Integrated, peripheral vascular diagnostic system and method therefor

An integrated, peripheral vascular diagnostic system utilizing patient data and electronically linking a doppler ultrasound unit generating ultrasound doppler data signals and at least one from the group consisting of a pulse volume recorder (PVR), an ocular pneumoplethysmograph (OPG), a photoplethysmograph (PPG), and an audio frequency analysis (AA) respective unit, each respectively generating PVR, OPG, PPG, and AA data signals, at least one of said doppler data signals and said respective data signals having an audio characteristic, the integrated diagnostic system comprising:

• means for electronically acquiring and converting said data signals into an initial set of digital data signals;
• a computer system including a processor, a memory, a keypad input device, a display monitor, a print unit and means for interfacing together said processor, said memory, said keypad, said display monitor, said print unit and said means for acquiring and converting said data signals;
• a data compilation means, incorporated into said computer system for compiling and initially storing said initial set of digital data signals and said patient data into said memory;
• a report generator means, as part of said computer system, for generating at a time subsequent to the initial storage of said initial set of digital data signals and not during data acquisition, displaying at said time subsequent, and printing at said time subsequent a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports based upon said digital data signals and said patient data;
• an analog playback means, as part of said report generator means, for presenting both a visual analog version of at least some said initial set of digital data signals and an audio analog version of at least some of said initial set of digital data signals having said audio characteristic;
• and,
• means for selecting, during the presentation, a portion of said stored initial set of digital data signals to be included in said vascular diagnostic report.

A method for electronically integrating a vascular diagnostic system by electronically linking patient data, a doppler ultrasound unit generating ultrasound doppler data signals and at least one from the group consisting of a pulse volume recorder (PVR), an ocular pneumoplethysmograph (OPG), a photoplethysmograph (PPG), and an audio frequency analysis (AA) unit, each respectively generating PVR, OPG, PPG, and AA data signals, the method comprising the steps of:

• electronically acquiring and converting said doppler data signals into an initial set of digital data signals;
• compiling and initially storing said initial set of digital data signals and said patient data into a data base, said initial storage of said initial set of digital data occurring substantially concurrently with the acquisition of said instrument data signals;
• generating and displaying, at a time subsequent to said initial digital data storage and not during data acquisition, and printing a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports based upon said digital data signals and said patient data, at least a portion of said display and printing including the display and printing of analog representations of said digital data, the step of generating including the step of selecting a portion of said initial set of digital data representing said doppler data signals and subsequently storing said portion of digital data as part of said vascular diagnostic reports;
• and
• presenting both a visual analog version of at least some of said initial set of digital data signals and an audio analog version of at least some of said initial set of digital data signals substantially during the step of selecting.

A method for electronically integrating a vascular diagnostic system by electronically linking a doppler ultrasound unit generating ultrasound doppler data signals and at least one from the group consisting of a pulse volume recorder (PVR), an ocular pneumoplethysmograph (OPG), a photoplethysmograph (PPG), and an audio frequency analysis (AA) unit, each respectively generating PVR, OPG, PPG, and AA data signals, at least one of said doppler data signals and said respective data signals having an audio characteristic, the method comprising the steps of:

• electronically acquiring and converting said data signals into an initial set of digital data signals;
• compiling and initially storing said initial set of digital data signals into a data base, said initial storage of said initial set of digital data occurring substantially concurrently with the acquisition of said instrument data signals;
• generating and displaying, at a time subsequent to said initial digital data storage and not during data acquisition, and producing a plurality of vascular diagnostic reports based upon said digital data, at least a portion of said display including the display of analog representations of said digital data, the step of generating including the step of selecting a portion of said initial set of digital data, representing at least one of said doppler data and said respective data, and subsequently storing said portion of digital data as part of said vascular diagnostic reports;
• and
• presenting both a visual analog version of said initial set of digital data signals and an audio analog version of said initial set of digital data signals having said audio characteristic substantially during to the step of selecting.