text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|May 23, 2006
|Filing date
|Mar 22, 2001
|Priority date
|Mar 23, 2000
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Frank R. Miele, Ronald Mucci, Stuart L. Gallant
|Original Assignee
|Tensys Medical, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (85), Non-Patent Citations (8), Referenced by (60), Classifications (24), Legal Events (13)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/534,900 entitled "Method And Apparatus For Assessing Hemodynamic Properties within the Circulatory System of a Living Subject" filed Mar. 23, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,774 issued Apr. 29, 2003, and assigned to the Assignee hereof, and incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,982 entitled "Method And Apparatus For The Noninvasive Assessment Of Hemodynamic Parameters Including Blood Vessel Location" filed contemporaneously herewith, assigned to the Assignee hereof.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for monitoring parameters associated with the circulatory system of a living subject, and specifically to the non-invasive monitoring of arterial blood pressure.
2. Description of Related Technology
Arterial Blood Pressure Measurement
Several well known techniques have heretofore been used to non-invasively monitor a subject's arterial blood pressure waveform, namely, auscultation, oscillometry, and tonometry. Both the auscultation and oscillometry techniques use a standard inflatable arm cuff that occludes the subject's brachial artery. The auscultatory technique determines the subject's systolic and diastolic pressures by monitoring certain Korotkoff sounds that occur as the cuff is slowly deflated. The oscillometric technique, on the other hand, determines these pressures, as well as the subject's mean pressure, by measuring actual pressure changes that occur in the cuff as the cuff is deflated. Both techniques determine pressure values only intermittently, because of the need to alternately inflate and deflate the cuff, and they cannot replicate the subject's actual blood pressure waveform. Thus, true continuous, beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring cannot be achieved using these techniques.
Occlusive cuff instruments of the kind described briefly above have generally been somewhat effective in sensing long-term trends in a subject's blood pressure. However, such instruments generally have been ineffective in sensing short-term blood pressure variations, which are of critical importance in many medical applications, including surgery.
The technique of arterial tonometry is also well known in the medical arts. According to the theory of arterial tonometry, the pressure in a superficial artery with sufficient bony support, such as the radial artery, may be accurately recorded during an applanation sweep when the transmural pressure equals zero. The term "applanation" refers to the process of varying the pressure applied to the artery. An applanation sweep refers to a time period during which pressure over the artery is varied from overcompression to undercompression or vice versa. At the onset of a decreasing applanation sweep, the artery is overcompressed into a "dog bone" shape, so that pressure pulses are not recorded. At the end of the sweep, the artery is undercompressed, so that minimum amplitude pressure pulses are recorded. Within the sweep, it is assumed that an applanation occurs during which the arterial wall tension is parallel to the tonometer surface. Here, the arterial pressure is perpendicular to the surface and is the only stress detected by the tonometer sensor. At this pressure, it is assumed that the maximum peak-to-peak amplitude (the "maximum pulsatile") pressure obtained corresponds to zero transmural pressure. This theory is illustrated graphically in
One prior art device for implementing the tonometry technique includes a rigid array of miniature pressure transducers that is applied against the tissue overlying a peripheral artery, e.g., the radial artery. The transducers each directly sense the mechanical forces in the underlying subject tissue, and each is sized to cover only a fraction of the underlying artery. The array is urged against the tissue, to applanate the underlying artery and thereby cause beat-to-beat pressure variations within the artery to be coupled through the tissue to at least some of the transducers. An array of different transducers is used to ensure that at least one transducer is always over the artery, regardless of array position on the subject. This type of tonometer, however, is subject to several drawbacks. First, the array of discrete transducers generally is not anatomically compatible with the continuous contours of the subject's tissue overlying the artery being sensed. This has historically led to inaccuracies in the resulting transducer signals. In addition, in some cases, this incompatibility can cause tissue injury and nerve damage and can restrict blood flow to distal tissue.
Other prior art techniques have sought to more accurately place a single tonometric sensor laterally above the artery, thereby more completely coupling the sensor to the pressure variations within the artery. However, such systems may place the sensor at a location where it is geometrically "centered" but not optimally positioned for signal coupling, and further typically require comparatively frequent re-calibration or repositioning due to movement of the subject during measurement.
Tonometry systems are also commonly quite sensitive to the orientation of the pressure transducer on the subject being monitored. Specifically, such systems show a degradation in accuracy when the angular relationship between the transducer and the artery is varied from an "optimal" incidence angle. This is an important consideration, since no two measurements are likely to have the device placed or maintained at precisely the same angle with respect to the artery. Many of the foregoing approaches to lateral sensor positioning similarly suffer from not being able to maintain a constant angular relationship with the artery regardless of lateral position, due in many cases to positioning mechanisms which are not adapted to account for the anatomic features of the subject, such as curvature of the wrist surface.
Another significant drawback to arterial tonometry systems in general is their inability to continuously monitor and adjust the level of arterial wall compression to an optimum level of zero transmural pressure. Generally, optimization of arterial wall compression has been achieved only by periodic recalibration. This has required an interruption of the subject monitoring function, which sometimes can occur during critical periods. This disability severely limits acceptance of tonometers in the clinical environment.
A further limitation of the tonometry approach relates to incomplete pressure pulse transfer from the interior of the blood vessel to the point of measurement on the surface of the skin above the blood vessel. Specifically, even when the optimum level of arterial compression is achieved, there is incomplete and complex coupling of the arterial blood pressure through the vessel wall and through the tissue, to the surface of the skin, such that the magnitude of pressure variations occurring within the blood vessel is different than that measured by a tonometric sensor (pressure transducer) placed on the skin. Hence, any pressure signal or waveform measured at the skin necessarily differs from the true pressure within the artery. Modeling the physical response of the arterial wall, tissue, musculature, tendons, bone, skin of the wrist is no small feat, and inherently includes uncertainties and anomalies for each separate individual. These uncertainties and anomalies introduce unpredictable error into any measurement of blood pressure made via a tonometric sensor.
One prior art method of calibrating tonometric pressure measurements utilizes an oscillometric device (i.e., a pressure cuff or similar) to periodically obtain "actual" pressure information which is then used to calibrate the tonometric measurements. This approach suffers from the need to perform ongoing calibration events, specifically inflations/deflations of the cuff, in order to maintain device calibration. Such calibration events are distracting, uncomfortable, and can practically only be performed with a comparatively long periodicity. Furthermore, this technique does not calibrate based on measurement of actual hemodynamic changes occurring within the circulatory system, but rather based on external measurements which may or may not be representative of the actual changes. No mechanism for correcting for incomplete pulse transfer from the blood vessel to the sensor(s) due to interposed tissue, etc. is provided either.
Other prior art calibration techniques have attempted to transmit or induce a perturbation within the blood flowing in the blood vessel, and subsequently sense the component of that signal within the measured hemodynamic parameter (e.g., blood pressure waveform) to generate an offset or correction for the measured parameter. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,649 entitled "Apparatus and Method for Measuring an Induced Perturbation to Determine Blood Pressure" assigned to Vital Insite, Inc. ('649 patent). Under the approach of the '649 patent, changes in a variety of hemodynamic parameters resulting ostensibly from changes in blood pressure are modeled and stored within the device, and compared to data obtained from a tonometric sensor This approach, however, has a profound disability in that the calibration offset is determined not by direct measurement of the hemodynamic parameters of the subject under evaluation, but by modeling the relationship between blood pressure and perturbation wave velocity; i.e., velocity and phase are modeled to have a certain relationship to changes in blood pressure; therefore, in theory, observed changes in velocity/phase of the perturbation wave can be used to generate estimations of actual blood pressure within the subject being evaluated. The limits of this system are clearly dictated by the ability to accurately model many complex, non-linear, interdependent parameters, as well as predict the time variance of these many parameters.
Hemodynamics and Diseases of the Circulatory System
The science of hemodynamics, or the analysis of fluid (blood) flow within the body, is presently used effectively to detect and/or diagnose diseases of or defects within the circulatory system. For example, valvular disease, cardiac structural defects, venous disease, reduced cardiac function, and arterial disease may be assessed by studying how the blood flows through various portions of the circulatory system. Of particular interest is the analysis of arterial diseases such as stenosis (i.e. blockage or reduction in effective cross-sectional area due to arterial plaque, etc.). It is known that as the degree of stenosis within the blood vessel of a living subject varies, certain changes in the parameters of the circulatory system and in the overall health of the subject occur. As illustrated in
By modeling the stenotic artery as a fluid system having an internal pressure (P) and blood mass flow rate (Q) or blood velocity (v), a modified version of the well known Bernoulli equation may be applied to describe the flow of blood within the artery as follows:
ΔP∝4�ν2 Eqn. (1)
Hence, the foregoing relationship may be used to assess one hemodynamic parameter when another is known. For example, the pressure gradient (ΔP) across a stenosis within the artery may be estimated by obtaining data on the velocity of blood flowing through the stenosis, and then using this velocity data within Eqn. (1). The velocity data may be obtained by any number of well-known techniques, such as spectral Doppler ultrasound.
