Abstract: A system for measuring the mechanical impedance of a patient's respiratory system during spontaneous respiratory activity, characterised by comprising a fan; a motor which operates said fan; said motor and said fan being positioned within a cavity; said cavity comprising an initial end and a final end, both providing access to the outside; said cavity presenting an impedance between said initial and said final end of less than 1 cm H2O/L/s; said fan withdrawing air from said final end and providing pressure variations of small amplitude and of frequency >2 Hz to said initial end; said initial end comprising air pressure and air flow measurement means and a connection directly connected to the airway opening.

Abstract: A system for automatically predicting acute airway events in patients, comprising: a device for measuring the respiratory impedance of a human subject during a plurality of respiratory cycles of said human subject; said respiratory impedance comprising a real part and an imaginary part; said device measuring said respiratory impedance two times per day to provide a plurality of measurements; means for calculating the relative variation of said plurality of measurements; means for evaluating the probability of respiratory pathology presence in the subject under examination when the value of the imaginary part of said impedance is greater than 35%; means for predicting a relapse in the patent under examination within an established future time window, once the presence of the pathology has been ascertained, if the variation coefficient of the real part of said impedance is greater than 0.4.

Abstract: Apparatus for respiratory support and non-invasive detection of alveolar recruitment/derecruitment provides air supply to a patient at a base pressure and an additional pressure which can be varied at a frequency of from 5 to 10 Hz and transducers applied to the conduits supplying air to the patient to send electric signals to a computer to obtain a variable positive end-expiratory pressure and a to obtain an end expiratory resistance at varying values of positive end expiratory pressure and defining the state of pulmonary recruitment as the value of the positive end-expiratory pressure which corresponds to a point of maximum expiratory resistance.

Abstract: There is described an apparatus (1) for respiratory support and non-invasive detection of alveolar derecruitment for patients suffering from respiratory failure. Such an apparatus (1) generally comprises a mechanical ventilator (3) for inspiration/expiration functions and means (15) allowing to impose an additional periodic pressure component (Pstim) having a higher frequency than the spectral content of the inspiration/expiration pressure component (Presp). There are provided computing means (12) to obtain the inspiratory average reactance (Xrs) of the respiratory system of the patient (2) as the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) varies, in order to detect the presence of alveolar derecruitment. There is also described a procedure allowing to obtain an optimal positive end-expiratory pressure.

Abstract: A system for automatically predicting acute airway events in patients, comprising: a device for measuring the respiratory impedance of a human subject during a plurality of respiratory cycles of said human subject; said respiratory impedance comprising a real part and an imaginary part; said device measuring said respiratory impedance two times per day to provide a plurality of measurements; means for calculating the relative variation of said plurality of measurements; means for evaluating the probability of respiratory pathology presence in the subject under examination when the value of the imaginary part of said impedance is greater than 35%; means for predicting a relapse in the patent under examination within an established future time window, once the presence of the pathology has been ascertained, if the variation coefficient of the real part of said impedance is greater than 0.4.

Abstract: A system for measuring the mechanical impedance of a patient's respiratory system during spontaneous respiratory activity, characterised by comprising a fan; a motor which operates said fan; said motor and said fan being positioned within a cavity; said cavity comprising an initial end and a final end, both providing access to the outside; said cavity presenting an impedance between said initial and said final end of less than 1 cm H2O/L/s; said fan withdrawing air from said final end and providing pressure variations of small amplitude and of frequency >2 Hz to said initial end; said initial end comprising air pressure and air flow measurement means and a connection directly connected to the airway opening.

Abstract: Apparatus for respiratory support and non-invasive detection of alveolar recruitment/derecruitment provides air supply to a patient at a base pressure and an additional pressure which can be varied at a frequency of from 5 to 10 Hz and transducers applied to the conduits supplying air to the patient to send electric signals to a computer to obtain a variable positive end-expiratory pressure and a to obtain an end expiratory resistance at varying values of positive end expiratory pressure and defining the state of pulmonary recruitment as the value of the positive end-expiratory pressure which corresponds to a point of maximum expiratory resistance.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a system and a method for the automatic detection of the expiratory flow limitation of a subject. In an embodiment thereof the system for the automatic detection of expiratory flow limitation of a subject comprises determining the respiratory impedance of the subject comprising an imaginary component and, eventually, of a real part or, at least, by applying a forcing signal with one or more spectral components to the airway opening of a subject combined with measuring time courses of pressure and flow at the airway opening; determining at least one index linked to respiratory impedance or pressure and flow time courses; indicating the positioning of at least one index in relation to a preset threshold value.

Abstract: The abdominal circulatory pump uses expulsive manoeuvres performed by contraction of the diaphragm while stabilizing, contracting or compressing the abdominal wall to increase abdominal pressure and pump blood. At the same time, it can be used to lower pleural pressure around the surface of the lung to provide ventilation. In humans the blood in the splanchnic circulation; i.e., the blood in the abdominal contents, is a reservoir of about 20% to 25% of the whole body blood volume. The increase in abdominal pressure forces this blood to flow out of the abdomen and through the body.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a system and a method for the automatic detection of the expiratory flow limitation of a subject. In an embodiment thereof the system for the automatic detection of expiratory flow limitation of a subject comprises determining the respiratory impedance of the subject comprising an imaginary component and, eventually, of a real part or, at least, by applying a forcing signal with one or more spectral components to the airway opening of a subject combined with measuring time courses of pressure and flow at the airway opening; determining at least one index linked to respiratory impedance or pressure and flow time courses; indicating the positioning of at least one index in relation to a preset threshold value.

