Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-22
2001-10-02
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296611
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a measuring arrangement with the features of patent claim
1
.
It is known with a cardiac arrest or heart malfunctioning to apply electroshocks or cardiac massage in order to stimulate cardiac activity again. Defibrillators (for producing electroshocks) or cardiac massage apparatus are often applied with first aid treatment.
It is important to know at which point in time and whether a defibrillation or a cardiac massage must be carried out. With the onset of a heart beat further heart beats should be supported by way of directed current shocks or massage. A defibrillation should only be carried out when with the patient no pulse can be ascertained. Usually with this the (carotid) pulse of the patient is manually felt. With this above all with a weak pulse a superposition of the pulse of the patient with the pulse of the helper may occur.
The blood circulation of the head must be recreated within three minutes after a cardiac arrest in order to prevent irreparable brain damage. It is therefore necessary to be able to determine the pulse as quickly as possible.
With all applications of defibrillations the mechanical activity of the heart is acquired. Since often in the extremities of the patient a hypoxaemia prevails, the carotid pulse at the carotid artery is measured.
Above all with first aid measures it is important that with the determination of the pulse no time is lost. Not only with the reanimation by way of cardiac massage or defibrillation, but also in other situations the rapid and reliable determination of the pulse is of a significant importance.
It is the object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of that which is known and to provide an arrangement for determining the pulse which avoids a troublesome search of the carotid artery and which permits a quick determination of the pulse.
According to the invention this object is achieved with an arrangement with the features of the independent patent claim
1
.
First of all the invention relates to a flow measuring arrangement which is particularly suitable for determining the pulse. Of course the subsequently described inventive idea may likewise be advantageously applied to other measuring methods with which it is a case of a quick measurement.
According to the invention the arrangement for measuring the pulse involves a flow measurement. By measuring the blood flow, in particular into the head, the pulse of a patient may be determined.
Blood flow in this context is to be understood at the volume of blood which is pumped from the heart into the head part per unit of time. The blood flow may be measured most simply at the carotid artery.
For measuring the blood flow principally any flow measuring arrangements may be used. Particularly advantageous is a measuring cell based on the Doppler effect. Doppler measurements for determining the speed of the blood in blood vessels are already known for diagnostic purposes.
Since with a cardiac arrest the reanimation must be started as quickly as possible no time may be lost in order to localise the carotid artery for placing on the arrangement for measuring the blood flow. According to the present invention the arrangement for the non-invasive measurement of the blood flow consists of a multitude of measuring units arranged next to one another. The signal outputs of the individual flow measuring units are coupled to a signal processing arrangement. The relative position, the number and/or size of the flow measuring units is at the same time selected in such a manner that even with a measuring arrangement placed on the carotid artery roughly at right angles, in each placed on position at least one fluid measuring unit is adequately close to the carotid artery that a measurable measurement signal is produced. Roughly at right angles in this case means the measuring units lying next to one another are applied transversely onto the carotid artery. Thanks to this embodiment form the measuring arrangement according to the invention may be layed onto the neck of the patient without an exact placing on being necessary. Independently of how the arrangement is applied onto the neck of the patient always one flow measuring unit is correctly positioned on the carotid artery.
It is of course to be understood that such a measuring arrangement may be particularly advantageously used with a reanimation by way of defibrillation or cardiac massage. It is however also completely conceivable to use the measuring arrangement in other fields of application where a quick determination of the blood flow is required.
Advantageously the measuring arrangement comprises about 3 to 10 measuring units arranged next to one another. Each measuring unit has a surface with approx. 4 mm diameter to 8 mm diameter. As measuring units preferably piezoelectric measuring cells based on the measurement of the Doppler effect are used. It is however also conceivable to arrange other known measuring units in the way and manner according to the invention.
Advantageously a row of transducer elements lying next to one another are used. Transducers functioning with the pulsed wave as well as with the continuous wave method may be applied.
Alternatively it is conceivable to provide two rows of transducers arranged displaced to one another. As a result the probability that in each case a transducer comes to lie on the carotid artery may be increased to almost 100%.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4476874 (1984-10-01), Taenzer et al.
patent: 4582066 (1986-04-01), Barnes et al.
patent: 5348015 (1994-09-01), Moehring et al.
patent: 5409010 (1995-04-01), Beach et al.
patent: 0 139 285 A2 (1984-10-01), None
patent: 0 421 465 A2 (1990-10-01), None
patent: 91 16000 A (1991-10-01), None
Lateef Marvin M.
Patel Maolin
Shoemaker and Mattare Ltd.
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