However, despite their utility in assessing the severity of stenoses present in the artery and other such diseases, prior art hemodynamic evaluation techniques are effectively incapable of assessing the absolute blood pressure within the artery at any given time. In theory, an accurate model of the response of the circulatory system could be used to estimate the value of parameters within the system (such as true arterial pressure) based on known or measured values of other parameters. As can be appreciated, however, the circulatory system of a living organism, and especially a human being, is extremely complex, with literally thousands of interconnected blood vessels. This system includes, inter alia, scores of capillaries, veins, and arteries, each having their own unique physical properties. Furthermore, within each of the aforementioned categories of blood vessel, individual constituents may have markedly different properties and response within the circulatory system. For example, two arteries within the human body may (i) have different diameters at different points along their length; (ii) supply more or less veins and capillaries than the other; (iii) have more or less elasticity; and (iv) have more or less stenosis associated therewith.
The properties and response of each of the blood vessels also may be affected differently by various internal and/or external stimuli, such as the introduction of an anesthetic into the body. Even common autonomic responses within the body such as respiration affect the pressure in the circulatory system, and therefore may need to be considered.
Considering these limitations, it becomes exceedingly difficult if not impossible to accurately model the circulatory system of the human being in terms of its fluid dynamic properties for use in blood pressure estimation. Even if a hypothetical circulatory system could be accurately modeled, the application of such a model would be susceptible to significant variability from subject to subject due to each subject's particular physical properties and responses. Hence, such approaches can at best only hope to form gross approximations of the behavior of the circulatory system, and accordingly have heretofore proven ineffective at accurately determining the blood pressure within a living subject.
Based on the foregoing, what is needed is an improved method and apparatus for assessing hemodynamic parameters, including blood pressure, within a living subject. Such method and apparatus would ideally be non-invasive, would be continuously or near-continuously self-calibrating, and would be both useful and produce reliable results under a variety of different subject physiological circumstances, such as when the subject is both conscious and anesthetized. Lastly, such improved method and apparatus would be based primarily on parameters measured from each particular subject being assessed, thereby allowing for calibration unique to each individual.
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned needs by an improved method and apparatus for assessing hemodynamic properties, including blood pressure, within a living subject.
In a first aspect of the invention, a method of assessing at least one hemodynamic parameter from a blood vessel is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting acoustic energy into the blood vessel; determining the power of reflections of the acoustic energy as a function of the depth within the vessel; identifying at least one first artifact within the power, the at least one artifact being related to the lumen associated with the blood vessel; identifying at least one wall of the blood vessel based at least in part on the first artifact and the act of determining the power; and determining the at least one hemodynamic parameter based at least in part on the at least one wall and the at least one artifact.
In another embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting acoustic energy into the blood vessel; evaluating reflections of the acoustic energy, the evaluating comprising demodulating the reflections by: deriving first and second frequency components of the reflections; and filtering the first and second components to retain only a subset thereof; identifying at least one region associated with the lumen of the blood vessel based on a wave propagation parameter associated with the subset; and determining the hemodynamic parameter based at least in part on the at least one region.
In yet another embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting acoustic energy into a blood vessel; detecting at least one region associated with the lumen in the blood vessel by demodulating at least a portion of A-mode data associated with the acoustic energy, the demodulating comprising: deriving a first frequency component of the A-mode signals; deriving a second frequency component of the A-mode signals; and filtering the first and second components to obtain a baseband component representation of the A-mode signals; detecting the location of the at least one wall of the blood vessel relative to the lumen, the act of detecting the location comprising: determining the A-mode signal level associated with the region of the lumen; detecting at least one region where the A-mode signal level varies between the level associated with the region of the lumen and a higher signal level; and associating the location of the at least one wall with the at least one region of variation; and determining the hemodynamic parameter based at least in part on the acts of detecting.
In still another embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting acoustic energy into the blood vessel; detecting the region associated with the lumen in the blood vessel; detecting the location of first and second walls of the blood vessel relative to the lumen, the detecting the location comprising: (i) determining the A-mode signal level associated with the region of the lumen; (ii) detecting, at a depth less than that of the lumen, at least one region where the A-mode signal level varies between the level associated with the region of the lumen and a higher signal level; and (iii) associating the location of the first or second wall with the at least one region of variation; and determining the hemodynamic parameter based at least in part on the acts of detecting.
In a second aspect of the invention, an apparatus for measuring hemodynamic properties within the blood vessel of a living subject is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises: a first transducer adapted to measure at least a first hemodynamic parameter associated with the blood vessel; an applanation device adapted to compress the blood vessel while measuring the first hemodynamic parameter; a second transducer adapted to transmit ultrasonic energy into the blood vessel and receive echoes therefrom; and a signal processor operatively connected to the second transducer and configured to detect the lumen within the blood vessel based on the echoes, and estimate the diameter of the blood vessel based thereon, the estimate of diameter of the blood vessel being used at least in part to calibrate the measurement of the first hemodynamic parameter.
In a second embodiment, the apparatus comprises: means for measuring at least a first hemodynamic parameter associated with the blood vessel; means for compressing the blood vessel while measuring the first hemodynamic parameter; means for transmitting ultrasonic energy into the blood vessel and receiving echoes therefrom; and processing means operatively connected to the means for transmitting and configured for detecting the lumen within the blood vessel based on the echoes, and estimating the diameter of the blood vessel based thereon, the processing means detecting the lumen prior to any wall detection associated with the diameter estimate, the estimate of diameter of the blood vessel being used at least in part to calibrate the measurement of the first hemodynamic parameter.
In a third aspect of the invention, a method of assessing the arterial blood pressure of a living subject is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises: applanating the blood vessel at least partly; measuring the diameter of the blood vessel during the act of applanating; measuring the pressure applied to the blood vessel as a function of time during the at least a portion of the act of applanating in order to produce a pressure waveform; identifying at least one artifact within the pressure waveform by at least; (i) setting lower and upper pressure limits to define a region of interest; and (ii) identifying at least one portion within the region of interest wherein the slope of the pressure waveform as measured over a predetermined interval meets a predetermined criterion; and using the at least one artifact to determine the arterial blood pressure.
Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
It is noted that while the invention is described herein in terms of a method and apparatus for assessing the hemodynamic parameters of the circulatory system via the radial artery (i.e., wrist) of a human subject, the invention may also be embodied or adapted to monitor such parameters at other locations on the human body, as well as monitoring these parameters on other warm-blooded species. All such adaptations and alternate embodiments are considered to fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.
In one fundamental aspect, the present invention comprises a method of assessing hemodynamic parameters within a living subject by artificially inducing "stresses" on the subject's circulatory system. The response of the circulatory system to these stresses is known or determinable, and useful in identifying artifacts or markers with the observed data. These markers are subsequently used to calibrate measurements of the aforementioned hemodynamic parameters.
For example, as will be described in greater detail below, the present invention is useful at calibrating the blood pressure waveform obtained from a tonometric or surface pressure sensor disposed over the radial artery of a human being, the non-calibrated pressure waveform potentially varying substantially from that actually experienced within the radial artery itself. In one embodiment, the "stress" placed on the artery is applanation (i.e., compression), and the velocity of blood flowing through the area of applanation is monitored to identify markers within the velocity profile. These markers correspond to, inter alia, a state of near zero transmural pressure across the artery wall. In this fashion, an accurate measure of true arterial pressure may be obtained non-invasively. It will be recognized, however, that the invention as described herein may also be readily used in assessing other hemodynamic properties, such as the pressure differential between two locations within a blood vessel, venous or arterial wall compliance, variations in the strength of ventricular contraction, and the like, and accordingly is not limited to the measurement of arterial blood pressure.
Method of Assessing Hemodynamic Properties
Referring now to
Next, in step 304 of
Next, in step 306, a second parameter associated with the blood vessel is measured in order to facilitate derivation of a calibration function in step 308 below. As discussed in greater detail with respect to
In step 308 of
In step 310 of the method of
However, as is described in greater detail herein below, the present invention advantageously provides the ability to generate a calibration function at a first time t1, and then monitor the second hemodynamic parameter (e.g., maximum velocity, kinetic energy, area, or flow) continuously for indications of variation of the measured parameter. This is accomplished in step 312 of the method 300 by controlling the external pressure applied to the artery so as to establish a predetermined relationship between true arterial and external pressure, as described further below.
In step 312, the pressure applied to the artery is controlled to selected value of the first parameter so as to maintain the pressure across the artery wall (i.e., "transmural pressure") within the artery at or near a desired value. This process is referred to herein as "servoing" to a particular value. As discussed in detail with reference to
Referring now to
Next, in step 324, a blood vessel within the body of the subject is selected for monitoring. Due to its accessibility and relative proximity to the surface of the skin, the radial artery of the human being is an excellent location for monitoring hemodynamic parameters within the circulatory system, although it will be appreciated that other locations on the human being (or other species) may be used for this purpose. As noted above, the location of monitoring also may be related to or determined by the type of condition to be assessed or monitoring to be performed. Of course, multiple monitoring locations may be employed, whether sequentially or in parallel, with the methods of the present invention.
