A method for medical diagnosis includes recording voice signals due to sounds spoken by a patient and recording acoustic signals output, simultaneously with the voice signals, by an acoustic transducer in contact with a thorax of the patient. A transfer function is computed between the recorded voice signals and the recorded acoustic signals or between the recorded acoustic signals and the recorded voice signals. The computed transfer function is evaluated in order to assess a medical condition of the patient.

This system is a network of sensor nodes with multiple sensors at each node. The nodes are used in combination with a wearable garment to enable multiple types of data to be combined together to produce a fuller picture of a body's physiological state; such as during physical therapy. In addition, the system utilizes acoustic imaging to measure muscle activation. The system transmit this data to a host computer to visualize various data comparisons.

According to certain described aspects, multiple acoustic sensing elements are employed in a variety of beneficial ways to provide improved physiological monitoring, among other advantages. In various embodiments, sensing elements can be advantageously employed in a single sensor package, in multiple sensor packages, and at a variety of other strategic locations in the monitoring environment. According to other aspects, to compensate for skin elasticity and attachment variability, an acoustic sensor support is provided that includes one or more pressure equalization pathways. The pathways can provide an air-flow channel from the cavity defined by the sensing elements and frame to the ambient air pressure.

Mandibular repositioning devices have a maxillary piece that has a tooth covering with a driver flange protruding laterally outward on a right side proximate a backmost teeth mold and/or on a left side proximate the backmost teeth mold and have a mandibular piece that has a tooth covering with a protrusive flange extending cranially therefrom. Each driver flange has an anterior side with a convex curvature and each protrusive flange has a posterior side with a concave-to-convex curvature from its base toward its most cranial point. The convex portion of the concave-to convex curvature is positioned to engage the convex curvature of the driver flange in a rest position. Downward movement of the mandibular piece moves the convex portion of the posterior side of the protrusive flange along the convex curvature of the driver flange, thereby moving a user's mandible forward.

A system for monitoring heart activity may provide a power source, digital storage, a processor, a main body with an alignment mechanism facilitating proper placement, and one or more microphones for receiving audio signals and positioned for placement at auscultatory areas. The alignment mechanism may be a dip, depression, notch, or combinations thereof that align the system centrally on the sternum, suprasternal notch, or jugular notch. Further, the audio signals from the microphones may be monitored or recorded as individual tracks corresponding to different auscultatory areas. The auscultatory areas may be selected from an aortic area, pulmonic area, tricuspid area, mitral area, Erb's point, first alternate tricuspid area, and/or second alternate tricuspid area.

Maxillary devices and Mandibular devices each have a first housing connectable to a tooth of a user or connectable or integral with a teeth covering, wherein the housing encloses an on-board circuit board and a power source. The first housing of the maxillary devices has a tooth connecting portion, a palate housing portion and/or a buccal housing portion. The first housing of the mandibular devices has a tooth connecting portion and a sublingual portion. Each of the palate housing portion and the buccal housing portion enclose a stimulator having an electrode electrically connected to the on-board circuit board and the power source, and can enclose a sensor and/or a medicament dispenser. The sublingual portion encloses a sensor and a medicament dispenser each of which are in electrical communication with the microprocessor of the on-board circuit board.

Described herein is a method employing acoustic data from a patient's abdominal cavity to predict potential onset of postoperative ileus (POI) in patients recovering from surgery. According to one embodiment of the method, the rate of intestinal motility events, as well as the change in the rate across specific time periods, is analyzed to predict, or rule out, potential onset of POI. The current risk assessment may then be reported, and used to determine a course of treatment, such as rapidly advancing diet in low risk patients according to enhanced recovery after surgery protocols. The method can be applied at the patient's bedside by a nurse or other medical provider, and used to determine the POI risk assessment for the patient.

Medical apparatus includes an elongate probe for insertion into a body of a patient. The probe includes an ablation element and an acoustic transducer disposed at a distal end of the probe. An array of acoustic sensors is placed over the body. While the distal end of the probe is positioned in a target location in the body, a control unit drives the acoustic transducer in a training phase to emit an acoustic signal, receives electrical signals from the acoustic sensors in response to the acoustical signal, and processes the electrical signals so as to derive a phase profile focused at the target location. In an operational phase, the control unit drives the ablation element to ablate tissue in the body at the target location, and receives and filters the electrical signals from the acoustic sensors using the phase profile so as to detect acoustical activity at the target location.

Apparatus and methods for applying a barrier to a medical scope are provided. An apparatus may comprise a source of film and a housing. The housing may comprise a chamber configured to support therein the source of film, and an opening provided through a wall of the housing to permit a portion of the film to extend out of the chamber when the film is dispensed. The housing may comprise a recess located such that the extended portion of the film is permitted to hang freely in proximity to the recess. The recess may be sized to receive a distal portion of the medical scope. The recess may be adapted to allow the extended portion of the film to be applied to the distal portion of the medical scope when the distal portion is placed into the recess with the portion of the film located therebetween.

A garment comprising a central portion including a plurality of electrocardiogram leads, a plurality of auscultation acoustic sensor devices, a flexible respiratory sensor located so that it substantially circumscribes the garment, one or more blood pressure cuff portions located on an at least one arm portion of the garment, wherein the cuff portions are adapted to be loosened and/or tightened and a hardware device for sending and receiving signals via wired or wireless communication.