Method for assessing endothelial function
AssigneeThermal Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHarry Frederick Bowman, Gregory T. Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The system assesses the endothelial function of a subject. Particularly, peripheral tissue perfusion measurements taken in a subject are compared to reference perfusion data and the comparison yields the assessment of endothelial function. The reference may be data indicative of peripheral tissue perfusion in a healthy person. Also, peripheral tissue perfusion measurements taken in a subject when perfusion is in an unperturbed state (the reference) can be compared to perfusion measurements taken promptly after a challenge to normal or unperturbed tissue perfusion of the subject.
Claims18
A method of assessing endothelial function in a subject comprising the steps of:
- assessing peripheral tissue perfusion at a selected site on the body of a subject;
- accessing peripheral tissue perfusion reference data indicative of endothelial function of a healthy subject;
- and
- comparing the results of said assessing step to the data accessed in said accessing step for obtaining values related to the endothelial function of the subject.
A method of comparing tissue perfusion related values comprising:
- (a) applying thermal energy to the skin surface and the adjacent capillary bed of a subject and detecting the thermal response to the application of thermal energy;
- (b) producing signals functionally related to the thermal energy applied by said applying step and the thermal response to the application of thermal energy;
- (c) calculating a perfusion related value using the signals produced by step (b);
- (d) storing the perfusion related value obtained by step (c);
- (e) for a time interval challenging blood flow to the skin surface and capillary bed to which thermal energy was applied by step (a);
- (f) repeating steps (a) through (c) immediately after step (e) for obtaining a perfusion related value affected by step (e);
- and
- (g) comparing the perfusion related value stored by step (d) and perfusion related value obtained by step (f).
A method for assessing endothelial function in a living subject comprising the steps of:
- determining an initial tissue perfusion related value at a selected location on the body of a subject;
- constricting the blood flow to the selected location for a time interval;
- releasing the constriction of blood flow to the selected location at the end of the time interval;
- and
- comparing the initial tissue perfusion related value to the tissue perfusion related value resulting from said releasing step.
A method of assessing a physiological characteristic of a living subject comprising the steps of;
- assessing peripheral tissue perfusion;
- and
- accessing a model relating peripheral tissue perfusion to the physiological characteristic;
- and
- comparing the results of said assessing step and the model accessed in the accessing step.
A method of assessing a physiological characteristic of a living subject comprising the steps of:
- assessing peripheral tissue perfusion as a proxy for said physiological characteristic;
- challenging the peripheral tissue perfusion assessed;
- assessing the changed peripheral tissue perfusion resulting from said challenging step;
- and
- comparing the results of the first said assessing step and the second said assessing step.
A method according to claim 23 wherein said physiological characteristic is endothelial function.
A method of assessing endothelial function of a subject comprising the steps of:
- sensing a peripheral tissue perfusion value at a selected location;
- storing the peripheral tissue perfusion value obtained by said sensing step;
- challenging blood flow to the selected location;
- sensing the changed peripheral tissue perfusion value at the selected location resulting from said challenging step;
- and
- calculating data indicative of systemic endothelial function using the stored peripheral tissue perfusion value and the peripheral tissue perfusion value resulting from the second said sensing step.
A method according to claim 25 wherein said challenging step comprises the step of chemically challenging blood flow to the selected location.
A method according to claim 25 wherein said challenging step comprises the steps of mechanically challenging blood flow to the selected location and terminating quickly the challenge and said calculating step promptly follows said terminating step for sensing the hyperemic reaction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.