Abstract: Apparatus (20, 100) for assaying a target analyte in a localized tissue region (22) that may include the target and other analytes comprising: a light source (34, 104) that illuminates the region with light at each of a plurality of wavelengths at which light is absorbed and/or scattered by tissue in the region wherein light at a least one of the wavelengths is absorbed or scattered by the target analyte; a signal generator (40) that generates signals responsive to intensity of the light from the light source (34, 104) at different locations in the localized region (22); and a controller (32, 102) that: receives the generated signals; processes the signals to determine an extinction coefficient for light in the localized region at each wavelength; and determines the concentration of the target analyte responsive to a solution of a set of simultaneous equations having as unknown variables concentrations of a plurality of analytes in the region (22), one of which is the target analyte, wherein each equation in

Abstract: Apparatus for assaying an analyte in blood in a patient's blood vessel comprising: a light provider comprising at least one light source that illuminates a tissue region in which a blood vessel is located with light that stimulates photoacoustic waves in the region; at least one acoustic transducer that generates signals responsive to the photoacoustic waves; a controller that receives the signals and processes them to determine which are responsive to photoacoustic waves that originate in the blood vessel and uses the determined signals to assay the analyte; wherein, the light provider and at least one transducer define a field of view that overlaps the blood vessel, said field of view having a central region and a lateral extent greater than about 4 mm.

Abstract: Apparatus for stimulating photoacoustic waves in a region of a body and generating signals responsive to the stimulated waves comprising: a light source (27) that provides light that stimulates photoacoustic waves (54) in the region; a light pipe (26) having an output aperture (80) and at least one input aperture, which light pipe receives the light from the light source at the at least one input aperture and transmits the received light to illuminate the region from the output aperture; and at least one acoustic transducer (22) that generates signals responsive to acoustic energy from the photoacoustic waves that is incident on the optical output aperture.

Abstract: A method of monitoring at least one fluid compartment of a body comprising: illuminating the skin with light that stimulates photoacoustic waves in the skin; and using the photoacoustic waves to measure change in the volume of the fluid compartment.

Abstract: A sticker for attaching a photoacoustic sensor or portion thereof to the skin of a patient comprising: a substrate; an adhesive layer on the substrate suitable for adhering the sticker to the skin; apparatus for attaching the sticker to the photoacoustic sensor; and at least one device for presenting an identifying ID code.

Abstract: Apparatus for assaying an analyte in a patient's body comprising: at least one sensor unit mountable to a region of the patient's skin comprising at least one light source that illuminates a tissue region below the skin with light that generates photoacoustic waves therein and at least one acoustic transducer that generates signals responsive to the photoacoustic waves; and a control unit configured to be mounted to a different part of the body and comprising a controller for controlling the at least one light source and at least one acoustic transducer and receiving the signals generated by the at least one acoustic transducer.

Abstract: Apparatus for assaying an analyte in blood in a blood vessel below a patient's skin comprising: at least one light source controllable to transmit light into tissue below the skin through at least one first region on the skin; at least one light detector that receives a portion of the transmitted light that reaches at least one second region on the skin after propagating through the blood vessel and generates signals responsive to the received light; and a controller; wherein the controller controls the at least one light source to transmit light at least one wavelength that interacts with blood and at least one wavelength that interacts with the analyte and uses the signals responsive to the light that interacts with the blood to determine a location for the blood vessel and the determined location and signals responsive to the light to assay the analyte.

Abstract: A method of determining an optical parameter or function thereof for a liquid, the method comprising: flowing the liquid through a flow cell; transmitting a pulse of light into the liquid in the flow cell; generating a signal responsive to energy that the material emits responsive to a portion of the light from the light pulse that is absorbed by the liquid; and using the signal to determine the optical parameter or function thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus for assaying an analyte in a body comprising: at least one light source implanted in the body controllable to illuminate a tissue region in the body with light at at least one wavelength that is absorbed by the analyte and as a result generates photoacoustic waves in the tissue region; at least one acoustic sensing transducer coupled to the body that receives acoustic energy from the photoacoustic waves and generates signals responsive thereto; and a processor that receives the signals and processes them to determine a concentration of the analyte in the illuminated tissue region.

Abstract: Apparatus for assaying an analyte of blood in a patient's blood vessel comprising: a mounting module adapted so that it can be adhered to the skin of the patient overlying a tissue region comprising the blood vessel; a sensor unit mounted to the module that generates signals responsive to characteristics of the tissue region; and a controller that receives the signals and uses received signals to assay the analyte and to determine a degree to which the sensor unit is aligned with the blood vessel.

Abstract: A method for determining concentration of at least one component of the material, the method comprising: measuring at least one of the real and imaginary parts of the permittivity of the material at each of a first plurality of frequencies for which substantially only a second plurality of known components of the material contributes to the dielectric permittivity of the material, wherein for each of the known components the permittivity as a function of temperature is known and the first plurality is greater than the second plurality; determining the concentration of at least one of the known components responsive to a solution of a set of simultaneous equations determined by the first plurality of measurements and the dependence of the permittivities of the known components on temperature.

Abstract: Determining the temperature of the water by measuring the absorption coefficient of water (32). The method for determining temperature of a first substance comprising: acquiring a measurement of the absorption coefficient of the first substance at least one wavelength (30); and determining the temperature using the measurement of the absorption coefficient and known values of the absorption coefficient as a function of temperature at the at least one wavelength.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a hole in a region of the heart muscle wall of a patient undergoing myocardial revascularization comprising: means for removing tissue from the region to form the hole; a light source that illuminates the region with light that generates photoacoustic waves therein; at least one acoustic sensor that generates signals responsive to the photoacoustic waves; and a controller that receives the signals and processes them to determine a characteristic of the region useable to control the means for removing tissue.

Abstract: A method for determining temperature of a material (32) comprising: measuring at least one of the real and imaginary part of the permittivity of the material (32) at each of at least one frequency (36) for which substantially only a single component of the material contributes to the dielectric permittivity of the material (32), for which known component the permittivity as a function of temperature is known; and using at least one of the determined real and imaginary part of the permittivity at each of the at least one frequency and the dependence of the permittivity of the known component on temperature to determine temperature of the known component and thereby of the material (32).

Abstract: A tissue viability monitor (TVM) for determining viability of a biological tissue comprising: at least one light source controllable to illuminate the tissue with light that generates photoacoustic waves therein; at least one acoustic transducer that generates signals responsive to the photoacoustic waves; and a controller that receives the signals and processes the signals to determine at least one characteristic of the tissue and a measure of viability responsive to the determined at least one characteristic.

Abstract: Determining the temperature of the water by measuring the absorption coefficient of water (32). The method for determining temperature of a first substance comprising acquiring a measurement of the absorption coefficient of the first substance at least one wavelength (30); and determining the temperature using the measurement of the absorption coefficient and known values of the absorption coefficient as a function of temperature at the at least one wavelength.

Abstract: A method for assaying a component of a localized region of interest in a body comprising: illuminating the region with at least one pulse of radiation having a wavelength at which the radiation is absorbed by the component to generate a change in an acoustic property of the region; transmitting ultrasound so that it is incident on the region; measuring at least one effect of the change on the incident ultrasound; using the measured at least one effect to determine an absorption coefficient for the radiation in the region; and using the determined absorption coefficient to determine concentration of the component in the region.