Abstract: A method is provided for automatically determining quantitative characteristics of organ images, especially echocardiographic images. A diagnostic image is obtained and then a center point for the approximately curvilinear bounded organ is determined by repeatedly filtering the image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the filter set is obtained, whereupon parameters of cardiac wall motion, wall thickness and area change fraction may be determined to detect ischemic or other organ abnormality.

Abstract: The heating of blood or other medical fluids supplied to a patient is provided by a system and method of feedback control. The temperature of the blood is sensed by receiving infrared energy from the medical fluid as it flows within a sterile and disposable tube from a fluid source to the patient. Feedback control stabilizes the temperature at a desired value. A second sensor may optionally be used to determine if the fluid is too hot within the microwave device itself. The disposable tube has at least one window or thin membrane portion which allows infrared radiation to pass therethrough in order to be sensed by the sensor. One arrangement of the present invention uses a microprocessor with adaptive control to provide precise and accurate control of the temperature of the medical fluid.

Abstract: Described here are a novel means and device for noninvasively quantifying important blood constituents. Total hemoglobin, arterial oxygen content, hematocrit, and other parameters can all be determined quickly and easily without the need for skin puncture or lengthy laboratory analysis. The invention described here concerns the simultaneous measurement of volume changes and changes in the mass of either oxyhemoglobin, total hemoglobin, or reduced hemoglobin. The data obtained by these measurements is used to quantify the parameters of interest.