Abstract: A system for accessing a patient's uterine cavity and detecting perforations in the uterus includes an elongated probe having a flow channel extending to a terminal outlet in a distal region of the probe. A fluid source is coupled to the flow channel, and a seal on the probe is positionable in an endocervical canal. The probe may be trans-cervically inserted into the uterine cavity, and a fluid may be introduced through the channel to flow outwardly from the terminal outlet into the uterine cavity. A parameter of said fluid flow is monitored to detect a perforation in the uterus.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems and techniques for estimating the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a patient. For example, in some embodiments, a system for estimating COPD severity in a patient may include logic to receive a breathing signal representative of breathing activity of the patient over a time interval, receive a locomotion signal representative of locomotive activity of the patient over the time interval, and provide breathing data and locomotion data to additional logic, wherein the additional logic is to generate an estimate of COPD severity in the patient by comparison of 1) a cross-recurrence quantification analysis (cRQA) parameter between the breathing data and the locomotion data and 2) a reference value. The breathing data may be based on the breathing signal, and the locomotion data may be based on the locomotion signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for obtaining bio information includes: a first electrode portion including a current electrode and a voltage electrode arranged to contact a first body portion of a subject; a second electrode portion including a current electrode and a voltage electrode arranged to contact a second body portion of the subject; and a measuring unit configured to measure a bio impedance of the subject by applying a current to the current electrodes of the first and second electrode portions and detecting a voltage at the voltage electrodes of the first and second electrode portions. In order to decrease errors of a measured bio impedance, contact resistances of the first and second body portions of the subject contacting the current electrode and the first and second body portions of the subject contacting the voltage electrode are different from each other, for at least one of the first and second electrode portions.

Abstract: Front-end circuitry for an ultrasound system is described which comprises a beamformer FPGA integrated circuit, transmit ICs with both pulse transmitters and linear waveform transmitters, transmit control and receiver ICs, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) ICs. Waveform data for both the linear and pulser transmitters is stored in the transmit control and receiver ICs, saving pins on the FPGA, which is the conventional source of this data. The ADCs couple digital echo data to the FPGA for beamforming over serial bus lines, saving additional FPGA pins over a conventional parallel data arrangement. The inclusion of both pulser and linear waveform transmit capabilities in the transmit ICs enables the use of both types of transmitters in the formation of a multi-mode image, such as use of the pulsers for Doppler beams and linear transmitters for B mode beams in the formation of a colorflow image.

Abstract: A temperature probe for monitoring temperatures of a surface of a tissue or organ within the body of a subject includes a section with a substantially two-dimensional arrangement and a plurality of temperature sensors positioned across an area defined by the substantially two-dimensional arrangement. Such an apparatus may be used in conjunction with procedures in which thermal techniques are used to diagnose a disease state or treat diseased tissue. Specifically, a temperature probe may be used to monitor temperatures across an area of a surface of a tissue or organ located close to the treated tissue to prevent subjection of the monitored tissue or organ to potentially damaging temperatures.

Abstract: Method for detecting leaks and/or verifying adequate closure following a medical procedure, on a hollow or tubular organ of a subject, wherein a leak test is performed by injecting or insufflating, in the concerned organ, a specific test gas which is not commonly produced or naturally present within the body of the subject, or which is present or produced in a precisely known amount or concentration, and by analyzing percutaneously the gas or gas mixture present locally within the body cavity in which the organ is situated, and then verifying the presence, and preferably determining the concentration, of the injected or insufflated test gas in the local gas or gas mixture of the body cavity and indicating whether the concerned organ or a lumen defined by the latter is leak-free or not.

Abstract: There is provided a device comprising a blood pressure sensor for sensing blood pressure and a method for controlling the device. An angle of the device with respect to the direction of gravity is determined (202) and a location of one or more features of the user holding the device is identified (204). A height of the blood pressure sensor relative to a heart level of the user is determined based on the determined angle of the device with respect to the direction of gravity and the identified location of the one or more features of the user (206). The device is controlled based on the determined height of the blood pressure sensor relative to the heart level of the user (208).

Abstract: A system is provided for monitoring patients with dysphagia, or swallowing impairments, that monitors muscle movement during intensive swallowing exercises to provide adjuvant visual feedback from surface electromyography.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating foot inflammation each uses at least one temperature detection modality to form a first thermogram and a second thermogram of the sole of at least one foot. Each thermogram forms a substantially continuous set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole of the (at least one) foot. The thermograms have features; namely, the first thermogram has first features and the second thermogram has second features. The method and apparatus thus control a device to apply at least one transformation to the first and second thermograms to align the first features with corresponding second features, and determine, at any thermogram location, if at least one of the thermograms presents one of a plurality of patterns indicative of inflammation. Finally, the method and apparatus each produce output information indicating the result of the determination of whether the thermograms present one of the plurality of patterns.

Abstract: An apparatus for the non-invasive measurement of the blood flow through a shunt of a patient has at least one bandage which can be worn by the patient, as well as a plurality of sensors which are arranged in or at the bandage, which are arranged in at least one multidimensional matrix, and which are configured such that they create a multidimensional matrix of measured values of at least one parameter detected by the sensors.

Abstract: A device for needle biopsy is presented. The device includes a handle member having proximal and distal portions. A proximal handle member is disposed to the proximal portion of the handle member and a distal handle member is disposed to the distal portion of the handle member. A sheath lumen is disposed within the handle member and extends from the distal portion of the handle member. A needle housing member is partially disposed to the proximal portion of the handle member and a needle is disposed within the sheath lumen. A plurality of protrusions is disposed upon the needle. A needle protection member is partially disposed to the distal portion of the needle housing member. The needle protection member includes a needle protection hub and a needle protection shaft.