With respect to the radial artery of the human being, it is further noted that anecdotal evidence suggests that the radial artery is only minimally affected by arterial diseases, including stenosis and calcification due to diabetes. The reasons for this observed behavior are beyond the scope of this discussion; however, this behavior is of some significance to the discussion of applanation stress provided herein with respect to
Next, in step 326 of
In step 328, a signal is measured from the transducer(s) as a function of time. The signal may be measured discretely (e.g., at a predetermined interval) or continuously, depending on the desired frequency of monitoring. In the case of the exemplary pressure transducer previously described, the output signal for a continuous measurement will comprise a time variant waveform. In the case of arterial blood pressure, the waveform will generally track the actual "gold standard" arterial pressure, yet will include error or offset which varies with the pressure changes according to the various phases of the cardiac cycle. This time variant, non-linear error, or "variable error" between the measured and actual pressure waveform presents an additional complexity in the measurement process, one which the present invention is particularly well adapted to overcome as will be described in greater detail below.
Referring now to
Referring to
As illustrated in
A further reductions in flow area produces a transition through what is known as the "critical" region 416; in the critical region, the flow area is so reduced so that there is inadequate energy to overcome the increased flow resistance, and volumetric flow is no longer maintained. Between these regions 414, 416, a velocity "peak" 420 is formed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this peak 420 occurs roughly at point of 50% reduction in arterial diameter (corresponding roughly to 75% reduction in flow area). As a result, the blood velocity and the volumetric flow, and the flow kinetic energy distal to the stenosed area drop precipitously with further reduction in flow area. As the artery becomes fully occluded and flow area approaches zero (region 418), the volumetric flow Q approaches zero, as does blood velocity and flow kinetic energy.
Examination of
However, as previously discussed, the circulatory system is not a static system, but rather dynamic and subject to significant intra-arterial pressure fluctuations, both due to the normal cardiac cycle, as well as other factors such as respiration (discussed below). Hence, such pressure fluctuations must also be considered when measuring hemodynamic properties, particularly intra-arterial pressure.
Referring now to
As shown in
As with the velocity curve of
While the foregoing exemplary application of compressive or applanation stress is useful in the measurement of, inter alia, blood pressure within the selected artery, it will be recognized that other types of stresses may be applied to induce response within the circulatory system. Artifacts or "markers" associated with these stresses may be utilized in a fashion generally analogous to that for the applanation stress; i.e., by correlating the presence of the markers or known relationships with certain hemodynamic conditions within the circulatory system in general or blood vessel in particular. Hence, the method of
Returning again to
In step 336 of
Referring now to
Next, in step 344, the selected "secondary" parameter is measured using an appropriate sensor or measurement technique. In the case of kinetic energy or blood velocity measurements, several well known techniques exist to generally measure these parameters non-invasively. Of particular note is the use of acoustic energy (e.g., ultrasound) to measure blood velocity. Specifically, acoustic measurement techniques generally employ the well known Doppler principle in measuring velocity, wherein the frequency shift associated with echoes reflected by the blood flowing within the blood vessel is analyzed to provide a measurement of blood velocity. Numerous different variants of acoustic blood velocity measurement techniques exist, including the use of a continuous acoustic wave (CW), and acoustic pulses (pulsed Doppler). Such techniques are well known and understood, and accordingly will not be described further here.
Similarly, acoustic measurement techniques may be used to derive a measurement of the kinetic energy of the blood flowing within the subject blood vessel. It is noted that as a result of the complex blood velocity gradient created with in the blood vessel during applanation (
In another embodiment, the applanation (external) pressure at which the desired marker is exhibited may be determined using time-frequency methodology as described in Assignee's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/342,549, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,655 issued Oct. 29, 2002, previously incorporated herein. Using this time-frequency methodology, the applanation pressure at which the transmural pressure equals zero can be determined by constructing time-frequency representations of the acoustic energy reflected within the artery. When the time-frequency distribution is maximized, the zero transmural pressure condition is achieved. Hence, the maximal time-frequency distribution acts as yet another marker for the purposes of the present invention.
In yet another embodiment, the so-called acoustic "A-mode" may be used to monitor the second hemodynamic parameter. In this approach, acoustic waves are generated and transmitted into the blood vessel; reflections or echoes from the transmissions are received and analyzed to determine the relationship between the time of transmission and the time of receipt. Through such analysis, the relative diameter of the artery at different points in time, and different points within the cardiac cycle, can be determined. Analogous to the well known time domain reflectometer (TDR), the A-mode technique in one embodiment utilizes reflections generated by the transition of an acoustic wave across various boundaries between materials of different acoustic properties (e.g., the "near" artery wall/tissue boundary, the "near" artery wall/blood stream boundary, the blood stream/"far" artery wall boundary, etc.). Specifically, the relative timing of these reflections is analyzed to determine the distance between the various boundaries. Knowing the propagation speed of the acoustic wave through the different media, the distance between the reflective boundaries (i.e., tissue thickness, artery diameter, etc.) can be determined. Recalling that per
Other techniques for assessing hemodynamic parameters using A-mode acoustics may also be employed. Such alternate techniques are discussed in greater detail with respect to
It will further be recognized that other acoustic modalities may be employed in conjunction with the invention described herein, including for "M-mode" (motion mode) or "B-mode" (brightness mode) both of which are well known in the acoustic signal arts.
Despite the use of acoustic waves in each of the foregoing embodiments for measuring the secondary hemodynamic parameter and markers associated therewith, it will be recognized that other non-acoustic techniques may be applied to identify such markers. For example, other methods of accurately measuring arterial diameter/area, such as using interferometry, may be employed to identify the zero transmural pressure condition. All such techniques are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.
Referring now to
However, as previously discussed, the tissue, tendons, and skin interposed between the artery wall and the pressure transducer in many cases create a complex relationship between the pressure applied by the transducer (or applanation mechanism) and the pressure actually felt by the artery wall. Simply stated, some of the pressure applied to the skin is used to compress this interposed material; hence, only a portion of the externally applied pressure is actually felt by the artery wall. Additionally, it is noted that tissue is also present below the blood vessel and above bone; some loss occurs in compressing this tissue as well.
Therefore, depending on the tissue compliance and degree of coupling for a given subject, a certain amount of error in the measurement of arterial pressure will be introduced when basing such a measurement on the externally applied pressure (e.g., that measured by the pressure transducer).
One prior art approach to this problem was to model the response of interposed material (for example, as a system of springs having linear force constants), and correct the pressure measured by the pressure transducer based on this model. This approach, however, is only as good as the model used; different subjects with different tissue thickness, density, and compliance values (as well as the location of the tendons and bone relative to each other and the artery) will respond differently, and these differences are not accounted for in such models. Furthermore, even for a single subject, changes in the response of the tissue and arteries of that subject may occur over time or as a function of externally induced stresses. For example, when an anesthetic is introduced into the circulatory system of the subject, a given artery may become substantially more compliant, thereby losing much of its resiliency. This change in compliance alters the relationship between actual and measured arterial pressure, and accordingly reduces the accuracy of any blood pressure estimate based thereon.
In contrast, the methodology of the present invention overcomes this significant limitation by measuring the actual response of the interposed tissue and material for each subject as opposed to generically modeling it as in the prior art. Specifically, the present invention generates a functional representation of tissue and arterial compliance based on actual compression of these components.
In the exemplary embodiment of the method 350 illustrated in
The foregoing derived transfer function, can then be utilized to correct the error of the incomplete pressure transfer measured by the pressure sensing introduced by the interposed tissue, etc., by identifying the regions of interest per step 358. For example, if the zero transmural pressure condition within the artery during the diastolic portion of the cardiac cycle is achieved when a pressure of 60 mm Hg is measured, the true diastolic pressure will be some percentage higher, where the percentage is determined by the degree of pressure transfer loss. The transfer fraction for that monitoring location indicates the fraction or percentage of the intravascular pressure which is transferred to the surface of the pressure measuring sensor.
Note that the transfer function and/or transfer fractions may be represented and stored in any variety of different formats after measurement, such as in look-up tables in a digital random access memory as described further below with respect to the apparatus of
Similarly, it will be recognized that methods of determining the transfer function/fraction other than the A-mode acoustic technique may be utilized, either alone or in conjunction with the A-mode technique.
In sum, the method 350 of
It should be noted that while certain circumstances and individual subjects require the determination and application of a transfer function as described with respect to
Referring now to
As previously discussed, prior art calibration approaches relied on periodic calibration events (such as asculatory cuff measurements) to "continuously" calibrate the measured pressure waveform. The term "continuously" used with reference to these systems is somewhat of a misnomer, since what actually occurs is periodic (rather than continuous) updates of the scaling function. This approach presents at least one serious defect, that being the lack of calibration during the interval between periodic calibration updates. Depending on the activities of the subject being monitored, their true arterial blood pressure may vary significantly in a short period of time, and in some cases in a rapid or prompt fashion. For example, during surgery, actions by the surgeon such as artery re-section may have profound effects on the circulatory system of the subject, including their arterial blood pressure. Similarly, the difference between pre-induction (i.e., pre-anesthesia) and post-induction blood pressure values may be dramatically different, due in large part to the change of compliance within many of the arteries in the subjects body resulting from the anesthetic.
