Abstract: A method and apparatus for authenticating an individual living organism by recognizing a unique internal electric and/or magnetic and/or acoustic characteristic, which comprises a biometric signature, involve presenting a body part to a sensing device that senses the signature. The sensed presented biometric signature is compared to a known biometric signature to authenticate the individual. This authentication can then be used to authorize any of a wide variety of actions by the individual, such as accessing equipment or an area, or to perform actions, such as conducting financial transactions. A card having sensors is used to sense the biometric signature which is read by a card reader and sent to a local or remote reader for biometric signature comparison.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for noninvasively measuring blood density and hematocrit in a human subject can include an appliance for applying pressure around a segment of a subject's limb or appendage that includes a pressure sensing means and encloses an array of impedance sensing devices applied to the subject's skin for independent fluid volume measurements. While applying pressure to the limb segment by the pressure appliance, measurements of blood pressure, blood pulse wave velocity, and limb segment impedance are recorded. The measurements are subsequently processed to yield changes of arterial blood volume during pulse wave passage. Then pressure, wave velocity, and derived volume data are combined to yield the density of the blood. Blood density is converted to hematocrit by means of a linear relationship between the two. Independent of the blood hematocrit, such apparatus and means may also be used to measure the density of enclosed fluid in other pulsed flow non-rigid wall vessel systems.

Abstract: The sensor has four electrodes arranged on a common base, three of which are made as closed circuits, placed one into another, whereas the fourth electrode is placed inside the smallest circuit. The external and the central electrodes form a pair of current-feeding electrodes, whereas the electrodes disposed between them form a pair of measuring electrodes. The second design option of the sensor has three electrodes, two of which are made as closed circuits placed one into another, whereas the third electrode is placed inside the electrode that is smaller. The external and the central electrodes form a pair of current-feeding electrodes, and the electrode arranged between them together with the external or the central electrode form a pair of measuring electrodes. The design of sensors makes it possible to use them in combination with biological signal sensors of non-rheographic modality, for example, pulse wave, temperature. The sensor may be incorporated in wristwatch or bracelet.

Abstract: A method and system for extracting cardiac parameters from a plethysmographic signal is described wherein the plethysmographic signal is passed through a first filter to remove non-cardiac components of the signal. A second filter averages a plurality of cardiac cycles and cardiac parameters are extracted from the averaged cardiac signal.

Abstract: The gate means 73 extracts the partial impedance pulse wave SMIMP(P) from the thorax impedance pulse wave SMIMP detected by the thorax impedance pulse wave detector 64. This is done over an intake period defined as a period starting from a first time T1 after the time when the R wave of the induced electro-cardiac wave is detected to the time when a rising edge of the photoelectric pulse wave SM2 is detected. Then, the heartbeat synchronous information determining means 74 selects a rising edge of the partial impedance pulse wave SMIMP(P) that periodically appears as heartbeat synchronous information IH. Thus, it is possible to accurately determine the heartbeat synchronous information IH. Additionally, since the photoelectric pulse wave SM2 that is detected by the photoelectric pulse wave sensor 40 is largely free of noise it is possible to accurately determine the end of the period for reading the thorax impedance pulse wave SMIMP.

Abstract: Methods, instruments, and kits for treating spinal pseudoarthrosis are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes delivering to a location of spinal pseudoarthrosis an effective amount of an osteoinductive composition that includes an injectible osteoinductive composition that includes an injectible osteoinductive composition in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In other embodiments, cannulated drills 10, 10′, 10″ and surgical instrument assemblies, 50, 50′ including a drill and a syringe 60 and 60′ wherein the syringe has a distal end that is matingly engaged to a proximal end of the drill are provided The drill and other instruments, instrument assemblies, and kits formed therefrom may advantageously be used in a method for treating pseudoarthrosis.

Abstract: A method for generating impedance images of the chest, comprising:

Abstract: Blood pressure is measured using the pulse transit time required for the blood volume pulse to propagate between two locations in an animal. Impedance plethysmography is employed to detect when the blood volume pulse occurs at one location. The plethysmograph may detect thoracic impedance to determine when the aortic heart valve opens or it may detect impedance at one location on a limb of the animal. Occurrence of the blood volume pulse at another location can be determined by impedance plethysmography or another technique, such as pulse oximetry. The calculation of cardiac stroke volume can be employed to compensate the derivation of the blood pressure for effects due to blood vessel compliance. A nonblood pressure monitor may periodically provide a reference blood pressure measurement that is used calibrate derivation of the blood pressure based on the pulse transit time.

