Patents by Inventor Fansan Zhu
Fansan Zhu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20230166017Abstract: Techniques for monitoring intraperitoneal volume (IPV) during a dwell period of a peritoneal dialysis patient include monitoring intraperitoneal pressure (IPP) during the dwell period using a pressure sensor, monitoring the density of the dialysate during the dwell period, and determining a change in IPV based at least on a change in IPP and a change in the density of the dialysate during the dwell period.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 22, 2022Publication date: June 1, 2023Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko, Laura Rosales, Jun Yi
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Patent number: 11607145Abstract: A dialysis access site monitoring system may generate a treatment recommendation for treating a condition of an access site based on a video of the access site. The dialysis access site monitoring system may include an apparatus having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may include instructions that, when executed by the processor, may cause the processor to generate video information based on a video of a dialysis access site of a patient, determine change in the number of pixels (CNP) information of the video information, the CNP information associated with movement of a skin surface of the patient due to blood flow through the dialysis access site, determine frequency domain information of the CNP information, determine a maximum-to-median power (M2) value of the frequency domain information, and determine at least one access site characteristic based on the M2 value.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: March 21, 2023Assignee: FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE HOLDINGS, INC.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko
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Patent number: 11540739Abstract: A technique for determining skin sodium content using bioimpedance spectroscopy includes applying a current at a predetermined frequency to skin of a subject, measuring a voltage across the skin of the subject produced by the current, determining a resistance across the skin of the subject at the predetermined frequency using the measured voltage, and determining skin sodium content using the measured voltage.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2022Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko
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Publication number: 20220240806Abstract: A technique for determining skin sodium content using bioimpedance spectroscopy includes applying a current at a predetermined frequency to skin of a subject, measuring a voltage across the skin of the subject produced by the current, determining a resistance across the skin of the subject at the predetermined frequency using the measured voltage, and determining skin sodium content using the measured voltage.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2022Publication date: August 4, 2022Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko
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Patent number: 11330998Abstract: A technique for determining skin sodium content using bioimpedance spectroscopy includes applying a current at a predetermined frequency to skin of a subject, measuring a voltage across the skin of the subject produced by the current, determining a resistance across the skin of the subject at the predetermined frequency using the measured voltage, and determining skin sodium content using the measured voltage.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2019Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko
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Patent number: 11234609Abstract: Techniques and apparatuses for determining fluid volumes of a patient are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may include at least one memory, and logic coupled to the at least one memory. The logic may be configured to receive baseline bioimpedance information for at least a portion of a human body at a baseline pressure, receive pressurized bioimpedance information of the portion of the human body at a pressurized pressure, the pressurized pressure greater than the baseline pressure and configured to substantially remove blood volume from the portion at the pressurized pressure, and determine at least one of interstitial fluid volume (VIT) or peripheral blood volume (BVP) based on the baseline bioimpedance information and the pressurized bioimpedance information. Other embodiments are described.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2018Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko, Nathan W. Levin
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Publication number: 20210178042Abstract: A peritoneal dialysis (PD) system for infusing a volume of PD solution into a patient's peritoneal cavity in order to perform peritoneal dialysis on the patient includes a peritoneal cavity monitor (PCM) that measures this volume of fluid in the patient's peritoneal cavity by segmental bioimpedance spectroscopy (SBIS), to thereby determine an ultrafiltration volume of fluid in the patient's peritoneal cavity, and a switch, controlled by the PCM, for filling the patient's peritoneal cavity and draining the patient's peritoneal cavity when the ultrafiltration volume is unchanged over time, significantly decreased, or decreasing at a significant rate.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2021Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Nathan W. Levin
