Non-invasive assessment of anatomic vessels

US11096654B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US
• The General Hospital Corporation · US

Inventors

• Galit H. Frydman · Boston, US
• Alexander Tyler Jaffe · Cambridge, US
• Maulik Majmudar · Germantown, US
• Mohamad Najia · Cambridge, US
• Robin Singh · Mountain View, US
• Zijun Wei · Cambridge, US
• Jason Yang · Pleasanton, US
• Brian W. Anthony · Cambridge, US
• Athena Yeh Huang · Cambridge, US
• Aaron Michael Zakrzewski · Boston, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 13, 2018
• Grant date: Aug 24, 2021
• Expiry date: Dec 20, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B2090/064
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure are directed to accurate and non-invasive assessments of anatomic vessels (e.g., the internal jugular vein (IJV)) of vertebrates. For example, a piezoelectric crystal may generate a signal and receive a pulse echo of the signal along an axis extending through the piezoelectric crystal and an anatomic vessel. A force sensor disposed relative to the piezoelectric crystal may measure a force exerted (e.g., along skin of the vertebrate) on the anatomic vessel along the axis. The pulse echo received by the piezoelectric crystal and the force measured by the force sensor may, in combination, non-invasively and accurately determine a force response of the anatomic vessel. In turn, the force response may be probative of any one or more of a variety of different characteristics of the anatomic vessel including, for example, location of the anatomic vessel and pressure of the anatomic vessel.