A manometric catheter probe includes a flexible printed circuit, one or more pressure sensor assemblies coupled to the flexible printed circuit along a length of the flexible printed circuit, and a first flexible sleeve. Each pressure sensor assembly includes a body. The body includes a central cavity configured to receive the flexible printed circuit and an annular recess of the body. Each pressure sensor assembly further includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor disposed in the annular recess, an electrical connector configured to electrically couple the MEMS sensor and the flexible printed circuit, and a first flexible sleeve disposed over the annular recess of the body. The first flexible sleeve includes a fluid configured to communicate pressure to the MEMS sensor, and a second sleeve is disposed over the pressure sensor assembly.

Measurements of esophageal pressure and geometry are classified using a trained machine learning algorithm, such as a neural network or other classifier algorithm. Contractile response patterns can be identified in the esophageal pressure and geometry data, from which classified feature data can be generated. The classified feature data classify the esophageal pressure and geometry data as being indicative of an upper gastrointestinal disorder in the subject.

A method of assisting a manometry procedure includes recording, by a processor, a plurality of pressure measurements taken by a catheter inserted within a gastrointestinal tract of a patient, determining, by the processor, a pressure pattern based on the plurality of pressure measurements, and determining whether the determined pressure pattern is an acceptable pressure pattern or an unacceptable pressure pattern.

A novel clinical decision support system (CDS) helps the clinician set up, maintain, and interpret an esophageal pressure measurement. The esophageal pressure CDS (Pes CDS) would remind the clinician to do an occlusion test whenever the balloon is first inserted or changes dramatically. It could monitor the occlusion test and provide feedback on the performance and success of the occlusion test. Changes in the patient or monitored data can be tracked by looking for changes in the balloon baseline pressure, changes in the amplitude of the pressure waveform, or changes in the pattern of the Pes waveform. Having information from the ventilator will further increase the ability of the system to determine when Pes is changing unexpectedly.

Disclosed are catheter systems and methods of using the catheter system to acquire mucosal impedance data of a patient. Also disclosed are methods of classifying or otherwise identifying esophageal conditions in a subject based on mucosal impedance data acquired using a catheter system. Unlike conventions systems that require subjective input from a physician to render a diagnosis, the systems and methods described herein can utilize the mucosal impedance measurements to generate a probability that the subject's esophagus corresponds to an esophageal condition or a set of esophageal conditions. In one embodiment, a classification model is used to generate the probability. The classification model may generate the probability based at least in part on a change in the mucosal impedance measurements between a distal location and a proximal location on the subject's esophagus.

A novel clinical decision support system (CDS) helps the clinician setup, maintain, and interpret esophageal pressure measurement. The esophageal pressure CDS (Pes CDS) would remind the clinician to do an occlusion test whenever the balloon is first inserted or changes dramatically. It could monitor the occlusion test and provide feedback on the performance and success of the occlusion test. Changes in the patient or monitored data can be tracked by looking for changes in the balloon baseline pressure, changes in the amplitude of the pressure waveform, or changes in the pattern of the Pes waveform. Having information from the ventilator will further increase the ability of the system to determine when Pes is changing unexpectedly.

A process, a signal processing unit and to a ventilator automatically calculate a set point for a frequency, with which the ventilator performs ventilation strokes and thereby mechanically ventilates the patient. An alveolar or proximal minute volume is predefined. A lung time constant for the lungs of the patient is determined. The volume of a dead space in a fluid connection between the lungs and the ventilator is determined. A mandatory frequency set point (f.sub.set,mand) for the mandatory ventilation of the patient is calculated. An ideal frequency (f.sub.spon), with which the patient can achieve the minute volume by means of spontaneous breathing, is calculated. The ventilation frequency set point is calculated as a weighted average of the mandatory frequency set point (f.sub.set,mand) and of the ideal frequency (f.sub.spon). The averaging depends on a determined actual intensity of the spontaneous breathing of the patient.

Systems and methods for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) include at least one electrically stimulating electrode coupled to a pulse generator. Individuals with GERD are treated by implanting a stimulation device within and/or proximate the patient's lower esophageal sphincter, gastric fundus, or other nearby gastrointestinal structures and applying electrical stimulation to the patient's lower esophageal sphincter and/or fundus, in accordance with certain predefined protocols. Electrical stimulation provided by the disclosed systems results in an increase in the length of the high pressure zone of the LES and/or modulation of the receptive relaxation response of the fundus to decrease gastric pressure, creating a longer barrier to the reflux of gastric contents or increasing functional lower esophageal pressure respectively, thereby treating GERD.

Systems and methods for adaptive, multi-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”), in which an MRI scan prescription is adaptively changed to acquire high-quality data from select regions-of-interest (“ROI”) in a larger field-of-view (“FOV”), are provided. The higher quality data can include data representing higher spatial resolution, higher signal-to-noise ratio (“SNR”), increased diffusion encoding via repeated acquisition with a larger number of diffusion-encoding directions, and so on. A composite image can be generated that displays the higher quality images of the ROIs overlaid on the larger FOV.

Disclosed is an NGT system, the system comprises a nasogastric tube having a diameter and length configured to pass through an esophagus such that the lumen of the NGT maintains fluid communication with a portion of the digestive tract, and a digestive tract sensor operatively associated with the NGT, the digestive tract sensor configured to sense from inside the body and transmit signals in response to one or both of conditions relating to nourishment states of the digestive tract, and positioning of the NGT.