Abstract: In a method, a device and a computer program for determining the blood flow in a tissue or organ region, the fluorescence intensity of an exogenous chromophore is measured as a function of time in the tissue region to be examined and from this the permeation rate of the chromophore is calculated, from which the blood flow can be derived.

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: A safety housing, into which an infrared laser light source is integrated together with the CCD camera, forms a compact unit for the determination of tissue perfusion. Rays from the infrared laser light source radiate the area of operation and indocyanin green, previously injected intravenously into the patient, is excited to fluorescence by the radiation, which is detected by the CCD camera.

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: 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. In use, the ground tip surface of the puncture needle cuts through the skin, the intermediate tissue and the wall of the blood vessel. The wider part of the hollow needle causes the puncture point to widen. Due to having a primary puncture of small diameter and then widening the puncture hole to the diameter required for introducing a correspondingly thick catheter, the traumatic injury to the blood vessel thereafter recedes relatively quickly back to the smaller diameter of the puncture. Accordingly, the time for healing a wound is limited to that required for a smaller hole.

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: 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 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.