Contrast injector for injecting a contrast medium to generate prolonged uniform vascular enhancement
AssigneesBHB Corporation, Liebel-Flarsheim Company
InventorsKyongtae T. Bae, Huy Q. Tran, James R. Small
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A contrast medium injector for injecting a patient with contrast medium for a CT scan is programmed to provide an injection protocol that is a representation of an ideally defined exponential curve with an initial injection rate decaying at an exponential rate. This has been found to produce a uniform vascular enhancement for the scanning of a patient's blood vessels. The particular exponential decay coefficient which has been found to be optimal is directly proportional to the cardiac output divided by the patient's weight and is approximated at 0.01 for a typical human.
Claims20
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval substantially at a preselected initial injection rate;
- and,
- a control system having means for controllably changing the injection rate during the injection routine.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval substantially at a preselected initial injection rate;
- a control system having means for controllably changing the injection rate during the injection routine;
- the means for controllably changing the injection rate includes means for ramping the injection rate during at least a part of the injection routine desired interval;
- and,
- the means for ramping causes the ramping to be performed substantially throughout the entirety of the injection routine desired interval.
A contrast agent intravascular infecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval substantially at a preselected initial injection rate;
- a control system having means for controllably changing the injection rate during the injection routine;
- and,
- the means for controllably changing the injection rate includes means for changing the injection rate at substantially an exponential rate having a coefficient approximating a selected cardiac output per body weight typifying the patient.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval substantially at a preselected initial injection rate;
- a control system having means for controllably changing the injection rate during the injection routine;
- and,
- the means for controllably decreasing the injection rate decreases the injection rate at a rate equal to a substantially linear approximation of an exponential function having as its decay coefficient a value directly proportional to a cardiac output per body weight typifying the patient.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval at a preselected initial injection rate;
- and,
- a control system having means for substantially continuously changing the injection rate as the routine continues.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval at a preselected initial injection rate;
- a control system having means for substantially continuously changing the injection rate as the routine continues;
- and,
- the means for continuously changing the injection rate includes means for changing the injection rate at substantially an exponential rate having a coefficient approximating a selected cardiac output per body weight typifying the patient.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine desired interval at a preselected initial injection rate;
- a control system having means for substantially continuously changing the injection rate as the routine continues;
- and,
- the control system having means for changing the injection rate at a rate equal to a substantially linear approximation of an exponential function having as its coefficient a value directly proportional to a cardiac output per body weight typifying the patient.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning the injection routine substantially at a preselected initial injection rate;
- and,
- a control system having means for substantially continuously changing the injection rate at a changing rate calculated to be substantially dependent on a selected cardiac output per body weight typifying the patient.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a control system having means for implementing a multiphasic injection protocol for injection of the contrast agent.
A contrast agent intravascular injecting apparatus that substantially maintains a desired level of vascular enhancement in a patient substantially throughout a desired interval of an injection routine, the apparatus comprising:
- a control system having means for implementing a multiphasic injection protocol for injection of the contrast agent;
- a contrast delivery system having means for beginning an injection routine substantially at a preselected initial injection rate;
- and,
- the multiphasic injection protocol being an exponential function.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.