Abstract: A cardiorespiratory monitor that generates bioimpedance sensing signals that produce substantially no interference with bioimpedance signals generated by implanted devices. The monitor detects the bioimpedance signal generated by the implanted device, using a voltage detector or a telemetry circuit, for example. The monitor analyzes this detected signal to generate a bioimpedance sensing signal that will not interfere with the sensed signal. For instance, if the monitor produces a pulsed sensing signal, the pulses are delivered in an interval of the detected signal where no pulses are present. Similarly, if the monitor produces a high frequency AC sensing signal, the zero crossings of the AC sensing signal are positioned during the delivery of a pulse by the implanted device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an bioelectrical impedance measuring apparatus which is simplified in structure and which is easy to use. A measuring apparatus comprising a personal data input unit which is used in inputting personal data and a plurality of electrodes which are used in measuring bioelectrical impedance is improved according to the present invention in that it comprises: a memory in which the personal data are stored via said personal data input unit; and a control device which carries out a required control by using at least one selected electrode to store the personal data in said memory or to retrieve the personal data from said memory.

Abstract: Blood pressure is measured using the pulse transit time required for the blood volume pulse to propagate between two locations in an animal. Impedance plethysmography is employed to detect when the blood volume pulse occurs at one location. The plethysmograph may detect thoracic impedance to determine when the aortic heart valve opens or it may detect impedance at one location on a limb of the animal. Occurrence of the blood volume pulse at another location can be determined by impedance plethysmography or another technique, such as pulse oximetry. The calculation of cardiac stroke volume can be employed to compensate the derivation of the blood pressure for effects due to blood vessel compliance. A nonblood pressure monitor may periodically provide a reference blood pressure measurement that is used calibrate derivation of the blood pressure based on the pulse transit time.

Abstract: Method for the in-vivo non-invasive measurement of a biological parameter of a person employing the placement of current injecting electrodes on the person's body, and the placement of measurement electrodes on said person's body between the current injecting electrodes, feeding a measuring current through the current injecting electrodes and the body connected thereto, and measuring a voltage over the measurement electrodes indicative for the biological paramater, whereby a first measurement electrode is placed near a clavicle of the person and a second measurement electrode is placed at the person's left hand side below the sternum.

Abstract: Methods for assessing immunocompetence, cellular or humoral immunity, antigen exposure, or allergic conditions in an individual by accelerating diagnostic particles into a target skin site in the individual are provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in an apnea detector monitor impedance pneumographic respiratory signals and heart rate of a patient. Magnitudes of excursions of the respiratory signals are monitored to resolve respiratory events, i.e. breaths, inhalations and exhalations. A counter will reach a threshold count and trigger an alarm if a selected interval lapses without a respiratory event being detected. If a respiratory event is detected, as by detecting successive peaks, a peak or a valley of the respiratory signal, the timer is reset. The method and apparatus reject artifact that would otherwise appear as breathing cycles in order to prevent false negative indications of apnea. Cyclically occurring peaks are rejected as being indicative of a breath if they are in a selected magnitude range compared to that of a normal breath and they approximate the patient's heart rate.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for determining an approximate value for the stroke volume and the cardiac output of a person's heart. The apparatus and method employ a measured electrical impedance, or admittance, of a part of a person's body, namely, the thorax. This part of a person's body is chosen because its electrical impedance, or admittance, changes with time as a consequence of the periodic beating of the heart. Accordingly, the measured electrical admittance or impedance can provide information about the performance of the heart as a pump.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for biometric recognition of an individual living organism uses electric and/or magnetic or acoustic energy. A biometric recognition system measures at least one bio-electrical and/or biomagnetic property to recognize of an individual living organism's identity. In one embodiment, an individual's hand is tested to provide a ratio of internal electric and/or magnetic properties of the fingers. This provides a biometric signature that is placed in memory for later comparison with a measured ratio of a presented hand to validate the individual's identity. The method and apparatus can be used to enable operation of a computer, or provide secure communication between an individual at a first location and a second location.

Abstract: The present invention provides means and methods for noninvasively identifying the blood pressure characteristics in each of the seven types of vessels in the circulatory system, including the central venous pressure (CVP) through a single monitoring system using fluid depletion plethysmography. Known pressure is applied to a body region in increasing amounts to force blood volume from the body region in step-wise fashion through each vessel type. Blood volume depletion for each vessel type is measured by the increasing electrical impedance of the body part during depletion and is plotted against the increasing pressure data. The resulting series of slope changes within the plotted curve reveals the blood pressure for each vessel type. The data obtained may further be used to determine vessel wall compliance/tension as well as standard measurements such as pulse and large artery systolic and diastolic pressure.