Since the prior art approaches in no way monitor the actual hemodynamic properties occurring within the artery, if such significant changes in true arterial blood pressure occur between periodic calibration events, they in many cases will go undetected. Rather, such prior art approaches typically monitor blood pressure tonometrically, these measurements being potentially very different from true arterial pressure. The prior art systems typically adjust the scaling factor or calibration to account for the measured change in tonometric blood pressure (which may or may not be close to true blood pressure). The result of this method is to produce so-called "calibrated" blood pressure values which in fact are not calibrated, but comprise a widely varying scaling component. This failure to track actual or true arterial blood pressure between calibration events can be catastrophic in cases where minute-to-minute measurements of blood pressure may be critical, such as during surgery.
The methodology of the present invention overcomes the foregoing significant limitations of the prior art by using the measured "secondary" hemodynamic parameter previously described to track changes in the first or "primary" measured hemodynamic parameter (e.g., blood pressure), as described in detail below.
In one embodiment, the kinetic energy of the blood is monitored using the aforementioned acoustic (or other) techniques while the zero transmural pressure state (or some other state determined to be of significance) is maintained within the artery, as illustrated by the method 370 of
Next, in step 376, the secondary hemodynamic parameter is measured as a function of time using a suitable technique. In the present embodiment, the total kinetic energy (or maximum blood velocity) is measured using an acoustic Doppler system of the type previously described.
In step 378, the value of the secondary parameter measured in step 376 is analyzed to identify changes in the primary parameter. For example, when the applanation device is servoed to maintain zero transmural pressure in the diastolic portion of the cardiac cycle, changes in kinetic energy are used to track changes in intra-arterial blood pressure. The results of this analysis are compared to predetermined acceptance or control criteria per step 380 to determine if further adjustment of the applanation device is required (step 382). For example, if significant increases or rates of increase in total blood flow kinetic energy were observed in steps 378–382 (thereby indicating that the applanation pressure felt by the artery wall was exceeding the true intra-arterial pressure), then the applanation pressure could be reduced so as to maintain the artery at a near-zero transmural pressure condition, as reflected by smaller increases or rates of increase in kinetic energy. It will be recognized that any type of control scheme which controls one parameter based on measurements of one or more other parameters may be used to effect the desired behavior, including fuzzy logic or PID controllers of the type well known in the control system arts.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, it will be recognized that the continuous calibration of the first hemodynamic parameter using the method of
It is also again noted that in contrast to prior art approaches, the techniques of
Method of Characterizing Hemodynamic Response of Circulatory System
Referring now to
Next, in step 904, one or more artifacts or markers present within the functional relationship derived in step 902 above are identified. In the case of arterial blood pressure measurement as previously described, the artifact comprises the increasing kinetic energy or blood velocity after the condition of zero transmural pressure is achieved for the diastolic and/or systolic conditions. These artifacts comprise points for the calibration function previously described with respect to
Next in step 906, one of the functionally related parameters from step 902 above is measured non-invasively as a function of the stress applied. In the above-referenced example, this measurement would comprise measuring blood velocity within the artery as a function of time (and applanation pressure), and deriving total flow kinetic energy therefrom.
Lastly, in step 908, the calibration "function" (which in theory may be as few as one data point) is applied to the measured response of a selected parameter associated with the circulatory system based on the artifact identified in step 904, thereby producing a calibrated characterization of the response of that parameter. For blood pressure, the selected parameter is tonometrically measured (i.e., non-calibrated) pressure, and the calibrated characterization comprises calibrated (or "true") arterial blood pressure determined at, inter alia, the point where the kinetic energy of the blood begins to increase.
Furthermore, the effects of potential errors (such as that due to incomplete signal transfer due to tissue compliance) may be accounted for as part of step 908 as well.
Method of Calibrating for Periodic Error Sources, Including Respiration
Referring now to
Next, in step 1004, a second hemodynamic parameter is measured on the subject, as previously described. This second hemodynamic parameter may comprise kinetic energy, maximum blood velocity, arterial diameter, flow area, etc. In one embodiment, the kinetic energy is calculated based on measurements of blood velocity made using Doppler ultrasound.
Next, in step 1006, periodic error sources associated with the first parameter are identified within the second parameter. In one exemplary case, the periodic error source relates to the respiration of the subject being monitored, illustrated in
The origin of the respiratory periodic variance relates to the varying pressures which occurs as the diaphragm ascends and descends. With inspiration, the diaphragm should descend, increasing intra-abdominal pressure and decreasing intra-thoracic pressure. The increase in the pressure differential from the abdomen to the right atrium increases the volumetric flow back to the right atrium. With expiration, as the diaphragm ascends, the intra-abdominal pressure decreases and the intra-thoracic pressure increases. The result is more venous return to the abdomen from the lower extremities, but less return to the right atrium. The cyclical changes in volume and pressure are reflected everywhere throughout the circulatory system, since it is a closed system.
The aforementioned cyclical respiratory changes result in variant flow velocities and kinetic energies for, inter alia, the measured diastolic and systolic pressures. In a normal adult human being, anecdotal evidence obtained by the Applicant herein suggests that the magnitude of such variations may be on the order of 20 mm Hg or more in severe cases. Taken as a fraction or percentage of the systolic and diastolic pressures, this variation in pressure due to respiration may be significant, especially for the lower diastolic pressures measured when the subject is not ambulatory, such as during surgery.
These variations are accounted for in the present invention, when required, by synchronizing the derivation of the calibration function from the measurement of the secondary hemodynamic parameter (e.g., velocity, kinetic energy, or area). Specifically, in step 1008 of the method 1000, the periodicity of the respiratory variation is analyzed and determined, and this information is used to synchronize the derivation of the calibration function to a common point on the period ("carrier") respiration waveform. Identification of the respiratory component and its periodicity is accomplished using any one of a number of algorithms well known in the signal processing arts; accordingly, such algorithms will not be discussed further herein. It is noted that since the respiratory rate and/or "depth" of respiration of the subject may vary with time, thereby affecting the periodicity and magnitude of pressure/flow variations within the artery, the periodicity of the respiratory effect should be continually (or at least frequently) calculated.
Next, in step 1010, a calibration function is developed based on measurements of the secondary hemodynamic parameter taken at the periodicity prescribed by the result of step 1008. For example, a series of blood velocity measurements may be taken every 7 seconds (each measurement corresponding to the same relative point on the respiration waveform, but displaced in time), and this information used to derive kinetic energy values and a calibration or "stretching" function as described previously herein with reference to
Lastly, in step 1012, the stretching function of step 1010 is applied to the measured (i.e., non-calibrated) waveform of step 1002. Note that by virtue of measuring the second hemodynamic parameter at a similar point relative to the respiration waveform, the effects of respiration across the entire respiration cycle are accounted for. Hence, the derived stretching function may be applied to the entire non-calibrated pressure waveform), as opposed to only those portions of the waveform corresponding to the points in time when the second parameter was actually measured. Assuming the pressure transfer to be relatively linear around the systolic pressure variations with respiration, and the diastolic pressure variations with respiration, no other correction would be necessary. An additional correction can be applied if the non-linearities are significant enough, by calculating the correction factors at a different phase of the respiration cycle. This represents a significant advantage in providing a continuously (as opposed to periodically) calibrated representation of true arterial blood pressure.
It will be appreciated that while the foregoing discussion is cast in terms of periodic error due to respiratory system effects, other types of errors, periodic or aperiodic, may be accounted for using the methodology of the present invention as illustrated in
Apparatus for Hemodynamic Assessment
Referring now to
The pressure transducer 1202 is, in the present embodiment, a silicon strain gauge or piezoelectric transducer element which generates an electrical signal in functional relationship (e.g., proportional) to the pressure applied to its sensing surface 1212. Similarly, the acoustic transducer 1206 comprises a silicon strain gauge or piezoelectric (ceramic) device which is capable of both generating and receiving acoustic waves and/or pulses depending on mode. In the illustrated embodiment, the acoustic transducer 1206 is tuned to generate ultrasonic frequencies centered at 8 MHz, although other center frequencies, with varying bandwidths, may be used. The signal generator/receiver 1210 generates electrical signals or pulses which are provided to the acoustic transducer 1206 and converted into acoustic energy radiated into the blood vessel. This acoustic energy is reflected by various structures within the artery, including blood flowing therein, as well as tissue and other bodily components in proximity to the artery. These acoustic reflections (echoes) are received by the acoustic transducer 1206 and converted into electrical signals which are then converted by the signal generator/receiver 1210 to a digital form (using, e.g., an ADC) and sent to the signal processor 1208 for analysis. Depending on the type of acoustic analysis technique and mode employed, the signal processor 1208 utilizes its program (either embedded or stored in an external storage device) to analyze the received signals. For example, if the system is used to measure the maximum blood velocity, then the received echoes are analyzed for, inter alia, Doppler frequency shift. Alternatively, if the arterial diameter (area) is measured, then an analysis appropriate to the aforementioned A-mode is employed.
