Abstract: The outer diameter of a hollow needle, comprising a ground surface at its tip, expands continuously from a region near the tip but behind the ground surface such that the outer diameter in the region located further from the tip is approximately double. The rotationally symmetrical transition region is conical and rounded off at each end.

Abstract: A muscle stimulation device has a control unit (1) that determines frequency and/or intensity of electrical impulses in dependence upon the degree of stomach filling. The impulses function to stimulate lower esophageal sphincter (11) by means of stimulating electrodes (5a, 5b, 5c) disposed radially around the sphincter (11). A computer program, executable by means of a microprocessor (10), is installed in the control unit, the program designed such that a higher stomach filling degree causes a stronger stimulation of the sphincter (11) or its substitute. The sphincter reacts to the stimulation by exerting a corresponding pressure onto a lower esophagus area (12). An increased risk of gastric reflux as a consequence of the patient's substantial food ingestion is countered by an increased stimulation of the sphincter, which in turn causes an elevated closing pressure at the lower esophagus (12).

Abstract: A system for the determination of quantities relating to the circulatory system of a patient comprises a device for the non-invasive measurement of the qualitative variation over time of the local concentration of an indicator injected into the blood circulation system at a first position, the measurement taking place at a second position of the blood circulation system. Furthermore, an evaluating unit is provided which comprises an input interface for reading in an input value of the cardiac output COe of the patient, and in which there is implemented an evaluating algorithm which transforms the qualitative variation over time of the local concentration of the indicator injected into the blood circulation system into a quantitative variation over time of the local concentration of the indicator injected into the blood circulation system.

Abstract: A computer system (104) is connected to an injection means (107) to inject at a first place (101 ) a bolus warmer or colder than patient's blood. The travelling temperature deviation thus introduced to the patient's vascular system (103) passes the pulmonary circulation (111), where an extravascular thermovolume (112) may be present. When the temperature deviation reaches the second place (102), where blood temperature is measured by a sensor device (117) connected to the computer system (104), it is recorded as Thermodilution Curve (15), from which the computer system (104) determines an extravascular thermovolume estimate. Depending on that result the computer system (104) calculates a new amount of bolus to be injected by the injection means (107). The higher the extravascular thermovolume estimate, the higher the new amount of bolus.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for injecting an injectate fluid into a blood vessel of a patient for carrying out thermodilution or dye-dilution measurements in order to determine hemodynamic parameters of the patient. The apparatus includes sensing means for sensing a change of pressure and/or flow rate and/or temperature inside the injection channel, and a computer coupled to the sensing means for determining the time instants of start and finish of the injection process.

Abstract: In a device for treating blood vessels with a laser, the laser provides a beam in a wavelength range from 750 to 850 nm, preferably 805 nm. The device has a measuring unit which measures the concentration of a chromophore (preferably indocyanine green) administered to the patient in the patient's blood vessels. The device further comprises a control unit which controls the power of the laser in a contrary sense to the measured concentration.

Abstract: A catheter system comprising a catheter including a tip having a distal opening, a first opening, and an insertion wire lumen extending from the distal opening to the first opening provided on a surface of the catheter, and an insertion wire having a length substantially smaller than a length dimension of the catheter. The catheter system in accordance with the present invention may include a sensor lumen and a pressure lumen. The sensor lumen terminates at a second opening and includes an optically transparent closure and the pressure lumen includes a third opening. In the preferred embodiment, the first opening and the second opening are positioned on the catheter at substantially same axial distance from the distal opening and further includes a perforation that allows fluidic communication between the pressure lumen and the second opening. The catheter system may also comprise a pressure hose, at least one optical fiber and a thermal sensor element.