Abstract: An apparatus having a shaft that can sense the depth of penetration, for penetrating into an object (the substrate). The substrate being penetrated has impedance that varies according to the depth under a surface of the substrate. The shaft has a tip for penetration and has conductive ends near to the tip of the shaft. A change of impedance of material of the object between the conductive ends can be sensed to provide information on the depth of penetration. A processor can be provided external to the object being penetrated by the shaft to gather and process the impedance information to determine whether the desired depth has been achieved.

Abstract: A cardiorespiratory monitor that generates bioimpedance sensing signals that produce substantially no interference with bioimpedance signals generated by implanted devices. The monitor detects the bioimpedance signal generated by the implanted device, using a voltage detector or a telemetry circuit, for example. The monitor analyzes this detected signal to generate a bioimpedance sensing signal that will not interfere with the sensed signal. For instance, if the monitor produces a pulsed sensing signal, the pulses are delivered in an interval of the detected signal where no pulses are present. Similarly, if the monitor produces a high frequency AC sensing signal, the zero crossings of the AC sensing signal are positioned during the delivery of a pulse by the implanted device.

Abstract: An apparatus for shooting. The apparatus includes a gun. The apparatus includes a controller connected to the gun which controls whether the gun can fire. The apparatus includes a mechanism for determining a present biometric signature of a shooter who desires to fire the gun. The determining mechanism is in communication with the controller. The controller only allows the gun to fire if the present biometric signature of the shooter is recognized by the controller. A method for firing a gun. The method includes the steps of gripping a handle of a gun by a shooter. Then there is the step of recognizing a present biometric signature of the shooter. Next there is the step of releasing a trigger of the gun so the gun can fire as long as the biometric signature of the shooter is recognized.

Abstract: In use of at least two electrode pairs for the generation of a difference signal that corresponds to the flow through a vein upstream and downstream of the connection of a venous duct to the vein, a first signal is generated that corresponds to the resistance over the first electrode pair, upstream of the connection of the venous duct to the vein, a second signal is generated that corresponds to the resistance over the second electrode pair, downstream of the connection of the venous duct to the vein, and the difference signal between the first and the second signal is then determined so that a regional blood flow through a person or an animal can be determined.

Abstract: Apparatus and procedure for measuring volumes and global and segmental corporal composition in human beings, by means of measuring the electrical impedance at various frequencies, determining in this manner, the ratio between the intracellular water and the extracellular water volumes, the contents of total and extracellular water in each segment and the contents of the segmental lean mass. The apparatus is made up of a computer (11) which controls an electronic box (12), fed through a feeding source (14), various electrodes (13) coming out from said electronic box (12) which are placed on the body under research.

Abstract: The hematocrit of blood (i.e., the percentage of whole blood volume occupied by red blood cells) perfusing a finger is determined by stimulating the finger with two current frequencies, one relatively high (e.g., 10 MHZ) and the other relatively low (e.g., 100 KHz). Voltages induced in the finger in response to the two current frequencies are then captured and separated into baseline and pulsatile components. The hematocrit is determined as a function of the ratio of the high frequency pulsatile component to the low frequency pulsatile component, multiplied by the ratio of the square of the low frequency baseline component to the square of the high frequency baseline component. The signal-to-noise ratio of the captured voltages can be enhanced by the application of external pressure to the finger, such as by applying a pressure cuff to the finger.

Abstract: Procedure and device for determining cardiac output volume which involves applying an electrical potential to create a current flow through tissue of the patient's heart, placing a first measuring electrode on skin of the patient near the heart and inserting a second measuring electrode into the patient's body at a position on an opposite side of the heart from the first measuring electrode so that a straight-line heart-traversing projection extends through the heart between the first and the second measuring electrodes. In one embodiment the second measuring electrode is in a blood vessel and in another embodiment there are a plurality of second measuring electrodes with the best one being determined by Electrocardiogram equipment.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for monitoring cardiac output using bioelectrical impedance techniques in which first and second electrodes are placed in the trachea and/or bronchus in the vicinity of the ascending aorta, while an excitation current is injected into the thorax via first and second current electrodes, so that bioelectrical impedance measurements based on the voltage drop sensed by the first and second electrodes reflect voltage changes induced primarily by blood flow dynamics, rather than respiratory or non-cardiac related physiological effects. Additional sense electrodes may be provided, either internally, or externally, for which bioelectrical impedance values may be obtained. Methods are provided for computing cardiac output from bioelectrical impedance values. Apparatus and methods are also provided so that the measured cardiac output may be used to control administration of intravenous fluids to an organism or to optimize a heart rate controlled by a pacemaker.

