System for determining blood flow

A method for determining blood flow within a blood vessel, the method comprising:

• infusing a fluid into the blood vessel at an infusion rate that generates a mixture of the fluid and blood within the blood vessel;
• and
• while the fluid is continuously infused into the blood vessel at the infusion rate:
• simultaneously measuring a plurality of temperature values at a plurality of locations along a length of the blood vessel to determine a temperature profile along the length of the blood vessel,
• determining, based on the plurality of temperature values, a first temperature value at a first location along the length of the blood vessel, the first temperature value indicating temperature of the fluid,
• determining, based on the plurality of temperature values, a second temperature value at a second location along the length of the blood vessel, the second temperature value indicating temperature of the mixture of the fluid and the blood, and
• determining the blood flow based on the first temperature value, the second temperature value, and the infusion rate;
• and further comprising:
• determining a quality value indicating a degree of mixing of the fluid and the blood based on the plurality of temperature values measured at the plurality of locations along the length of the blood vessel.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored a computer program comprising instructions for determining blood flow within a blood vessel, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• while a fluid is continuously infused into the blood vessel at an infusion rate:
• receive, from at least one sensor, a plurality of temperature values simultaneously measured at a plurality of locations along a length of the blood vessel to determine a temperature profile along the length of the blood vessel,
• determine, based on the plurality of temperature values, a first temperature value at a first location along the length of the blood vessel, the first temperature value indicating temperature of the fluid,
• determine, based on the plurality of temperature values, a second temperature value at a second location along the length of the blood vessel, the second temperature value indicating temperature of a mixture of the fluid and blood within the blood vessel, and
• determine the blood flow based on the first temperature value, the second temperature value, and the infusion rate;
• and
• determine a quality value indicating a degree of mixing of the fluid and the blood based on the plurality of temperature values measured at the plurality of locations along the length of the blood vessel.