A portable vein viewer apparatus may be battery powered and hand-held to reveal patient vasculature information to aid in venipuncture processes. The apparatus comprises a first laser diode emitting infrared light, and a second laser diode emitting only visible wavelengths, wherein vasculature absorbs a portion of the infrared light causing reflection of a contrasted infrared image. A pair of silicon PIN photodiodes, responsive to the contrasted infrared image, causes transmission of a corresponding signal. The signal is processed through circuitry to amplify, sum, and filter the outputted signals, and with the use of an image processing algorithm, the contrasted image is projected onto the patient's skin surface using the second laser diode. Revealed information may comprise vein location, depth, diameter, and degree of certainty of vein locations. Projection of vein images may be a positive or a negative image. Venipuncture needles may be coated to provide visibility in projected images.

An actively-powered temperature data logger patch with wireless data communication includes a sealed, flexible battery comprising a printed electrochemical cell with an anode and a cathode, and a flexible circuit including a microprocessor, a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a target subject, a wireless communication transceiver and an antenna. In one example, the flexible battery and flexible circuit are arranged in a covering, stacked arrangement between first and second substrate layers, and the patch configured to conform to a curved surface of the target subject. In another example, the patch is used in an actively-powered medical system for monitoring a body temperature of a patient, and includes an adhesive configured to be removably applied to skin of the patient. An external computing device is capable of two way communication with the wireless communication transceiver of the patch via an electromagnetic field.

A photoplethysmogram (PPG) measurement includes the use of compressive sensing based on samples generated in accordance with a fixed pattern. A pulse oximeter circuit can drive an LED according to the fixed pattern to create a compressive sensing sample matrix of sparse measurements. The fixed pattern can be a binary progression. The PPG signal reconstruction can include zero padding the sample matrix.

A tremor-reduction system is provided that delivers electric current to a body region of a subject that is associated with a tremor. A computing device stores received data associated with a tremulous movement of the body region and determines measurements associated with the stored data. If a magnitude of the most recent tremulous movement is the same as or greater than magnitudes associated with prior tremulous movements, characteristics of a subsequent electric current to be applied to the body region may be adjusted.

The present invention describes an apparatus and method for determining the energy expenditure of a subject by indirect calorimetry where respiratory gases O.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 are captured in a tent mask coupled through a pneumotach flow meter to a vacuum inlet of a blower fan whose speed is controlled by a computer running a program that ensures that the bias flow being drawn through the mask always exceeds the subject's peak expiratory flow. VO.sub.2 and VCO.sub.2 and flow values are measured on a breath-by-breath basis and used in arriving at a bias flow adjustment voltage to be applied to the blower fan for adjusting its speed.

The Powerline Communication (“PLC”) systems and methods described allow for bi-directional communication along an AC or DC conductor between a first device and at least a second device comprising a medical device system. Generally, two devices within a sterile field may communicate with each other by PLC or a first device within a sterile field may communicate with a second device that is outside the sterile field by PLC. More specifically, a controller unit may communicate with a saline, or other fluid, pump to achieve a variety of functional purposes. Similarly, a measurement device may share measured data with another device.

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments provide a device capable of determining a blood property based at least in part on the measurement of the amount of light received by a receiver circuit with a limited current capacity by charging a capacitor with a low voltage power supply and intermittently discharging the capacitor through a light emitting diode. In some embodiments the device may be a pulse oximeter capable of taking blood oxygen readings. In some embodiments the device may be a heart rate monitor to determine a heart rate based on an amount of light passed through tissue. The various embodiments may enable pulse oximeters and/or heart rate monitors to be incorporated into small unobtrusive body patches, while enabling the pulse oximeters to operate from a power output equivalent to that of a small coin cell battery or printed cell battery.

A system uses continuous tracking of sleep activity and heart rate activity to evaluate heart rate variability immediately before transitioning to an awake state, e.g., at the end of the last phase of deep sleep. In particular, a wearable, continuous physiological monitoring system as described herein includes one or more sensors to detect sleep states, the transitions between sleep states, and the transitions from a sleep state to an awake state for a user. This information can be used in conjunction with continuously monitored heart rate data to calculate heart rate variability of the user at the end of the last phase of sleep preceding the user waking up. By using the history of heart rate data in conjunction with sleep activity in this manner, an accurate and consistent recovery score can be calculated based on heart rate variability.

A system comprising a remotely programmable micromonitor with a wireless sensing system-on-module (SOM), one or more sensors to detect one or more conditions in a subject by monitoring one or more parameters associated with the conditions by comparing any monitored parameter to a baseline measurement of the monitored parameter from the subject, a plurality of sensors corresponding to a monitored parameter and connected to the micromonitor to convey measurements of all monitored parameters, the sensors including at least one of a non-optical pulse wave sensor or an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, a communications module capable of communicating with a wireless technology, wherein the module can send an alert signal to the subject or an attending physician or a remote service center or any other subject, and one or more algorithms for monitoring conditions and/or for predicting conditions, including at least one of a fall detection or fall prediction algorithm.

Described herein are apparatuses (e.g., garments, including but not limited to shirts, pants, and the like) for detecting and monitoring physiological parameters, such as respiration, cardiac parameters, and the like. Also described herein are methods of forming garments having one or more stretchable conductive ink patterns and methods of making garments having one or more highly stretchable conductive ink pattern formed of a composite of an insulative adhesive, a conductive ink, and an intermediate gradient zone between the adhesive and conductive ink. The conductive ink typically includes between about 40-60% conductive particles, between about 30-50% binder; between about 3-7% solvent; and between about 3-7% thickener. The stretchable conductive ink patterns may be stretched more than twice their length without breaking or rupturing.