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Publication number: 20210137394Abstract: A dialysis access site monitoring system may generate a treatment recommendation for treating a condition of an access site based on a video of the access site. The dialysis access site monitoring system may include an apparatus having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may include instructions that, when executed by the processor, may cause the processor to generate video information based on a video of a dialysis access site of a patient, determine change in the number of pixels (CNP) information of the video information, the CNP information associated with movement of a skin surface of the patient due to blood flow through the dialysis access site, determine frequency domain information of the CNP information, determine a maximum-to-median power (M2) value of the frequency domain information, and determine at least one access site characteristic based on the M2 value.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: May 13, 2021Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko
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Publication number: 20210106741Abstract: Techniques for monitoring fluid volumes during peritoneal analysis include: computing lower abdominal fluid volumes, continuously during a dwell time of a peritoneal dialysis treatment, based at least on bioimpedance data from electrodes positioned on a patient's upper thighs; and computing intraperitoneal volumes, continuously during the dwell time of the peritoneal dialysis treatment, based at least on bioimpedance data from the electrodes positioned on the patient's upper thighs and electrodes positioned on the patient's torso.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Inventors: Peter Kotanko, Fansan Zhu
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Patent number: 10960122Abstract: A peritoneal dialysis (PD) system for infusing a volume of PD solution into a patient's peritoneal cavity in order to perform peritoneal dialysis on the patient includes a peritoneal cavity monitor (PCM) that measures this volume of fluid in the patient's peritoneal cavity by segmental bioimpedance spectroscopy (SBIS), to thereby determine an ultrafiltration volume of fluid in the patient's peritoneal cavity, and a switch, controlled by the PCM, for filling the patient's peritoneal cavity and draining the patient's peritoneal cavity when the ultrafiltration volume is unchanged over time, significantly decreased, or decreasing at a significant rate.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2013Date of Patent: March 30, 2021Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Nathan W. Levin
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Patent number: 10952643Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for measuring the circumference of a limb of an individual, e.g., the individual's arm and/or calf. The apparatus uses one or more magnetic strips which surround the limb and contain magnetic coding of length information. Tension is applied to the magnetic strip by a tensioning assembly, which can be a pressure cuff or a stepping motor, and a magnetic read head reads the magnetic coding of length information from the strip. When used in a bioimpedance analysis procedure, the length information can be used to convert measured voltage differences into normalized bioimpedance values, e.g., resistivity values.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2018Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Nathan W. Levin
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Patent number: 10953147Abstract: In an embodiment, the invention relates to methods, apparatus, computer programs and computer program products for estimating a dry weight of a dialysis patient comprising the steps of determining a first fluid status of the patient between treatment sessions in a first stage, determining a second fluid status of the patient during treatment sessions in a second stage and estimating the dry weight based on the second fluid status.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2017Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Nathan W. Levin, Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko, Peter Wabel, Ciro Tetta
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Publication number: 20210015397Abstract: Methods and apparatus for predicting/estimating the dry weight of an individual, e.g., a patient undergoing dialysis treatment, are provided. The techniques employ a bioimpedance measurement (303) on the individual's calf (101) to obtain information regarding the extracellular fluid volume of the calf Using a measurement of the calfs circumference (309), a resistivity value is calculated, normalized by the individual's body mass index (BMI), and then offset by a reference value to obtain a new variable, ?nRho, which is shown, by comparison with a “gold standard” (FIGS. 5-9), to be highly effective in predicting/estimating dry weight (FIGS. 10-13 and 15-16). The techniques are easy to use and provide accurate dry weight predictions/estimations without substantially adding to the complexity or cost of dialysis procedures. The techniques can also be used for individuals who are not renal patients, e.g.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2020Publication date: January 21, 2021Inventors: Nathan W. Levin, Fansan Zhu
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Patent number: 10820827Abstract: Methods and apparatus for predicting/estimating the dry weight of an individual, e.g., a patient undergoing dialysis treatment, are provided. The techniques employ a bioimpedance measurement (303) on the individual's calf (101) to obtain information regarding the extracellular fluid volume of the calf. Using a measurement of the calf's circumference (309), a resistivity value is calculated, normalized by the individual's body mass index (BMI), and then offset by a reference value to obtain a new variable, ?nRho, which is shown, by comparison with a “gold standard” (FIGS. 5-9), to be highly effective in predicting/estimating dry weight (FIGS. 10-13 and 15-16). The techniques are easy to use and provide accurate dry weight predictions/estimations without substantially adding to the complexity or cost of dialysis procedures. The techniques can also be used for individuals who are not renal patients, e.g.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2011Date of Patent: November 3, 2020Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Nathan W. Levin, Fansan Zhu
