Esophageal cardiac pulse monitoring apparatus and method
US4409986A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 25, 1982 |
| Grant date | Oct 18, 1983 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 25, 2002 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M25/1011
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An esophageal cardiac pulse probe includes a lumen for insertion into the esophagus, the end of the lumen preferably being closed by a flexible diaphragm. Pressure variations imparted to the fluid within the lumen in response to sounds from the heart and the lungs are transmitted to an electrical transducer which produces an electrical signal proportional to the time-varying frequency and intensity of the pressure variations. This signal is selectively filtered to effectively eliminate signal components due to respiratory noise and audible heart sounds and the resulting signal is fed to an appropriate visual display apparatus. Direct acoustic cardiac sound monitoring is also achievable with an earpiece connected to the lumen. Several probe geometries and a method of cardiac pulse waveform monitoring are also disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.