Abstract: A central venous cather (1) is placed in the vena cava superior (2) and equipped with a heating coil (3) for emitting heat pulses in the immediate proximity of the distal end (5) of the catheter (1) in order to introduce travelling temperature deviations to the patient's circulation. The power transferred to the blood stream during emission of each heat pulse represents an input signal for modified thermodilution measurements. Each travelling temperature deviation is detected as a system response corresponding to an input signal, when it reaches an arterial catheter (14) which additionally comprises a pressure sensor (17) for measuring the local blood pressure in the arteria femoralis (16) as a function of time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining the cardiac output of a subject by thermodilution measurements by providing a predetermined amount of thermal indicator in a blood vessel with the thermal indicator having a temperature different from the temperature of subject's blood, thus exhibiting an indicator temperature difference. By measuring the temperature of subject's blood at a second place downstream the cardiac output (CO) and the extravascular thermovolume can be determined as a function of the time for the thermodilution curve. As a function of the thermodilution curve the measurements of the amount of thermal indicator and/or thermal indicator volume temperature difference are adjusted to provide a more accurate determination of cardiac output.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting pericardial effusion that includes a measurement apparatus connected to a wire probe to be anchored on the right heart ventricle and to two other wire probes to be anchored in different regions of the pericardial sac, the measurement apparatus measures and displays the change in impedance between the individual wire probes.

Abstract: A device for individual in-vivo determination of the compliance function C(p)=dV/dp of the vascular system downstream of a ventricle and/or systemic blood flow of a living being from the blood pressure p(t) and a reference cardiac output COref.

Abstract: An intro-aortic balloon catheter system and method for determining cardiac output with the system including a distal end for insertion into an aorta and a proximal end opposed to the distal end, a balloon portion in proximity to the distal end which repeatedly expands and contracts so as to assist the pumping action of the heart, a catheter tube connected to the balloon portion with the catheter tube having a lumen introducing a pressurized gas into the balloon portion and leading the pressurized gas out from the balloon portion and a temperature sensor attached to the catheter tube and being electrically coupled to a connector at the proximal end of the catheter tube.

Abstract: A catheter system comprising a catheter including a tip having a distal opening, a first opening, and a guide wire lumen extending from the distal opening to the first opening provided on a surface of the catheter, and a guide wire having a length substantially smaller than a length dimension of the catheter. The catheter system in accordance with the present invention may include a sensor lumen and a pressure lumen. The sensor lumen terminates at the first opening and includes an optically transparent closure and the pressure lumen includes a second opening. In the preferred embodiment, the first opening and the second opening are positioned on the catheter at substantially same axial distance from the distal opening and further includes a perforation that allows fluidic communication between the pressure lumen and the first opening. The catheter system may also comprise a pressure hose, at least one optical fiber and a thermal sensor element.

Abstract: A process and device for noninvasive measurement of cerebral blood flow simultaneously determines of a blood flow index which is directly proportional to the blood flow. Cerebral surge kinetics of an intravenously injected indicator dye with absorption properties in the near-infrared spectrum is sensed by near-infrared spectroscopy and the arterial surge kinetics is sensed by pulse densitometry. A device for carrying out this process consists of a multichannel apparatus having at least two near-infrared spectroscopes, each having two pulsed monochromatic light sources, a measuring and a reference wavelength, in the range of the near-infrared spectrum; one or more light sensors connected to a photomultiplier; and a noninvasive measuring device which determines, by pulse densitometry, the concentration of the tracer in the arterial blood of the circulatory system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and devices for determining the instant of injection and the duration of injection in thermodilution measurements in which an injectate fluid at a temperature deviating from the temperature of the blood of a patient is injected at a specific injection site into a blood vessel of the patient and the temperature of the blood is measured at a measuring site downstream of the injection site, the injectate fluid being used at approximately room temperature and, before entry into the blood vessel, passed by a temperature sensor which, before the measurement, has a temperature deviating from room temperature, the temperature determined by the temperature sensor being sensed continuously, the instant of the beginning of injection being determined from a change occurring in the sensed temperature and the instant of the end of injection being determined from a subsequently occurring change in direction of the temperature profile.