During a calibration "sweep", the controller 1211 controls the applanation device to applanate the artery (and interposed tissue) according to a predetermined profile. During this sweep, acoustic signals are transmitted into and received from the artery preferably in a region directly proximate the ongoing applanation of the tissue. Velocity, kinetic energy, and/or arterial diameter data is extracted and/or derived from the received echoes and recorded as a function of the applanation pressure for the selected portion(s) of the cardiac cycle. The signal processor 1208 and associated algorithms then identify one or more markers, and determine the desired applied pressure at which continuous monitoring is to occur based on the measured markers. For example, if the peak in maximum velocity shown in
Optionally, the apparatus 1200 is also configured to measure the transfer function of the tissue and other bodily components interposed between the signal source and the sensor. As described with respect to
Referring now to
It is noted that the apparatus 1200, 1300 described herein may be constructed in a variety of different configurations, using a variety of different components, and measuring a variety of different hemodynamic parameters. Exemplary control, signal generation/processing, and applanation mechanisms and circuitry are described in Assignee's co-pending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/342,549, entitled "Method And Apparatus For The Noninvasive Determination Of Arterial Blood Pressure," now U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,655 issued Oct. 29, 2002, previously incorporated herein.
Computer Program and Related Apparatus
A computer program for implementing the aforementioned methods of hemodynamic assessment, modeling, and calibration is now described. In one exemplary embodiment, the computer program comprises an object ("machine") code representation of a C++ source code listing implementing the methodology of
In terms of general structure, the program is in one embodiment comprised of a series of subroutines or algorithms for implementing the hemodynamic assessment, modeling, and calibration methodology described herein based on measured parametric data provided to the host computer. In a second embodiment, the computer program comprises an assembly language/micro-coded instruction set disposed within the embedded storage device, i.e. program memory, of a digital signal processor (DSP) or microprocessor associated with the foregoing hemodynamic measurement apparatus of
Referring now to
The aforementioned computer program useful for assessing hemodynamic parameters is stored in the form of a machine-readable object code representation in the RAM 1504 and/or storage device 1506 for use by the CPU 1502 during parametric assessment. The user (not shown) assesses the hemodynamic parameters of interest by selecting one or more functional modes for the computer program and associated measuring equipment via the program displays and the input device 1507 during system operation. Specifically, in the case of arterial blood pressure measurement, the user places the necessary parametric sensors on the selected blood vessel of the subject, and configures the computer program to accept data output by the sensors either continuously or at a predetermined interval. The computer program performs the previously described analysis if the signals provided to the apparatus 1500, and generates a calibrated signal to be displayed on a display device, or on the systems own display device. A look-up table or similar mechanism is stored within the computer memory or storage device to facilitate calibration, as previously described with respect to
In yet another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a personal computing device (such as a personal digital assistant, or PDA), which is adapted to receive input data from the pressure and acoustic sensors and analyze the data to produce a corrected measurement of blood pressure. It will also be recognized that other portable devices, such as laptop computers, calculators, and personal organizers, may be configured to run the computer program of the present invention. Furthermore, a variety of different methods of transmitting the input sensor data to these device may be used, including networked computers, or even wireless data links.
Method of Providing Treatment
Referring now to
Next, in step 1604 of
Next, in step 1606, a second parameter associated with the blood vessel is measured in order to facilitate derivation of a calibration function in step 1608 below. As discussed with respect to
In step 1608 of
In step 1610 of the method of
Lastly, in step 1612, the calibrated measurement of the first parameter is used as the basis for providing treatment to the subject. For example, in the case of blood pressure measurements, the calibrated systolic and diastolic blood pressure values are generated and displayed or otherwise provided to the health care provider in real time, such as during surgery. Alternatively, such calibrated measurements may be collected over an extended period of time and analyzed for long term trends in the condition or response of the circulatory system of the subject.
Alternate "Backscatter" Embodiment
As previously discussed, backscattered acoustic energy (such as "A-mode" ultrasonic energy) may be used to determine hemodynamic parameters including, for example arterial diameter and end diastolic blood pressure. As used herein, the term "A-mode" encompasses both traditional A-mode (i.e., display of amplitude versus depth (time) via repeatedly scanned lines) and other related modalities such as M-mode (i.e., grayscale image distributed over temporal dimension) and B-mode (i.e., "steered" grayscale image representative of depth (time) versus width), such alternate modalities being well known to those of ordinary skill in the ultrasound arts. Hence, it will be recognized that while the following discussion is cast in terms of traditional A-mode, the other associated modalities may be employed as well.
It has been observed by the Assignee hereof that as the blood vessel is increasingly compressed (applanated), various of such hemodynamic markers occur within the sensed pressure waveform. In one aspect, certain "flat spots" within the end diastolic portion of the waveform occur, wherein the change in sensed pressure as a function of time is low (or at least lower than surrounding portions of the waveform). These flat spots correlate to various phenomena within the tissue surrounding the blood vessel, and the blood vessel itself, including overcoming the hoop stress associated with the walls of the blood vessel. As previously referenced herein, the hoop stress associated with a substantially cylindrical hollow body such as the human radial artery acts as a retarding force to further compression. Stated differently, a finite force (or pressure, over a given area) must be applied to the outer surface of the blood vessel before the cross-section of the blood vessel begins to significantly deform; beyond this point of deformation, a proportionately small additional force is required to further deform the blood vessel. Hence, once overcome, the hoop stress component is effectively eliminated, thereby creating a state where pressure applied to the blood vessel wall externally can equilibrate with that applied by the pressurized lumen (e.g., blood) flowing within the blood vessel to maintain the cross-section of the vessel essentially constant (zero transmural pressure). This condition is significant in that once the hoop stress has been overcome, the intra-vessel pressure is in effect directly transmitted across the artery wall. The point along the applanation profile at which such flattening (i.e., zero transmural pressure) condition exists, however, will vary from individual to individual, and from species to species, and from location to location for a single individual. Therefore, additional techniques are required to accurately isolate the point on the pressure waveform where the desired transmural pressure condition exists.
One such technique (described in greater detail below) is to detect the front and rear walls of the blood vessel under evaluation, this information being used to directly determine the reduction in diameter of the blood vessel. As has been previously shown, the reduction of blood vessel diameter can be directly related to certain systolic and diastolic pressure conditions, and correlated to the occurrence of certain of the aforementioned hemodynamic markers.
Lumen and Wall Detection
The methodology of the present invention advantageously employs A-mode ultrasonic energy to detect the position of the lumen and the front and back walls of the blood vessel. As used herein, the terms "front" and "back" infer no specific spatial orientation, but simply refer to the order in which the walls of the blood vessel are encountered during direct propagation by a moving ultrasonic wavefront emanated from an ultrasonic source. Hence, what may be the "front" wall when measuring hemodynamic properties in one transducer orientation may comprise the "rear" wall in another transducer orientation. Unique to the present invention is also the use of lumen detection as a means of front and back wall detection; i.e., due to the comparatively lower backscatter of ultrasonic energy by the lumen as compared to other blood vessel components, the position of the lumen may be readily identified from the backscattered energy, and the front and rear vessel walls identified relative thereto.
The processed signals are then analyzed per step 1706 to detect the location of the lumen therein. Specifically, the processed backscattered energy signals are analyzed to identify the occurrence of a backscattered energy "minimum" within a range of depths consistent with the depth of the blood vessel under consideration in the species/age range being evaluated. The position of this minimum is assumed to coincide with lumen existing within the blood vessel being evaluated.
One or both blood vessel walls are then detected in step 1708 using the lumen detected in step 1706 as a starting point for the analysis. The signals associated with the front and back blood vessel walls are detected by searching forward and backward from the identified location of the lumen within the artery. When the backscattered energy associated with the search in the backward direction (towards the transducer) satisfies one or more criteria, such as exceeding the mean lumen power or estimated level of the blood signal by a prescribed amount or factor (described below in greater detail), the front wall is detected and the location of the signal along the line is interpreted as the location of the front wall. Similarly, when the reflected energy associated with the search in the forward direction satisfies the relevant back wall criteria, the back wall is detected and the location of the signal along the line is interpreted as the location of the back wall. Various methodologies for wall detection are described in detail below with respect to
As shown in
One important feature demonstrated in
In addition, the 16 MHz center frequency used for this example is clearly depicted in
Quadrature demodulation as used in the present embodiment generally comprises multiplication of the A-mode signal by the sine and cosine functions, and lowpass filtering. The purpose of quadrature demodulation is to baseband the A-mode signal, through the removal of the transmit carrier frequency. This method is generally illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the frequency of the sinusoids is 16 MHz, corresponding to the center frequency, fc, of the A-mode signal. The sampling interval of the sinusoids is equal to that of the digitized A-mode signal that is sampled at an effective rate of 64 MHz. Multiplication by the sine and cosine produces the following:
Y sin(nT)=a(nT)sin(2πf c nT) (Eqn. 2)
Y cos(nT)=a(nT)cos(2πf c nT) (Eqn. 3)
Where a(nT) denote the 'raw' A-mode signal with sampling interval T=1/Fs, and Fs denotes the sample rate (e.g., 64 MHz). This multiplication is performed for the entire duration of the A-mode line. The in-phase and quadrature components, XI(nTD) and XQ(nTD) respectively, are produced by lowpass filtering Ycos(nT) and Ysin(nT). Here, TD denotes the decimated sampling interval.