Abstract: An apparatus is described (1) for measuring the blood flow (Vb) between the trunk and the extremities. Such an apparatus (1) comprises a whole body plethysmograph (102; 4, 12, 15, 40) for measuring the variations of gas volume in the lungs (?VL), a thoraco-abdominal plethysmograph (101, 2, 3) for measuring the volume variations of the trunk (?VCW) and a system for processing (20) allowing measurement of the said variations of gas volume of the lungs (?VL) and the volume variations of the trunk (?VCW) so as to compute the volume of blood shifted between the trunk and the extremities (Vb). Further a process is described for measuring the volume of blood shifted between the trunk and the extremities (Vb).

Abstract: There is described an apparatus (1) for respiratory support and non-invasive detection of alveolar derecruitment for patients suffering from respiratory failure. Such an apparatus (1) generally comprises a mechanical ventilator (3) for inspiration/expiration functions and means (15) allowing to impose an additional periodic pressure component (Pstim) having a higher frequency than the spectral content of the inspiration/expiration pressure component (Presp). There are provided computing means (12) to obtain the inspiratory average reactance (Xrs) of the respiratory system of the patient (2) as the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) varies, in order to detect the presence of alveolar derecruitment. There is also described a procedure allowing to obtain an optimal positive end-expiratory pressure.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a system and a method for the automatic detection of the expiratory flow limitation of a subject. In an embodiment thereof the system for the automatic detection of expiratory flow limitation of a subject comprises: means for determining the respiratory impedance of said subject composes of an imaginary component and, eventually, of a real path or, at least, means to apply a forcing signal with one or more spectral components to the airway opening of a subject combined with means to measure time courses of pressure and flow at the airway opening; means for determining at least one index linked to said respiratory impedance or pressure and flow time courses; means for indicating the positioning of said at least one index in relation to a preset threshold value.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for fusion and navigation of ecographic and volumetric images of a patient (1) and for localization of an ecographic probe (2) connected with an ecographer (7) and/or of a surgical instrument (3) operating on the same patient.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a system and a method for the automatic detection of the expiratory flow limitation of a subject. In an embodiment thereof the system for the automatic detection of expiratory flow limitation of a subject comprises determining the respiratory impedance of the subject comprising an imaginary component and, eventually, of a real part or, at least, by applying a forcing signal with one or more spectral components to the airway opening of a subject combined with measuring time courses of pressure and flow at the airway opening; determining at least one index linked to respiratory impedance or pressure and flow time courses; indicating the positioning of at least one index in relation to a preset threshold value.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a system and a method for the automatic detection of the expiratory flow limitation of a subject. In an embodiment thereof the system for the automatic detection of expiratory flow limitation of a subject comprises: means for determining the respiratory impedance of said subject composes of an imaginary component and, eventually, of a real part or, at least means to apply a forcing signal with one or more spectral components to the airway opening of a subject combined with means to measure time courses of pressure and flow at the airway opening; means for determining at least one index linked to said respiratory impedance or pressure and flow time courses; means for indicating the positioning of said at least one index in relation to a preset threshold value.

Abstract: A device for accelerating calculation of the centroids of markers in a system for real time motion analysis is described, said system utilising images taken cyclically by a plurality of television cameras to follow the movements through time of a plurality of markers, each of which occupies a plurality of elementary units (pixels) of each television image frame: the centroid of these pixels indicates the instant position of the corresponding marker. The device according to the invention selects from the pixels of a set zone of a television image frame those occupied by the same marker and transfers these simultaneously to the circuit for calculation of the centroid.

Abstract: The optical correlator for incoherent light images herein described can be used in real time image processing systems to recognize objects having selected shapes and sizes and to determine their coordinates.

Abstract: A modularly expansible system is disclosed for real time processing of a TV image or display, the system being particularly useful for the acquisition of coordinates of known shape objects, or objects with any shape and spatial lay, incorporating a correlation means which comprises a plurality of cascade connected stages, among which a stage adapted to parallelize a preset number of TV raster lines, at least one column delay line stage, at least one pre-adder stage, and a totalizing adder stage. The inventive system may be readily expanded by interconnecting substantially alike modules, to thus find useful industrial scale application in a range of different fields, from the medical field to robotics. It may also be easily implemented at different levels of sophisticated design to practically meet any needs for real time in-line acquisition of known shape object coordinates.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a platform for supporting a patient to be examined and providing at least one component of the force exerted thereon by the patient, a TV camera so positioned as to pick up the image of the patient on the platform and cooperating with a monitor for displaying the picked up image in the form of a vectorial representation under the control of image processing circuitry and of a processor unit.