises image data of the inner wall of the body lumen at the second location.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising calculating the velocity of the pulse wave along a longitudinal axis of the body lumen.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising visually mapping the velocity of the pulse wave along the longitudinal axis of the lumen.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising calculating the velocity of the pulse wave along the circumference of the body lumen.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising visually mapping the calculated velocity of the pulse wave along the circumference of the body lumen.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating the velocity of the pulse wave comprises:

analyzing the image data to determine the temporal variation of the size of the lumen wall at the first and second locations; and

calculating the velocity of the pulse wave based on the temporal variation of the lumen wall at the first and second locations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pulse wave is a heart pulse wave and the body lumen is a blood vessel.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising monitoring a heart pulse wave output signal prior to collecting data at the first and second locations.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the heart pulse wave data collected at the first location comprises a first sequence of images of the vessel wall at the first location and the heart pulse wave data collected at the second location comprises a second sequence of images of the vessel wall at the second location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the images in each sequence are collected at fixed intervals.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the images in each sequence are collected at variable intervals.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising collecting the first and second sequences of images upon the occurrence of a trigger point in the heart pulse wave output signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulse wave data collected at the first location comprises pressure data within the body lumen at the first location and wherein the pulse wave data collected at the second location comprises pressure data within the body lumen at the second location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the velocity of the pulse wave comprises:

analyzing the pressure data at the first and second locations; and

calculating the velocity of the pulse wave based on the pressure data at the first and second locations.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the pulse wave is a heart pulse wave, the body lumen is a blood vessel and the pressure data is blood pressure data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising monitoring a heart pulse wave output signal prior to collecting data at the first and second locations.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the heart pulse wave data collected at the first location comprises a first sequence of blood pressure measurements at the first location and the heart pulse wave data collected at the second location comprises a second sequence of blood pressure measurements at the second location.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the blood pressure measurements in each sequence are collected at fixed intervals.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the blood pressure measurements in each sequence are collected at variable intervals.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising collecting the first and second sequences of measurements upon the occurrence of a trigger point in the heart pulse wave output signal.

22. A medical system for measuring the velocity of a pulse wave, comprising:

an elongate medical device configured for insertion into a body lumen and comprising a data collection device configured to collect data on a pulse wave within the lumen and output the data to a velocity measurement system; and

the velocity measurement system communicatively coupled with the data collection device and configured to control the data collection device, wherein the velocity measurement system is configured to calculate the velocity of the pulse wave within the lumen based on the collected pulse wave data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the data collection device is an imaging device and the pulse wave data comprises image data of wall of the body lumen.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the elongate medical device comprises an elongate tubular member having an inner lumen configured to slidably receive a central core member, and wherein the imaging device is located on the central core.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the velocity measurement system is configured to analyze the image data to determine the temporal variation of the vessel wall and calculate the velocity of the pulse wave between two locations in the vessel based on the temporal variation of the vessel wall at each of the two locations.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the pulse wave is a heart pulse wave and the body lumen is a blood vessel.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a heart monitor communicatively coupled with the velocity measurement system and configured to output a heart monitor signal to the velocity measurement system.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the heart monitor is an electrocardiogram unit.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the velocity measurement system is configured to activate the imaging device to collect a sequence of images of the vessel wall upon the occurrence of a trigger point in the heart monitor output signal.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the data collection device is a pressure sensor configured to sense the blood pressure within the vessel and wherein the pulse wave data is blood pressure data.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the velocity measurement system is configured to analyze the collected pulse wave data and calculate the velocity of the pulse wave between two locations in the vessel based on the blood pressure at each of the two locations.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the pulse wave is a heart pulse wave.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising a heart monitor communicatively coupled with the velocity measurement system and configured to output a heart monitor signal to the velocity measurement system.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the heart monitor is an electrocardiogram.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the velocity measurement system is configured to activate the pressure sensor to collect a sequence of blood pressure measurements upon the occurrence of a trigger point in the heart monitor output signal.

36. The system of claim 22, wherein the elongate medical device further comprises a second data collection device communicatively coupled with the velocity measurement system.