Lowpass filtering (step 2006 of
Note that for the illustrated case, the filter output advantageously need only be sampled at a rate of approximately 16 MHz in comparison with the original "raw" A-mode signal that is sampled at an effective rate of 64 MHz.
In the present embodiment of the invention, the magnitude of the complex envelope previously described is the only component required for subsequent processing, although other components of the processed or unprocessed A-mode signal may be used for other purposes if desired. Note that obtaining the magnitude of the complex envelope requires taking the square root of the sum of the squares of the lowpass filtered results. That is, since the result is complex, the magnitude equals the square root of the sum of the in-phase component squared and the quadrature component squared, as shown in Eqn. 4:
However, rather than calculate the magnitude of the envelope, the subsequent signal processing may be applied to the non-square-rooted signal, referred to herein as the "envelope-squared." This latter approach alleviates the need to perform the square root operation, thereby simplifying the resulting algorithmic implementation somewhat. The envelope-squared waveform is depicted in
The envelope-squared, Esq(nTD), is derived from the in-phase and quadrature components. This is computed as set forth in Eqn. 5:
E sq(nT D)=X I 2(nT D)+X Q 2(nT D) (Eqn. 5)
In order to better assess the level of the signal associated with the lumen within the confines of the arterial walls, the logarithm (base 10) of the envelope-squared signal is obtained as shown in
It will be recognized, however, that in certain applications, "false" lumen detection might occur if the lumen detection methodology were based solely on the absolute value of the A-mode signal level. For example, lumen detection criterion based on the absolute signal level alone might erroneously detect lumen where there is none, or conversely miss lumen where it is actually present. Such false detections can arise from a variety of factors including, for example, backscatter and reflections from tissue (veins, musculature, etc) interposed between the transducer element and the blood vessel, movement of the subject during measurement, and the like. Hence, as described in greater detail below, the methodology of the present invention further examines signal artifacts proximate to those produced by the lumen in order to confirm the veracity of any given lumen detection, and positively locate both the lumen and contiguous vessel walls.
A non-linear depth-dependent gain (step 1726 of
gain=depth (Eqn. 6)
Here the depth is assumed to be in millimeters, and the gain is applied to the envelope-squared. It will be recognized, however, that other gain functions may readily be applied either in place or in concert with that of Eqn. 6 above. Such gain functions may be empirically determined, such as through clinical testing, or determined via other means such as mathematical derivation or anecdotal or historical sampling of the A-mode signal or other parameters related thereto.
The application of the gain function to the envelope-squared of the A-mode signal is depicted in
It will further be recognized that while the foregoing discussion is cast in terms of signal processing including quadrature demodulation, envelope-squared calculation, and filtering, other types of signal processing and conditioning techniques may be employed consistent with the invention.
After completion of the signal processing, the next step 1706 of the method 1700 of
Next, the power metric is integrated according to Eqn. 7 below:
P int(k)=Pint(k−1)+P(k) (Eqn. 7)
where Pint(k) denotes the power integrated up to the kth sample of the envelope-squared sequence, and P(k) denotes the kth sample of the envelope-squared sequence.
The second step 2704 of the plateau method 2700 consists of identifying the best estimate of the plateau associated with the weak backscatter from the blood within the lumen. As part of this step 2704, the integrated power function is first normalized to unity (step 2706), as is depicted in
Next, the plateau is detected per step 2710. First, the number of samples occurring within each interval of normalized power is computed (step 2712). The rationale behind this computation is that when the power is low, corresponding to the backscatter from blood for example, many values must be integrated to cross from one integral to the next. Hence, an interval containing many samples is indicative of a plateau (and the lumen). In the illustrated embodiment of
where Mcnt(k) denotes the sum of the counts in three consecutive intervals ending with the kth interval, and m(n) denotes the number of samples in the nth interval. This metric is shown in
An additional term was added to the foregoing metric to ensure that the plateau owing to low power towards the deeper depths does not trigger a false lumen detection. Specifically, the metric includes the requirement that the three consecutive intervals must be followed by an interval with a low count corresponding to the back arterial wall. Hence, the modified metric is given by Eqn. 9:
Note that the count, m(k+2), two intervals ahead of the group of three consecutive intervals, is incorporated into Eqn. 9. A plot of this metric for a single A-mode line is shown in
Detection of the peak results in the identification of the three consecutive intervals most likely to correspond to the lumen. The total count of samples in all intervals prior to the three intervals corresponding to the peak identifies the depth of the lumen. However, in one exemplary embodiment, the sample point within the A-mode line associated with the lumen for the purpose of the subsequent arterial wall search is derived from the total number of samples in all intervals from the first interval up to (and including) the first interval in the three successive intervals. Hence, the sample associated with the lumen for the given A-mode line is estimated per Eqn. 10:
where L denotes the number of samples prior to the lumen area, and K denotes the "pointer" to the third of the three consecutive intervals for which the peak was detected.
In addition, an estimate of the mean of the lumen power may be derived from the power contained in one or more of the three consecutive intervals (step 2716). For example, in one exemplary approach, mean lumen power is determined from the second of the three consecutive intervals by simply averaging the sample values of the envelope-squared that correspond to this interval. This estimate of the lumen backscattered power is subsequently used in conjunction with the estimated position of the detected lumen to detect the arterial walls, as described in greater detail below.
It is noted that plateaus in the integrated power profile may result from other sources. Specifically, in the case of the human radial artery, such plateaus may also be induced by the presence of one or more veins located between the applanation device and the blood vessel of interest, or by the presence of cysts or other growths. While more common, plateaus due to veins are generally quite small in comparison to the "true" plateau of interest associated with compression of the radial artery, due largely to the comparatively smaller vein diameter (and wall thickness). Furthermore, the methodology of the present invention effectively overcomes this issue by conducting measurements of blood vessel diameter (and integrated backscattered power) at applanation pressures above the level necessary to collapse the comparatively thin-walled veins. Such collapse of the veins generally occurs at pressures well below that necessary to significantly affect the diameter of the larger blood vessel (e.g., radial artery), thereby allowing for an elegant solution to the problem of potentially "false" plateaus due to veins.
In contrast to veins, cyst or growth-related artifacts generally occur only in a very small fraction of the population, and are frequently spatially localized to the extent that relocation of the transducer at another location over the artery will eliminate any effects resulting there from. Additionally, the cystic areas do not have corresponding pulse pressure or motion components related to pulse pressure, and hence can be readily identified and screened using any number of signal processing techniques well known to those of ordinary skill.
In a second embodiment, detection of the lumen in step 1706 of
D=ct/2 (Eqn. 11)
The 1 mm interval for power calculation was selected in the illustrated embodiment based on the observation by the Assignee hereof that the diameter of the blood vessel under examination (e.g., radial artery) will exceed 1 mm in essentially all of the adult human population; hence, the power calculation is reasonably assured to constitute signal attributable only to the lumen. However, it will be recognized that this interval may be adjusted based on factors such as measurement of non-adult populations, use of other blood vessels, and/or use of the technique on other species. It is also noted that the 1 mm interval referenced above also advantageously provides a 'reasonable' number of samples to average for an estimate of the A-mode signal power.
For a sampling rate of 16 MHz, the aforementioned 1 mm interval corresponds to a time interval of 1.33 usec, or approximately 22 samples. The estimate of power at time nTD, P1 mm(nTD), is computed according to Eqn. 12:
An exemplary plot of the acoustic power in a 1 mm interval along the line of TGC corrected A-mode data is depicted in
The location of the lumen (e.g., blood) within the confines of the radial artery is detected as the first minimum in the 1 mm average power calculation. The search for this minimum begins at a predetermined point along the A-mode line, (e.g. 1 mm), and continues to a second predetermined depth, chosen in the present illustration as 7 mm. This range of 1 mm to 7 mm was selected based on the observation that the front wall of the radial artery (i.e., that wall first encountered by the acoustic energy radiated from the transducer) will occur within this interval in essentially all of the adult human population. It will also be noted that the aforementioned minimum is clearly distinguishable in the plot of
During the foregoing procedure, the level of the A-mode signal associated with backscatter from lumen, Esq(blood), can be easily estimated once the region of lumen has been identified. The estimate is computed as a simple average over samples of the envelope-squared over a range centered at the depth for which lumen has been detected. The average is computed according to the exemplary relationship of Eqn. 13:
where Nblood denotes the index of the envelope squared corresponding to the depth of blood detection. Note that in Eqn. 13, the average is computed over fifteen samples of the envelope squared, although it will be recognized that other values may be substituted depending on the particular application.
After the lumen has been detected using, e.g., either the plateau or interval methods, the front and back arterial walls are detected, and the spatial positions thereof (i.e., depths relative to the sensor unit) are estimated. Specifically, the front arterial wall is assumed to occur between the sensor unit and the depth of the detected lumen and in particular, generally in the vicinity where the A-mode signal is decreasing to the integrated power or signal level associated with the lumen. This assumption is founded on the knowledge that the lumen of the blood vessel is immediately adjacent the wall (i.e., on its far side with respect to the transducer). Similarly, the back arterial wall is assumed to occur at a depth greater than that of the lumen signal, and generally in the vicinity where the integrated power or signal level rises sharply above the level associated with the lumen. These changes in the A-mode integrated power or signal level corresponding to the front and back wall of the artery are readily observable, for example, in the TGC A-mode data.
