Diagnostic catheter with memory

A thermodilution catheter assembly system for calculating a patient's cardiac output, comprising:

• (A) a catheter assembly comprising
• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into the patient's bloodstream, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of at least 0.001 ohms per ohm-degree centigrade;
• (ii) a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing encoded thermodilution information comprising
• (a) heating filament calibration information, said heating filament calibration information comprising
• (1) heating filament electrical resistance of said heating filament at a given temperature,
• (2) heating filament heat transfer efficiency of said heating filament, and
• (3) heating filament temperature coefficient of resistance of said heating filament;
• and
• (B) an external processing system which is connectable to said catheter assembly so that the external processing system can communicate with said memory and said heating filament, said external processing system comprising
• (i) means for decoding said encoded heating filament calibration information stored in said memory for generating decoded heating filament calibration information and
• (ii) means for calculating cardiac output using said decoded heating filament calibration information.

A thermodilution catheter assembly system for calculating a patient's cardiac output, comprising:

• (A) a catheter assembly comprising
• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into the patient's bloodstream, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of at least 0.001 ohms per ohm-degree centigrade;
• and
• (ii) a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing encoded thermodilution information comprising
• (a) heating filament calibration information, said heating filament calibration information comprising
• (2) heating filament electrical resistance of said heating filament at a given temperature,
• (2) heating filament heat transfer efficiency of said heating filament, and
• (3) heating filament temperature coefficient of resistance of said heating filament and
• (B) an external processing system which is connectable to said catheter assembly so that the external processing system can communicate with said memory and said heating filament, said external processing system comprising
• (i) means for decoding said encoded heating filament calibration information stored in said memory for generating decoded heating filament calibration information and
• (ii) means for calculating cardiac output using said decoded heating filament calibration information;
• and
• wherein said memory further contains at least one of a computer program, a computer program segment, and a software subroutine which can be read by said external processing system and used thereby to verify, correct, or modify processing of said thermodilution information.

A thermodilution catheter assembly for use in determining a patient's cardiac output comprising:

• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into a patient's bloodstream, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of greater than 0.001 ohms per ohm-degree centigrade;
• and
• (ii) a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing thermodilution information comprising
• (a) heating filament calibration information, said heating filament calibration information comprising at least one of
• (1) heating filament electrical resistance of said heating filament at a given temperature,
• (2) heating filament heat transfer efficiency of said heating filament, or
• (3) heating filament temperature coefficient of resistance of said heating filament, and
• (b) patient specific information.

A thermodilution catheter assembly for insertion in an artery or a vein for use in determining a patient's cardiac output, comprising:

• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into a patient's bloodstream, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of at least 0.001 ohms per ohm-degree centigrade;
• and
• (ii) a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing thermodilution information comprising
• (a) heating filament calibration information, said heating filament calibration information comprising at least one of
• (1) heating filament electrical resistance of said heating filament at a given temperature,
• (2) heating filament heat transfer efficiency of said heating filament, or
• (3) heating filament temperature coefficient of resistance of said heating filament, and
• (b) operation information comprising at least one of
• (1) a computer program,
• (2) a computer program segment, and
• (3) a software subroutine.

A thermodilution catheter assembly system for calculating a patient's cardiac output, comprising:

• (A) a catheter assembly comprising
• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into a patient's bloodstream, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of at least 0.001 ohms per ohm-degree centigrade;
• (ii) a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing thermodilution information comprising
• (a) heating filament calibration information, said heating filament calibration information comprising at least one of
• (1) heating filament electrical resistance of said heating filament at a given temperature,
• (2) heating filament heat transfer efficiency of said heating filament, or
• (3) heating filament temperature coefficient of resistance of said heating filament, and
• (b) operation information comprising at least one of
• (1) a computer program,
• (2) a computer program segment, and
• (3) a software subroutine;
• (B) an external processing system adapted to communicate with said memory to read said thermodilution information and to communicate with said heating filament to determine resistance of said heating filament;
• and
• wherein said external processing system and said operation information, in combination, comprise means for calculating the patient's cardiac output by processing said thermodilution information.

A thermodilution catheter assembly for providing data to an external processing system for calculating a patient's cardiac output, comprising:

• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into a patient's bloodstream, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of at least 0.001 ohms per ohm-degree centigrade;
• (ii) means, mounted to said catheter, for measuring data relating to cardiac output;
• and
• (iii) a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing operation information for controlling calculation of the patient's cardiac output based upon data including said data relating to cardiac output that is measured by said means for measuring, said operation information comprising at least one of
• (1) a computer program,
• (2) a computer program segment, and
• (3) a software subroutine.

A thermodilution catheter assembly for providing data to an external processing system for calculating a cardiac output of a patient, comprising:

• a catheter adapted to be inserted into a bloodstream of the patient, said catheter having a heating filament made of a thin, flexible material having a temperature coefficient of resistance of greater than zero;
• means, mounted to said catheter, for measuring data relating to cardiac output;
• and
• a memory which resides at a predetermined location on or about said catheter, said memory storing operation information for controlling calculation of the patient's cardiac output based upon data including said data relating to cardiac output that is measured by said means for measuring.

A thermodilution catheter system for use in determining cardiac output of a patient, comprising:

• (i) a catheter adapted to be inserted into a bloodstream of the patient, said catheter comprising
• (A) a heating filament
• (1) made of a thin and flexible material,
• (2) having a resistance, and
• (3) having a temperature coefficient of resistance of greater than zero and
• (B) a memory, said memory storing thermodilution information comprising heating filament calibration information for said heating filament;
• and
• (ii) means, coupled to said memory and said heating filament, for controlling the temperature of said heating filament based at least in part upon said heating filament calibration information stored in said memory.