Abstract: A cardiorespiratory monitor that generates bioimpedance sensing signals that produce substantially no interference with bioimpedance signals generated by implanted devices. The monitor detects the bioimpedance signal generated by the implanted device, using a voltage detector or a telemetry circuit, for example. The monitor analyzes this detected signal to generate a bioimpedance sensing signal that will not interfere with the sensed signal. For instance, if the monitor produces a pulsed sensing signal, the pulses are delivered in an interval of the detected signal where no pulses are present. Similarly, if the monitor produces a high frequency AC sensing signal, the zero crossings of the AC sensing signal are positioned during the delivery of a pulse by the implanted device.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring the tumescent state of the penis of a patient includes a plurality of sensing elements to be placed in proximity to the penis for sensing penile impedance values. A processing device is operably coupled to the plurality of sensing elements, the processing device determining at least one penile variable using the impedance values. The at least one penile variable is selected from the group consisting of length, volume, volume-change, cross-sectional area and volume-filling rate variables. An output device operably coupled with the processing device to generate a display using the at least one determined penile variable. The output device displays e.g. a plot of penile length, penile volume values and/or penile cross-sectional area values for comparison by a user of the apparatus, readily allowing the user to distinguish artifactual effects from erectile events.

Abstract: A constant current having high frequency and a known small current value is flown by a current supplying electrode portion (20) through a chest of a living body, variations of impedance at respective positions of the chest are detected by a voltage detector portion (30) and output as detected signals in relation to the respective positions of the chest and a mapping and display portion 40 performs a signal processing on the basis of the detected signals and produces a map corresponding thereto and displays it in a two dimensional plane. Therefore, it is possible to monitor hemodynamics in a wide area of the living body in two dimensional coordinates.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for assessing capillary permeability to determine vascular lung injury without requiring the injection of radioactive material or requiring the sampling of blood. The method includes measuring impedance and ultrasonic velocity of blood flow through a lung. A hypertonic bolus is injected into the blood flow, and measurements of the blood flow are taken to determine the ultrasonic velocity and the electrical impedance of the blood. These measurements are used to calculate the capillary transport quantity, which is the product of the reflection coefficient for movement of fluid across the capillary barrier and the filtration coefficient. The measured value of the capillary transport quantity can then be compared to a conventional capillary transport quantity for healthy lungs, and one can determine injury by a significant decrease in the measured capillary transport quantity as compared to the standard measurements.

Abstract: A thermodilution catheter having a heating filament which is fabricated so as to be thin and flexible enough to avoid contact with the patient's blood. The heating filament is either inserted in a preformed catheter lumen, incorporated into a wall of the catheter body itself, or wrapped around the catheter body wall and surrounded by an external sheath. Generally, the covering of the heating filament is minimally thin so as to allow the heat from the heating filament to be transferred to the surrounding blood and to minimally increase the overall cross-sectional area. Since the heating filament does not directly touch the patient's blood, the outer surface may be made smooth so as to prevent inducement of blood clots. In addition, the heating filament may be maintained at a safe temperature by forming the heating element of a flexible material having a high temperature coefficient of resistance, low thermal capacitance and high thermal conductivity.

Abstract: An in vivo method of determining the conductivity of a liquid such as human blood, including the steps of determining a location in a ventricle of a patient's heart at which blood conductivity may be measured effectively, positioning a catheter having a plurality of spaced electrodes in the ventricle such that at least a pair of adjacent electrodes are positioned at the location, applying a current of known magnitude to the adjacent electrodes, measuring the voltage between the adjacent electrodes, and determining the conductivity of the patient's blood from the known current and measured voltage.

Abstract: In a process for monitoring patients with chronic congestive heart failure, a high frequency current is passed between electrodes applied to two limbs of a patient. The current, voltage and phase angle between the measured current and voltage are measured to enable the calculation of congestive heart failure (CHF) indicia values. The calculated CHF indicia values are then compared with baseline values established when the patient is in a known, stable condition. Intervention is initiated if the differences between the calculated CHF indicia values and the baseline values are outside of established tolerances. The CHF indicia values may include resistance, reactance, impedance, total body water and extracellular water. Moreover, the CHF indicia values may include a figure of merit indicative of the hydration status of the patient.