In a first exemplary embodiment (
where Pbk(m) denotes the integrated power in the direction of the back wall starting at sample Kst up to sample m, and P(k) denotes the kth sample of the square of the envelope of the A-mode signal. When Pbk(m) exceeds the prescribed threshold, the back wall is assumed detected and the corresponding sample value, m, denotes the depth of the back wall (step 2906). Note that the sample number along the A-mode line and depth are related; the actual depth is derived from the sample number as shown in Eqn 15:
where c denotes the speed of propagation, Nsamp denotes the sample number, and Fs denotes the sampling rate associated with the envelope-squared sequence.
The front wall is detected in much the same manner as the back wall. Starting from the same position used for the back wall, the integrated power is computed by summing consecutive samples of the square of the envelope of the A-mode signal in the direction of the front wall. Hence, the samples are taken in descending order from sample Kst. When the integrated power exceeds the prescribed threshold, the front wall is assumed detected and the corresponding sample value determines the depth of the front wall.
In the embodiment of
Furthermore, to facilitate the processing, inter-line averaging of the A-mode lines as is well known in the signal processing arts may be performed prior to lumen and wall detection. This technique can be used to improve performance and robustness of the system, both in terms of lumen detection and arterial wall depth estimation.
In an alternative embodiment of the method for detecting the arterial walls (
The search for the back wall is performed in a similar manner to that described for the front wall. Specifically, the search begins at the depth of the detected lumen, but proceeds in the direction of increasing depth (i.e., away from the ultrasonic transducer). As with the front wall, when the amplitude of the envelope-squared exceeds satisfies a designated criterion, this amplitude is attributed to backscatter from the back wall. The depth of this occurrence is assumed to be the location of the back wall.
Accordingly, a simple search algorithm may be used in conjunction with the signal level (envelope-squared) methodology to identify the locations associated with the front and back arterial walls when the A-mode data is of "reasonable" quality. Specifically, as shown in
Note that the processes of computing the envelope-squared, determining the corresponding average power in the designated interval (e.g., 1 mm) and the lumen signal, and detection of the front and back arterial walls, is performed in the present embodiment on an A-mode "line-by-line" basis. The arterial wall positions determined in this manner for an exemplary A-mode data set consisting of 5000 lines is shown in
Once the relative wall positions are determined, the diameter of the blood vessel may be simply determined by taking the difference in depth between the rear and front walls. For example, if the rear wall occurs at a depth of 3.5 mm, and the front wall at a depth of 1.5 mm, the diameter of the blood vessel can be estimated at (3.5 mm−1.5 mm)=2.0 mm. This determination is made in one embodiment using smoothed wall position estimates (i.e., those which are mathematically averaged of smoothed using other signal processing techniques) which are derived as previously described herein.
It will be appreciated that while the foregoing exemplary methodologies of wall detection (e.g., integrated power and envelope-squared signal level) are described in terms of both front and back walls of the blood vessel, either the front or back wall detection approaches may be applied separately and/or in isolation. For example, if it is determined that for a certain subject being evaluated (or group of subjects having some common characteristic) that the front wall artifact is particularly weak or otherwise unreliable, back wall detection may be weighted more substantially in compensation. Similarly, if the clutter in the blood vessel under examination is significant, the more affected wall may be selectively de-emphasized in terms of weighting. Other such modifications may also be employed depending on the particular application.
Additionally, it will be recognized that the integrated power threshold and envelope-squared signal level approaches may be used either alone or in combination, or other methods (e.g., so-called "boxcar" averaging of the type well known in the signal processing arts) may be employed. For example, parallel computation of envelope-squared signal level and integrated power may be performed, and the calculated values compared to the applicable threshold criteria (e.g., 4 times lumen signal level, and 500 times mean lumen power, respectively). The results of these comparisons may then be used to determine the relative reliability or confidence in the wall detection, such as by calculation of a "confidence level" metric which can be subsequently used by system and/or user. If the wall detection scores for both the integrated power and envelope-squared approaches are high, the resulting confidence metric is high; if the wall detection scores for one technique is high and the other low, then the value of the confidence metric is reduced, and subsequent confirmatory processing is indicated.
Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in the context of wall detection as a whole, various forms of scoring or weighting known in the signal processing arts may be used in substitution for, or conjunction with, the aforementioned criteria. Such techniques advantageously increases the robustness of the system under actual clinical use. For example, in one alternative embodiment, A-mode signals having an envelope-squared or integrated power value meeting or exceeding a discrete value (e.g., 4 times estimated signal level in the case of signal level, or 500 times the mean lumen power in the case of the integration approach) are assigned a score of "1.0". Signals having a value less that this discrete value are assigned scores based on their relationship to a window function w(x), such that values falling below a predetermined threshold (e.g., 2 times estimated signal level, or 250 times mean lumen) are given a score of 0.0, and values between the predetermined threshold and the designated criterion are assigned scores between 0.0 and 1.0 according to the function w(x).
As yet another alternative, the envelope-squared or integrated power values associated with given A-mode measurement may be weighted based on some extrinsic or intrinsic "quality factor" which is related to the quality of data sampled during that interval. As a simple example, if the subject under evaluation moves during a given series of A-mode lines, the quality of data may be reduced, and accordingly any lumen/wall detection computations performed based on this data may be artificially reduced in weighting with respect to other samples.
As yet another alternative, "locational" weighting and/or scoring may be applied, such that envelope-squared or integrated power values generated by A-mode lines corresponding to certain depths may be adjusted. For example, as previously described, the likelihood of finding the front wall of the radial artery in an adult human less than 1 mm from the surface of the skin is exceedingly low; accordingly, an envelope-squared or integrated power value derived from the first "N" A-mode lines (corresponding to the depth of 1 mm) would be heavily de-valued or even eliminated (i.e., zero-weighted).
Similarly, interval-to-interval processing may be conducted such that wall artifact determined in non-contiguous A-mode line intervals is marked as an ambiguity requiring resolution. If a front wall artifact is detected in the first 1 mm depth interval, and again in the third, it can be assumed with some level of confidence that either (i) the wall artifact detected in the first interval is the front wall, and the artifact detected in the third interval is the back wall, or (ii) the first artifact was noise, and the third-interval artifact is the true front wall signal. Such ambiguity can be resolved through any number of techniques, such as the application of the aforementioned "locational" weighting to eliminate the first artifact based on low likelihood of occurrence in the adult population, or the use of sampling of subsequent A-mode signals for those intervals.
The present methodology also includes significant smoothing/filtering of the signal where needed. Such smoothing/filtering furthermore eliminates the time variations that occur from systole to diastole, as well as beat-to-beat variations caused by respiration. Such signal smoothing/filtering is generally well understood in the signal processing arts, and accordingly is not described further herein.
It will also be recognized that the accuracy of the wall detection methodology described herein is in some ways coupled to the ability to produce narrow ultrasonic transmit and receive beams. Specifically, two-way beam response should be sufficiently narrow to fit within the lumen (i.e., the cross-sectional area of blood flow) of the blood vessel under evaluation when the ultrasonic transducer is in the vicinity of its optimal position with respect to the blood vessel. Otherwise, backscatter from the sidewalls of the blood vessel may impede detection of the lumen, and degrade the accuracy of the estimates of the spatial position of the front and back walls.
Another consideration in the evaluation of front and back wall position is the relative compliance and compressibility of the tissue during applanation. Under predominantly static wall position evaluation such as described above with respect to
Method of Assessing Hemodynamic Properties Using Backscattered Ultrasonic Energy
Referring now to
As shown in
Note also that the act of "lateral" positioning may also include some component of longitudinal positioning (i.e., along the longitudinal axis of the blood vessel), since placement of the apparatus on the wrist/forearm of the subject is governed more by the physical attributes of the wrist, as opposed to the orientation of the blood vessel within the wrist/forearm. Specifically, in the cases where the point of measurement for the transducer(s) occurs at a location where the radial artery runs in a direction not perfectly parallel to the axis of the wrist bone, such "lateral" positioning inherently includes a longitudinal component as well. Furthermore, certain points along the blood vessel may be better suited to hemodynamic analysis (due, for example, to the existence of veins, cysts, or other components which potentially may interfere with the transmission/reflection of ultrasonic energy).
Next, an initial calibrating applanation sweep (i.e., sweeping applied pressure from no compression through full compression or occlusion of the blood vessel) is performed in step 3506 to identify "flattening" of the slope of the end-diastolic pressure profile, therefore aiding in localizing the point(s) of interest in the pressure waveform. As shown in
In step 3508, the lower and upper compression limits (in the present embodiment expressed as a percentage of the diameter reduction of the blood vessel under examination) are set based on information obtained during the prior applanation sweep (step 3506). The reduction in diameter is determined by applying the techniques of front and rear blood vessel wall detection previously described with respect to
Additionally, it is noted that maximum pulsatile pressure will occur to the right (i.e., at later time/greater amount of blood vessel compression) of the aforementioned region of pressure waveform flattening during the applanation sweep, thereby further helping to localize the points of interest in the waveform. Specifically, other artifacts in the waveform occurring under conditions of greater compression than the maximum pulsatile pressure (the latter being readily determined by any number of means well known in the art) may be discounted, thereby narrowing the region of interest within the pressure waveform. Accordingly, maximum pulsatile pressure may optionally be monitored as well (step 3510) to further aid in setting the upper window limit on arterial compression.
