The present invention relates to patient monitoring, such as hemodynamic monitoring. In order to perform provide monitoring in various scenarios, a patient monitoring device (10) is provided that comprises a patient medical monitoring unit (12) and an information unit (14). The patient medical monitoring unit is configured to perform monitoring at least one physiological parameter of a patient. The information unit is configured to provide a data carrier signal (16) indicative of information about the patient medical monitoring unit, for example, upon connection to a monitoring system. The data carrier signal is provided as an analogue sequence (18) comprising a predetermined waveform (20) indicative of the information about the patient medical monitoring unit.

Provided is a multi-channel blood viscosity measuring device including: a blood sample preprocessing unit for scanning and shaking a blood collection tube and then removing a blood collection tube cover therefrom; a blood sample transfer unit for moving the blood collection tube stably placed by the blood sample preprocessing unit; a blood viscosity measuring unit including one or more channels and equipped with a blood viscosity measuring kit to measure the viscosity of an injected blood sample; and a blood sample post-processing unit for mounting the blood viscosity measuring kit on the blood viscosity measuring unit and suctioning the blood sample from the blood collection tube transferred by the blood sample transfer unit to inject same into the mounted blood viscosity measuring kit.

A blood pump system for persistently increasing the overall diameter and lumen diameter of peripheral veins and arteries by persistently increasing the speed of blood and the wall shear stress in a peripheral vein or artery for a period of time sufficient to result in a persistent increase in the overall diameter and lumen diameter of the vessel is provided. The blood pump system includes a blood pump, blood conduit(s), a control system with optional sensors, and a power source. The pump system is configured to connect to the vascular system in a patient and pump blood at a desired rate and pulsatility. The pumping of blood is monitored and adjusted, as necessary, to maintain the desired elevated blood speed, wall shear stress, and desired pulsatility in the target vessel to optimize the rate and extent of persistent increase in the overall diameter and lumen diameter of the target vessel.

A device for determining the rheological properties of blood may include a channel having at least one channel sub-section that has a substantially constant cross-section; apparatus for determining a pressure differential along at least a portion of the sub-section of the channel; a first reservoir that is adapted to be located at a first end of the channel and to be placed in fluid communication with the channel, the first reservoir being of variable internal volume; a second reservoir that is adapted to be placed in fluid communication with first reservoir via the channel, the second reservoir being of variable internal volume; means for allowing blood to be introduced into the device; an outlet for allowing gas to be expelled from the device; and means for varying the volume of the first reservoir.

The invention relates to a system for challenging the pericardial space, to provide an indication of the risk of cardiac tamponade in a patient, as well as methods for diagnosis of, and determination of the extent of, a tamponade, and treating a patient in whom there is a detected cardiac tamponade.

Embodiments provide devices, preparations and methods for delivering therapeutic agents (TAs) such as clotting factors (CFs, e.g., Factor 8) within the GI tract. Many embodiments provide a swallowable device e.g., a capsule for delivering TAs into the intestinal wall (IW). Embodiments also provide TA preparations configured to be contained within the capsule, advanced from the capsule into the IW and/or surrounding tissue (ST) and degrade to release the TA into the bloodstream to produce a therapeutic effect (e.g., improved clotting). The preparation can be operably coupled to delivery means having a first configuration where the preparation is contained in the capsule and a second configuration where the preparation is advanced out of the capsule into the IW or ST (e.g., the peritoneal cavity). Embodiments are particularly useful for delivery of CFs for treatment of clotting disorders (e.g., hemophilia) where such CFs are poorly absorbed and/or degraded within the GI tract.

A computational methodology for noninvasively assessing the severity of arterial stenosis and predicting the therapeutic outcome of interventional treatment for stenosis assessed as severe, mild, or in between based on patient's CT/MRI imaging data, ultrasound test data, and physio-pathological material properties. The method includes two major parts. The steps in the first part comprise receiving medical data, segmenting the anatomical three-dimensional geometry of the stenosed artery, setting up boundary conditions at inlet and outlets using the ultrasound velocity waveforms together with 3-element WinKessel model, and computing pulsatile pressure waveforms proximal and distal to the existing stenosis for TPI. The steps in the second part comprise of varying the VR of the stenosis virtually from 0% to 95% with an increment of 5%, computing TPI for each level of VR, establishing the functional relation between TPI and VR, identifying the two thresholds of VR.sub.mild and VR.sub.severe on TPI-VR curve, determining the severity of the existing stenosis by comparing VR.sub.existing with VR.sub.mild and VR.sub.severe concurrently and predicting the outcome of the lesion (TPI) improvement after an interventional treatment such as stenting for the existing stenosis.

Provided is a small blood viscosity measurement kit and a cartridge therefor. The small blood viscosity measurement kit configured to measure a blood viscosity includes: a kit body; two blood pipes disposed symmetrically on two sides of the kit body, wherein an upper side of each of the two blood pipes is open and configured to receive blood injected thereinto; and a fine channel connected to a lower side of the each of the two blood pipes. When blood is injected into one of the two blood pipes, the blood is supplied to the other of the two blood pipes through the fine channel. In addition, there is provided a small blood viscosity measurement kit cartridge, in which a plurality of small blood viscosity measurement kits are stored and kept, and the small blood viscosity measurement kit cartridge automatically supplies the small blood viscosity measurement kits.

A blood pump system for persistently increasing the overall diameter and lumen diameter of peripheral veins and arteries by persistently increasing the speed of blood and the wall shear stress in a peripheral vein or artery for a period of time sufficient to result in a persistent increase in the overall diameter and lumen diameter of the vessel is provided. The blood pump system includes a blood pump, blood conduit(s), a control system with optional sensors, and a power source. The pump system is configured to connect to the vascular system in a patient and pump blood at a desired rate and pulsatility. The pumping of blood is monitored and adjusted, as necessary, to maintain the desired elevated blood speed, wall shear stress, and desired pulsatility in the target vessel to optimize the rate and extent of persistent increase in the overall diameter and lumen diameter of the target vessel.

Systems and methods are disclosed for estimating patient-specific blood flow characteristics. One method includes acquiring, for each of a plurality of individuals, a geometric model and estimated blood flow characteristics of at least part of the individual's vascular system; executing a machine learning algorithm on the geometric model and estimated blood flow characteristics for each of the plurality of individuals; identifying, using the machine learning algorithm, features predictive of blood flow characteristics corresponding to a plurality of points in the geometric models; acquiring, for a patient, a geometric model of at least part of the patient's vascular system; and using the identified features to produce estimates of the patient's blood flow characteristic for each of a plurality of points in the patient's geometric model.