Method and System for Measuring Pulmonary Artery Circulation Information
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Minimally invasive systems and methods are described for measuring pulmonary circulation information from the pulmonary arteries. A transbronchial Doppler ultrasound catheter is advanced through the airways and in the vicinity of the pulmonary artery. Doppler ultrasound energy is sent through the airway wall and across the pulmonary artery to obtain velocity information of blood flowing through the artery. The velocity information is used to compute pulmonary circulation information including but not limited to flowrate.
10 Citations
2 Claims
-
1. (canceled)
-
2. A method comprising:
-
receiving ultrasonic waves from at least one ultrasound transducer of a transbronchial catheter positioned inside an airway of a lung, the at least one ultrasound transducer being functionally coupled to a wall of the airway in proximity with a blood vessel; determining a measured pressure value by electronically processing the received ultrasonic waves; and providing a comparison by electronically processing the measured pressure value with a plurality of predetermined pressure values.
-
Specification