After the initial applanation sweep of step 3506 is completed, and the blood vessel relaxed (3512), the vessel is again applanated to the level of compression corresponding roughly to equilibration between the applied pressure and the hoop stress of the blood vessel wall (step 3514). This level of compression is significant, in that the end diastolic pressure becomes a measure of the compressive force applied to the blood vessel, since the hoop stress component is eliminated. As previously described, this level of compression is bounded by the lower bound (e.g., 25-percent reduction in blood vessel diameter, or about a 44-percent reduction in cross-sectional area), and the upper bound (e.g., 50-percent diameter reduction, or 75-percent reduction in cross-sectional area). Hence, the optimal level of applanation, wherein the transmural pressure is equilibrated, will occur within a window of pressure formed between that associated with the lower diameter reduction bounding criterion and the upper diameter reduction bounding criterion, the window having at least a portion of the "flattened" region of the pressure profile contained therein. The pressure measured by the pressure transducer at this optimal level of applanation is used as the basis for correction via the transfer function (step 3518). One exemplary method of determining and applying the transfer function according to step 3518 is described below with respect to
It will be recognized that the pressure "window" created by the lower and upper bounding criteria may be fairly broad; accordingly, additional methods may optionally be applied to more accurately determine the optimal applanation pressure within the window. In the present embodiment, these additional methods comprise algorithmic determination of the optimal applanation level (step 3516) as described below with respect to
Referring now to
Next, in step 3604, the end-diastolic pressure is determined at the maximum pulsatile pressure. The maximum pulse pressure is determined in the illustrated embodiment using a high order polynomial fit (step 3610) to the pulse pressure data, then determining the peak there from (step 3612). This approach helps minimize noise in the pulse pressure readings, including respiratory effects. The end diastolic pressure which occurs at the maximum pulsatile pressure is then recorded (step 3614).
Note that these two indicators of end diastolic pressure (i.e., the "flat spot" and the maximum pulsatile pressure) can be used separately or in conjunction with one another as desired. Furthermore, other techniques may be substituted for, or used in combination with, one or both of these two indicators for more precise determination of the optimal applanation pressure to be maintained during hemodynamic measurement.
In an alternate embodiment of the method of assessing hemodynamic parameters (shown in
Transfer Function
Referring now to
It will be recognized that while the following discussion is cast in terms of a scaling or transfer function for use with measured arterial blood pressure values, the methodology may be more generally applied to other hemodynamic parameters or waveforms measured using the approach of
Furthermore, while the methodology of
The method 3800 of hemodynamic parametric scaling according to
As shown in
In one simple embodiment, the applanation level is progressively increased until the anchor variable of the waveform measured by the tonometric pressure transducer (and graphically displayed on a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or similar) matches, as closely as practical, the value of the same variable of the A-line. Matching is accomplished by the operator primarily by visual means, such as contemporaneous overlapping display of the waveforms, or minimization of the difference in two numerical values displayed on the display device. The operator then adjusts applanation level for the best level of matching possible.
In another embodiment, the applanation is controlled by an algorithm which automatically computes, on a periodic or continuous basis, the anchor variable of interest from both the A-line and tonometric waveforms, and attempts to match them as closely as possible using scoring metrics. For example, a scoring metric which is related to the difference in end-diastolic pressure during discrete time intervals may be used to evaluate the quality of "fit" between the waveforms, the metric being used as an input to the applanation motor control circuitry previously described so as to modulate pressure to minimize the value of the metric during the selected time interval(s). Such curve-fitting metrics are well known to those of ordinary skill in the signal processing arts, and accordingly are not described further herein.
After matching of the anchor variable and collection of data, the two sets of data are analyzed to provide a characterization of the relationship between the true arterial pressure (i.e., the A-line value) and the tonometrically obtained pressure for that individual per step 3806. Differences between the reference values and those derived from a tonometric device result from transfer loss due to, inter alia, compression of interposed tissue during tonometric measurement. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, corrections for systolic and mean arterial blood pressure are calculated based the fact that the end-diastolic pressures within the two waveforms were matched. These corrections or differences are then statistically analyzed in light of similar data from all other subjects for which empirical data has been collected to determine "mean" systolic and "mean" mean correction factors (step 3808). It has been empirically determined by the Assignee hereof, based on a sampling of the radial arteries of several hundred patients, that the mean error between A-line and tonometric measurement over all patients studied for systolic pressure was −13.6%, and the mean error for the mean pressure was −5.6%. In essence, these figures indicate that the reference device (i.e. A-line) was nominally higher by about 14% for systolic readings and about 6% higher for mean readings, when the tonometric transducer was applanated such that the end-diastolic value was matched to the reference value as previously described.
After the correction factors for the parameters of interest have been obtained per step 3808, the non-invasive hemodynamic assessment apparatus of the present invention is applied to the blood vessel of interest of the subject under evaluation; e.g., on the radial artery, per step 3810. Stress is next applied to the blood vessel in step 3812. Specifically, the stress is applied in order to induce changes in the hemodynamic properties within the blood vessel to a point generally where the "anchor" variable of interest (end-diastolic pressure in the present embodiment) most achieves a desired value bearing some known relationship to the actual value of the anchor variable. In the present context, this application of stress comprises applanating the blood vessel using the non-invasive (tonometric) applanation device previously described herein while non-invasively measuring the pressure waveform of the blood vessel, the degree of applanation being determined by the relationship of the anchor variable within the measured pressure waveform to the actual value.
Next, in step 3814, a scaling or transfer function is determined from the foregoing data for the subject being evaluated. In one embodiment, the transfer function is obtained by solving the following three simultaneous equations for a curve fit polynomial, based on the input values of uncorrected pressure and "corrected" pressure:
P sc =k 1 P su 2 +k 2 P su +k 3 (Eqn. 16)
P mc =k 1 P mu 2 +k 2 P mu +k 3 (Eqn. 17)
P dc =k 1 P du 2 +k 2 P du +k 3 (Eqn. 18)
It is noted that many variations of the methods described above may be utilized consistent with the present invention. Specifically, certain steps are optional and may be performed or deleted as desired. Similarly, other steps (such as additional data sampling, processing, filtration, calibration, or mathematical analysis for example) may be added to the foregoing embodiments. Additionally, the order of performance of certain steps may be permuted, or performed in parallel (or series) if desired. Hence, the foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the broader methods of the invention disclosed herein.
While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The foregoing description is of the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention. This description is in no way meant to be limiting, but rather should be taken as illustrative of the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
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|Oct 9, 2008
|May 21, 2009
|Finburgh Simon E
|Apparatus and methods for non-invasively measuring a patient's arterial blood pressure
|Aug 23, 2007
|Mar 18, 2010
|Daeyo Medi Co., Ltd.
|Blood pressure measurement apparatus
|Sep 24, 2009
|May 20, 2010
|Stahmann Jeffrey E
|Assessment of pulmonary vascular resistance via pulmonary artery pressure
|Apr 28, 2010
|Aug 19, 2010
|Medtronic, Inc.
|System and method for detecting artifactual hemodynamic waveform data
|Jun 12, 2009
|Nov 18, 2010
|Angiologix Inc.
|System and method of measuring changes in arterial volume of a limb segment
|Jan 10, 2007
|Dec 9, 2010
|Panasonic Corporation
|Jun 5, 2009
|Dec 9, 2010
|General Electric Company
|System and method for monitoring hemodynamic state
|Mar 24, 2008
|May 5, 2011
|Gifu University
|Image processing apparatus, image processing program, storage medium, and ultra-sonic diagnostic apparatus
|Mar 24, 2008
|May 12, 2011
|Gifu University
|Image processing apparatus, image processing program, storage medium and ultra-sonograph
|Feb 28, 2011
|Sep 1, 2011
|Finburgh Simon E
|Apparatus and methods for non-invasively measuring hemodynamic parameters
|Jun 6, 2011
|Sep 29, 2011
|Voss Gregory I
|Methods and apparatus for control of non-invasive parameter measurements
|Jul 11, 2011
|Oct 27, 2011
|Martin Gregory J
|Method and apparatus for control of non-invasive parameter measurements
|Nov 30, 2012
|Jun 20, 2013
|Seiko Epson Corporation
|Blood pressure measurement apparatus and blood pressure measurement method
|Jun 18, 2014
|Dec 24, 2015
|Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited
|Method and device for tonometric blood pressure measurement
|Oct 9, 2008
|Apr 16, 2009
|Tensys Medical, Inc.
|Apparatus and methods for non-invasively measuring a patient's arterial blood pressure
|U.S. Classification
|600/504, 600/587, 600/465
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Aug 22, 2001
Owner name: TENSYS MEDICAL, INC., CALIFORNIA
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