Abstract: An exercise support device includes a motion sensor that is worn on a user's body and outputs data regarding the motion status of the user's body when the user is performing a moving exercise, and a control section which acquires exercise information regarding the user's exercise status. The control section selects a specific exercise index having relatively strong correlation with a moving speed from exercise indexes acquired from the data outputted when the user moves on a movement section plural times at moving speeds different from each other, acquires a coefficient that is used in an approximate expression which represents the specific exercise index and is a linear function including the moving speed as a variable and the coefficient, and acquires the exercise information based on the specific exercise index and the coefficient when the user moves by the moving exercise.

Abstract: A multi-function instrument for use in a dermatological biopsy procedure, including a housing having an aperture in a base thereof, the aperture adapted to be placed on a patient's skin at a biopsy site, the housing comprising: an anesthetic-dispensing member, a biopsy sampling member configured for extracting a biopsy sample from the biopsy site, and an extension and retraction mechanism configured to enable the anesthetic-dispensing member and the biopsy sampling member to be held in offset positions relative to the aperture and to be alternately brought into alignment with the aperture for extension therethrough, to sequentially dispense an anesthetic to the selected biopsy site, and extract a biopsy sample from the biopsy site, without necessity for removal of the instrument from contact with the patient's skin.

Abstract: A biopsy device includes a housing having a vacuum port, a cutter hub and attached cutter being slidably mounted in the housing so that the cutter hub and cutter are movable between a proximal, armed position, and a distal, fired position. A sealed cutter spring well with a cutter firing spring seated therein is disposed within the housing, wherein a proximal end of the cutter hub comprises a movable distal wall of the spring well so that proximal movement of the cutter hub compresses the cutter firing spring. A vacuum lumen is in communication with each of the vacuum port and spring well. A cutter arming valve assembly having a valve member is disposed in the vacuum lumen and selectively configurable to place the spring well in communication with the vacuum port for arming the cutter, or with atmosphere for firing the cutter.

Abstract: A neuromonitoring system utilizes transcutaneous, trans-abdominal nerve root stimulation to monitor the health and status of the motor neural pathways of the lower extremities during the portions of a surgical procedure in which a tissue retraction assembly is used to maintain an operative corridor. A method of monitoring the status of nerve during a spinal surgical procedure delivers a transcutaneous, trans-abdominal stimulation signal to the spine. A determination is made of a stimulation threshold required to elicit a neuromuscular response from the stimulation signal.

Abstract: Provided is a cutting biopsy instrument facilitating loading by minimizing a change in a grip on a biopsy instrument and enhancing tissue sampling accuracy and safety and simplifying collection of sampled tissue by proposing a new shift relation between an stylet and an cannula at the shooting of the needles.

Abstract: Embodiments of a compact portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) device are described which generally include a housing that provides a magnetic shield; an axisymmetric permanent magnet assembly in the housing and having a bore, a plurality of magnetic elements that together provide a well confined axisymmetric magnetization for generating a near-homogenous magnetic dipole field B0 directed along a longitudinal axis and providing a sample cavity for receiving a sample, and high magnetic permeability soft steel poles to improve field uniformity: a shimming assembly with coils disposed at the longitudinal axis for spatially correcting the near homogenous magnetic field B0; and a spectrometer having a control unit for measuring a metabolite in the sample by applying magnetic stimulus pulses to the sample, measuring free induction delay signals generated by an ensemble of hydrogen protons within the sample; and suppressing a water signal by using a dephasing gradient with frequency selective suppression.

Abstract: A charger for charging a plurality of pressure sensing catheters is provided. The charger has a plurality of charging ports of which a first charging port and a second charging port receives a first connector and a second connector respectively. The first and second connectors each have a first and second radiofrequency identification tags respectively, having information indicative of identifiable information of a first and second pressure sensing catheters respectively. The charger has a plurality of antennas, of which a first antenna and a second antenna can be positioned proximate to the first charging port, and second charging port respectively. When the first connector is inserted into the first charging port, the first radiofrequency identification tag is guided to a predetermined orientation with respect to the first antenna to minimize a spacing therebetween, and to maximize absorption of radiofrequency energy therebetween.

Abstract: Compressible heart valve annulus sizing templates suitable for minimally-invasive or otherwise reduced accessibility surgeries. The sizing templates may be folded, rolled, or otherwise compressed into a reduced configuration for passage through an access tube or other such access channel. Once expelled from the access tube the sizing templates expand to their original shape for use in sizing the annulus. The templates may be formed of an elastomeric polymer material such as silicone, a highly elastic metal such as NITINOL, or both. Grasping tabs or connectors for handles permit manipulation from outside the body. A NITINOL wireform may be compressed for passage through an access tube and expelled from the distal end thereof into a cloth cover to assume a sizer shape.

Abstract: A biopsy device includes a body, an axial tube, a needle assembly, and a tissue sample holder. The body includes a proximal end. The axial tube extends proximally from the proximal end of the body. The axial tube includes at least one aperture. The needle assembly extends distally from the body and includes a needle and a cutter. The cutter is movable relative to the needle. The tissue sample holder is configured to removably couple to a proximal end of the body such that the axial tube is disposed within the tissue sample holder. At least a portion of the tissue sample holder is rotatable relative to the body such that the tissue sample holder is configured to rotate about the axial tube. The tissue sample holder is in fluid communication with the axial tube through the at least one aperture.