Abstract: Example apparatuses, systems, and methods for detecting a muscle tissue ischemia event are provided. An example apparatus may include an electromyography (EMG) sensor applied to a patient to detect electrical activity in the muscle tissue. The apparatus may also include processing circuitry in communication with the EMG sensor and configured to receive EMG signals from the EMG sensor and detect characteristics within the EMG signals indicating oxygen depletion within the muscle tissue of the patient. The characteristics may include a signal power level of the EMG signals increasing by at least a threshold value at a select frequency or with respect to a select band of frequencies. The processing circuitry may be further configured to trigger an output, in response to detecting the characteristics, indicating that the oxygen depletion in the muscle tissue is indicative of an ischemia event.

Abstract: Example apparatuses, systems, and methods for detecting a muscle tissue ischemia event are provided. An example apparatus may include an electromyography (EMG) sensor applied to the patient to detect electrical activity in the muscle tissue. The apparatus may also include processing circuitry in communication with the EMG sensor and configured to receive EMG signals from the EMG sensor and detect characteristics within the EMG signals indicating oxygen depletion within the muscle tissue of the patient. The characteristics may include a signal power level of the EMG signals increasing by at least a threshold value at a select frequency or with respect to a select band of frequencies. The processing circuitry may be further configured to trigger an output, in response to detecting the characteristics, indicating that the oxygen depletion in the muscle tissue is indicative of an ischemia event.

Abstract: A ventriculoperitoneal shunt includes a proximal catheter, a distal catheter, a shunt valve operably coupling the proximal catheter to the distal catheter, and a contrast container containing contrast material configured to change acoustic impedance proportionally to a change in pressure applied to the contrast container.

Abstract: An apparatus for neural block determination is provided including processing circuitry configured to receive muscle movement measurements, analyze the muscle movement measurements in a frequency domain, and determine an effectiveness of an anesthetic based on the analysis of the muscle movement measurements in the frequency domain.

Abstract: An apparatus for neural block determination is provided including processing circuitry configured to receive muscle movement measurements, analyze the muscle movement measurements in a frequency domain, and determine an effectiveness of an anesthetic based on the analysis of the muscle movement measurements in the frequency domain.

Abstract: A ventriculoperitoneal shunt includes a proximal catheter, a distal catheter, a shunt valve operably coupling the proximal catheter to the distal catheter, and a contrast container containing contrast material configured to change acoustic impedance proportionally to a change in pressure applied to the contrast container.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring the fetal condition in an objective, quantitative, and non-invasive manner by enabling continuous and highly specific data collection during pre-natal development and the intra-partum period. In an embodiment, monitoring the fetal condition comprises monitoring a fetal heart rate, a fetal heart rate variability, and/or the fetal heart vector orientation of a fetus in a pregnant mother. Automated signal processing techniques are applied to a multiplicity of transducers to select an optimum signal vector to monitor at least one of a fetal heart rate, a fetal heart rate variability, and/or the fetal heart vector orientation of a fetus in a pregnant mother.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring the fetal condition in an objective, quantitative, and non-invasive manner by enabling continuous and highly specific data collection during pre-natal development and the intra-partum period. In an embodiment, monitoring the fetal condition comprises monitoring a fetal heart rate, a fetal heart rate variability, and/or the fetal heart vector orientation of a fetus in a pregnant mother. Automated signal processing techniques are applied to a multiplicity of transducers to select an optimum signal vector to monitor at least one of a fetal heart rate, a fetal heart rate variability, and/or the fetal heart vector orientation of a fetus in a pregnant mother.

Abstract: The invention comprises a vessel for solid phase micro-extraction chemical sampling. The vessel includes a container having an open end and a cap used to close the open end. The cap has a holder to hold a solid phase coated fiber within an interior of the container. There also is an inlet at a first location of the vessel and an outlet at a second location of the vessel. The inlet and the outlet are adapted to fill the vessel with a material to be exposed to the solid phase coated fiber. The vessel also includes a diffuser plate attached to the container. The plate is adapted to reduce fluid forces exerted on the solid phase coated fiber as material flows from the inlet to the outlet. The purpose of the diffuser plate is both to assure that forces are reduced and to provide laminar flow to assure rapid and complete exchange of the fluid in the vessel.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for fetal heart and maternal heart and uterine monitoring is provided which acquire biopotential waveforms indicative of the mother's heart beat from sensors located at or near the mother's chest, and waveforms indicative of the combined maternal and fetal heart beats from abdominal sensors located on the mother's abdomen, lower back, or both. The signals from the abdominal sensors are divided into a plurality of channels. An adaptive signal processing filter (ASPF) algorithm or other suitable algorithm is then used to cancel the estimated maternal waveform from each channel derived from the abdominal sensors. The system then selects from the resulting waveforms at least one waveform to serve as the reference fetal waveform. The reference waveform is then processed against the other abdominal waveforms preferably using the ASPF algorithm again to form an enhanced fetal signal that is a representation of the fetus's biopotential electrocardiogram (EKGf).

Abstract: The invention comprises a vessel for solid phase micro-extraction chemical sampling. The vessel includes a container having an open end and a cap used to close the open end. The cap has a holder to hold a solid phase coated fiber within an interior of the container. There also is an inlet at a first location of the vessel and an outlet at a second location of the vessel. The inlet and the outlet are adapted to fill the vessel with a material to be exposed to the solid phase coated fiber. The vessel also includes a diffuser plate attached to the container. The plate is adapted to reduce fluid forces exerted on the solid phase coated fiber as material flows from the inlet to the outlet. The purpose of the diffuser plate is both to assure that forces are reduced and to provide laminar flow to assure rapid and complete exchange of the fluid in the vessel.

Abstract: Electromyogram, temperature and heart rate measurements, which correlate to the dermatomal level and density of neural blockade, are obtained in a passive manner, i.e., the patient is not stimulated or exposed to any sensor that requires an active conduction in order to make a measurement and no active patient participation or response is required. The measurements obtained provide objective and quantitative indications of, for example, epidural blockade with local anesthetics, thus, allowing objective real-time assessment of density and level of neural blockade.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for interfacing between a peripheral device and a host processor. The invented cache memory and pre-processor operates in either an acquisition mode, where it appears to be a memory dedicated to the peripheral, or in a retrieval mode, where it appears to be a memory dedicated to the host microprocessor. For example, the cache memory can be reconfigured from a 2K byte by 16-bit space during the acquisition mode to a 4K byte .times.8-bit space during the retrieval mode, wherein the high and low bytes of the previously defined 16-bit words are interleaved.

Abstract: A short range, precision navigation and tracking system and method therefor are disclosed. The navigation and tracking system utilizes a master-repeater configuration with a phase lock loop controlling the modulation frequency of the master FM transmitter.