Vibratory venous and arterial oximetry sensor
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsHaruhiko H. Asada, Phillip Shaltis
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for distinguishing concentrations of blood constituents among distinct vascular components in situ. The method has steps of inducing periodic vibration, characterized by a frequency, in a limb of a person in such as manner as to selectively excite a resonant response in a specified blood vessel of the person, an artery or a vein, illuminating the limb of the person with a light source, and synchronously detecting a plethysmographic signal for discriminating response attributable to the specified blood vessel.
Claims9
A method for distinguishing concentrations of blood constituents among distinct vascular components in situ, the method comprising:
- a. inducing periodic vibration, characterized by a frequency, in a limb of a person in such a manner as to selectively excite a resonant response in a specified blood vessel of the person;
- b. illuminating the limb of the person with a light source;
- c. detecting light from the light source that has traversed the specified blood vessel and generating a plethysmographic signal corresponding thereto;
- and
- d. synchronously detecting the plethysmographic signal for a discriminating response attributable to the specified blood vessel.
An apparatus for inducing a plethysmographic response due to blood in a specified blood vessel of a person, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a vibrator for inducing periodic vibration, characterized by a frequency, in a limb of a person in such a manner a to selectively excite a resonant response in the specified blood vessel of the person;
- b. a light source for illuminating the limb of the person;
- c. a detector for detecting light from the light source that has traversed the specified blood vessel and for generating a plethysmographic signal corresponding thereto;
- and
- d. a signal processor for synchronously detecting the plethysmographic signal and for a discriminating response attributable to the specified blood vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.