Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of neurogenic pain in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of neurogenic pain.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of swelling and/or inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of swelling and/or inflammation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of a bruise in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of bruising.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of neurogenic swelling and/or neurogenic inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of neurogenic swelling and/or neurogenic inflammation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of neurogenic swelling and/or neurogenic inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of neurogenic swelling and/or neurogenic inflammation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of a neurogenic bruise in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of bruising.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating swelling or inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water to a portion of the surface of the skin of the patient in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate swelling or inflammation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of a bruise in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of bruising.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation or reducing the severity of a bruise in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent to a portion of the surface of the skin in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate formation of or reduce the severity of bruising.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating swelling or inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water to a portion of the surface of the skin of the patient in an amount and at a location sufficient to attenuate swelling or inflammation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the response of nociceptors to noxious stimuli by applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate, a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water to the surface of the skin. In other aspects, the present invention provides a method of preventing the formation of a bruise in traumatized tissue, a method of attenuating swelling, a method of attenuating neurogenic inflammatory response, and a method of reducing the sensation of pain by applying like compositions to the surface of the skin of patients.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation of a bruise and a method of attenuating swelling or inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water to the surface of the skin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of attenuating the formation of a bruise and a method of attenuating swelling or inflammation in the tissue of a patient via applying a composition comprising a hydrophilic foam substrate and a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water to the surface of the skin.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for distinguishing blood pressure sounds from noise in an automatic blood pressure monitoring system using the information contained in two microphone signals. Two microphones are placed on a patient along an axis of an artery to pick up blood pressure sounds. Pressure is applied to the artery such that the artery opens and closes during each heart cycle, the opening snap of the artery producing a blood pressure sound. The two microphone signals are sampled, filtered, and multiplied together to produce a microphone signal product. The microphone signal product is wave width filtered to remove therefrom portions of the signal having a wave width which is less than a selected minimum wave width value. A blood pressure sound is indicated as being detected when an amplitude of this wave width filtered microphone signal product exceeds a noise signal threshold level.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically recognizing meaningful patterns in non-stationary periodic data is provided. The invention may be used in making measurements of physiological phenomena, such as arterial blood pressure, wherein data of interest is undergoing small changes in timing and magnitude in succeeding cycles, and wherein noise artifacts are detected along with the data of interest. Data points of interest are identified by grouping all received data points into family groups of multi-dimensional data points wherein each data point in the family group has dimensional values similar to at least one other data point in the family. The present invention may preferably be employed for the determination of a patient's systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for detecting blood pressure sounds produced by the opening snap of an artery in a patient in the presence of significant noise using the phase information contained in two microphone signals. The two microphones are placed on a patient along the axis of an artery with their centers separated by a distance such that blood pressure sounds picked up by the microphones will be out of phase. Pressure is applied to the artery such that the artery opens and closes during each heart cycle, the opening snap of the artery producing blood pressure sounds. The two microphone signals are filtered, preferably using band pass filters having pass bands corresponding to the frequency of the blood pressure sounds. The filtered microphone signals are sampled and multiplied together or convolved in the frequency domain to generate a microphone signal product. If the microphone signal product is negative, the detection of a valid blood pressure signal for that sampling time is indicated.

Abstract: A vital signs monitor includes an ECG sensor, an oximetric finger probe, a respiration impedance sensor, a respiration strain gauge, and a blood pressure cuff with a pressure sensor. Signals generated by these sensors are processed by a microcomputer which is programmed to cross-reference data from multiple channels in order to improve accuracy. The microcomputer is programmed to select the more regular pulses from the ECG sensor and the finger probe to arrive at a better measure of heart rate. In addition, the microcomputer is programmed to use the strain gauge signal to remove artifacts from the signal generated by the impedance sensor. In this way a more artifact-free measure of respiration rate is obtained. Blood pressure is measured by using timing information derived from pulses sensed by the oximetric finger probe in combination with signals generated by the blood pressure cuff pressure sensor to determine systolic and diastolic pressures of the subject.

Abstract: A closed pressure monitoring system (20) is disclosed in which a pump (27) delivers gas on a supply line (22, 29) through a first accumulator chamber (30) to a load device (21) and returns the gas on a return line (23, 28) through a second accumulator chamber (34) to the pump (27). After pressures in the first and second chambers stabilize, the pressures are compared, and a leak warning signal is given if the compared pressures changed with respect to one another over time. The system is particularly adapted to use a pressure sensor as the load (21) which is implanted within a human patient. The pressure sensor receives air from a restrictor (32) in the supply line (22, 29) and is operative to maintain the pressure in the supply line substantially equal to the pressure surrounding the sensor.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) which measures and monitors the pressure within a human body includes a pressure sensor (11) having a housing (30) closed by a pressure sensitive diaphragm (34) to define a plenum (35), an exhaust tube (36) mounted within the plenum (35) which terminates adjacent the inner surface of the diaphragm (34), and tubes (13, 15) which transmit a substantially constant flow of gas into the plenum and which withdraw gas from the exhaust tube (36) to a location remote from the body. Changes in pressure within the body cause the diaphragm (34) to alternately close and open the end of the exhaust tube (36), thereby resulting in an increase or decrease in the pressure within the plenum until an equilibrium pressure is reached. A source (12) of gas pressure is provided, as well as a means for providing a substantially uniform flow rate (R) and means for measuring the pressure (14) within the tube (13) that transmits the gas flow to the sensor (11).

Abstract: Apparatus which detects ventricular depolarizations originating at an ectopic focus. Ventricular depolarization is sensed at a plurality of areas of the heart including one area within the interventricular septum or near the right ventricular apex. Logic circuity responds to the sensed depolarizations to discriminate between normal and abnormal origination of an impulse propagated through the ventricular conduction system. A signal representative of such abnormal impulse origination may be employed in any desired manner.