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Publication number: 20200196903Abstract: A technique for determining skin sodium content using bioimpedance spectroscopy includes applying a current at a predetermined frequency to skin of a subject, measuring a voltage across the skin of the subject produced by the current, determining a resistance across the skin of the subject at the predetermined frequency using the measured voltage, and determining skin sodium content using the measured voltage.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2019Publication date: June 25, 2020Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko
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Patent number: 10362968Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for measuring the circumference of a limb of an individual, e.g., the individual's arm and/or calf. The apparatus uses one or more magnetic strips which surround the limb and contain magnetic coding of length information. Tension is applied to the magnetic strip by a tensioning assembly, which can be a pressure cuff or a stepping motor, and a magnetic read head reads the magnetic coding of length information from the strip. When used in a bioimpedance analysis procedure, the length information can be used to convert measured voltage differences into normalized bioimpedance values, e.g., resistivity values.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2013Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE HOLDINGS, INC.Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Nathan W. Levin
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Publication number: 20190183385Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for measuring the circumference of a limb of an individual, e.g., the individual's arm and/or calf. The apparatus uses one or more magnetic strips which surround the limb and contain magnetic coding of length information. Tension is applied to the magnetic strip by a tensioning assembly, which can be a pressure cuff or a stepping motor, and a magnetic read head reads the magnetic coding of length information from the strip. When used in a bioimpedance analysis procedure, the length information can be used to convert measured voltage differences into normalized bioimpedance values, e.g., resistivity values.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2013Publication date: June 20, 2019Inventors: Fansan ZHU, Nathan W. LEVIN
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Patent number: 10258245Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for assessing patient blood flow using video image processing. According to one aspect, a method of analyzing at least one blood flow characteristic of a patient includes capturing a video including a plurality of frames of an arterio-venous (AV) fistula on the patient; amplifying motion in the video to produce a motion-amplified video; determining a difference in intensity between consecutive frames in the motion-amplified video to produce a time-function of an amplitude of the optic flow representing movement in an area of interest on the patient; and determining the at least one blood flow characteristic of the patient based on the time-function.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2018Date of Patent: April 16, 2019Assignee: FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE HOLDINGS, INC.Inventors: Peter Kotanko, Fansan Zhu
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Publication number: 20190015013Abstract: Techniques and apparatuses for determining fluid volumes of a patient are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may include at least one memory, and logic coupled to the at least one memory. The logic may be configured to receive baseline bioimpedance information for at least a portion of a human body at a baseline pressure, receive pressurized bioimpedance information of the portion of the human body at a pressurized pressure, the pressurized pressure greater than the baseline pressure and configured to substantially remove blood volume from the portion at the pressurized pressure, and determine at least one of interstitial fluid volume (VIT) or peripheral blood volume (BVP) based on the baseline bioimpedance information and the pressurized bioimpedance information. Other embodiments are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2018Publication date: January 17, 2019Inventors: Fansan Zhu, Peter Kotanko, Nathan W. Levin
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Publication number: 20180303380Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for measuring the circumference of a limb of an individual, e.g., the individual's arm and/or calf. The apparatus uses one or more magnetic strips which surround the limb and contain magnetic coding of length information. Tension is applied to the magnetic strip by a tensioning assembly, which can be a pressure cuff or a stepping motor, and a magnetic read head reads the magnetic coding of length information from the strip. When used in a bioimpedance analysis procedure, the length information can be used to convert measured voltage differences into normalized bioimpedance values, e.g., resistivity values.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2018Publication date: October 25, 2018Inventors: Fansan ZHU, Nathan W. LEVIN