ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER FOR CONTINUOUS IMAGING OF HEART

描述(摘自申请人摘要)：目前可用的超声换能器是手持设备。患者临床状态的改变可能需要进行多次超声心动图检查。使用手持换能器在短时间内进行连续超声心动图是不方便、昂贵的，而且往往不切实际。因此，临床上非常需要一种可用于心脏连续成像的超声换能器。为了绕过手持换能器的局限性，申请人提议建造一种球形、低轮廓的超声换能器，该换能器将使用粘合环连接到胸壁上，以便连续成像心脏结构和多普勒血流速度曲线。换能器将连接到一台轻便、便携、廉价的超声波机上。潜在的应用包括在冠状动脉监护病房连续记录左室壁运动，术中监测左心功能，以及使用多普勒血流速度曲线记录心输出量和肺舒张压。心脏和肺舒张压的测量将自动进行，这些参数以及室壁运动将显示在重症监护病房的屏幕上。这种设备将取代目前的侵入性方法，从而降低潜在的风险。建议的商业应用：1。无创超声血流动力学监测。2.在重症监护环境中对左心功能进行连续的“免提”超声监测。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's Abstract): Currently available ultrasound transducers are hand-held devices. Changes in clinical status of patients may warrant multiple echocardiograms. Performance of serial echocardiograms within a short period of time using a hand-held transducer is inconvenient, expensive, and often impractical. Thus, there is a great clinical need for an ultrasound transducer which can be used for continuous imaging of the heart. To circumvent the limitations on hand-held transducers, the applicants proposed to build a spherical, low profile, ultrasound transducer which will be attached to the chest wall using an adhesive ring to permit continuous imaging of cardiac structures and Doppler flow velocity profiles. The transducer will be coupled to a lightweight, portable, inexpensive ultrasound machine. Potential applications include continuous recording of left ventricular wall motion in the coronary care unit, intraoperative monitoring of left ventricular function, and recording of cardiac output and pulmonary diastolic pressure using Doppler flow velocity profiles. Measurement of cardiac and pulmonary diastolic pressure will be automated, and these parameters as well as wall motion will be displayed on a screen in the intensive care unit. This device would replace current invasive methods, thereby reducing potential risk. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: 1. Non-invasive ultrasonic hemodynamic monitoring. 2. Continuous "Hands-free" ultrasonic monitoring of left ventricular function in the intensive care setting.