Abstract: The present invention provides a computer device and a computer-implemented method to quantify the extent of functional coronary artery disease. In addition, the invention provides a computer device for determining the functional pattern of coronary disease in a mammal. It is shown that a mismatch in the extent of CAD between anatomical and physiological evaluations is predictable for an improvement in epicardial conductance with percutaneous revascularization. More particularly the invention provides methods to select a mammal suffering from coronary disease to benefit from a percutaneous coronary intervention.

Abstract: In the apparatus and method for monitoring a vascular access (6) of an extracorporeal circuit (5; 10) of a patient, a control and calculation unit (17) varies a flow rate of a blood pump (9) predisposed to cause blood to circulate in the extracorporeal circuit. The control and calculation unit receives-the pressure values in the blood withdrawal line (5) and the blood return line (10) from two pressure sensors (8, 12); the pressure values are a series of different values of the blood flow rate. The control and calculation unit processes the data gathered by means of a mathematical model which describes the variation of pressure in the vascular access as a function of the flow rate, in order to determine the blood flow rate in the vascular access. The invention detects the presence and location of a stenosis at the vascular access of a patient subjected to a hemodialysis treatment.

Abstract: A blood circuit for a dialysis machine is made from plastic material and is provided with a metallic plate, which is applied to an external face of the blood circuit and is connectable to a voltage generator in such a way as to form a capacitor, in which the plate and the blood act as the capacitor plates and the plastic material acts as the dielectric.