Devices and methods to measure and visualize the cardiac and respiratory signal of a human or animal subject during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam are described. This includes a video camera compatible with the MRI scanner, a means of transferring the video data away from the MRI scanner, a light source that illuminates the subject, and an algorithm that analyses the video stream and uses small image intensity changes and motion information to extract cardiac signal and respiratory signals of the subject. These methods make it practical to use optical tracking to monitor and correct for cardiac and respiratory motion during MRI, as well as provide basic patient monitoring with no physical contact to the subject.

Devices and methods to measure and visualize the cardiac and respiratory signal of a human or animal subject during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam are described. This includes a video camera compatible with the MRI scanner, a means of transferring the video data away from the MRI scanner, a light source that illuminates the subject, and an algorithm that analyses the video stream and uses small image intensity changes and motion information to extract cardiac signal and respiratory signals of the subject. These methods make it practical to use optical tracking to monitor and correct for cardiac and respiratory motion during MRI, as well as provide basic patient monitoring with no physical contact to the subject.

A sensor for motion or gesture sensing may be configured to emit radio frequency signals such as for pulsed range gated sensing. The sensor may include a radio frequency transmitter configured to emit the pulses and a receiver configured to receive reflected ones of the emitted radio frequency signals. The received pulses may be processed by a motion channel and/or a gesture channel. The gesture channel may produce signals for further processing for identification of one or more different motion gestures such as by calculating and evaluating features from any of the amplitude, phase and frequency of the output signals of the gesture channel. The sensing apparatus may optionally serve as a monitor for evaluating user activities, such as by counting activities. The sensor may optionally serve as a user control interface for many different devices by generating control signal(s) based on identification of one or more different motion gestures.

A sensor for motion or gesture sensing may be configured to emit radio frequency signals such as for pulsed range gated sensing. The sensor may include a radio frequency transmitter configured to emit the pulses and a receiver configured to receive reflected ones of the emitted radio frequency signals. The received pulses may be processed by a motion channel and/or a gesture channel. The gesture channel may produce signals for further processing for identification of one or more different motion gestures such as by calculating and evaluating features from any of the amplitude, phase and frequency of the output signals of the gesture channel. The sensing apparatus may optionally serve as a monitor for evaluating user activities, such as by counting activities. The sensor may optionally serve as a user control interface for many different devices by generating control signal(s) based on identification of one or more different motion gestures.

Disclosed are systems, devices and methods for providing proximity awareness to an anatomical feature while navigating inside a patient's chest, an exemplary method including receiving image data of the patient's chest, generating a three-dimensional (3D) model of the patient's chest based on the received image data, determining a location of the anatomical feature based on the received image data and the generated 3D model, tracking a position of an electromagnetic sensor included in a tool, iteratively determining a position of the tool inside the patient's chest based on the tracked position of the electromagnetic sensor, and indicating a proximity of the tool relative to the anatomical feature, based on the determined position of the tool inside the patient's chest.

The present invention relates to a method for re-synchronizing a breathing pattern of a patient (16) suffering from ataxic breathing, the method including the steps of monitoring the breathing pattern of the patient (16) during sleep; detecting whether the monitored breathing pattern includes an ataxic breathing episode; and if an ataxic breathing episode is detected, ventilating the patient (16) and eliminating a spontaneous breathing of the patient (16) for a predetermined first period of time (Δt.sub.1) by providing a flow of breathing gas (14) to an airway of the patient (16) with a volume of the breathing gas (14) provided per minute being above an individual-related threshold value of the patient (16).

The present invention relates to a method for re-synchronizing a breathing pattern of a patient (16) suffering from ataxic breathing, the method including the steps of monitoring the breathing pattern of the patient (16) during sleep; detecting whether the monitored breathing pattern includes an ataxic breathing episode; and if an ataxic breathing episode is detected, ventilating the patient (16) and eliminating a spontaneous breathing of the patient (16) for a predetermined first period of time (Δt.sub.1) by providing a flow of breathing gas (14) to an airway of the patient (16) with a volume of the breathing gas (14) provided per minute being above an individual-related threshold value of the patient (16).

Radio frequency motion sensors may be configured for operation in a common vicinity so as to reduce interference. In some versions, interference may be reduced by timing and/or frequency synchronization. In some versions, a master radio frequency motion sensor may transmit a first radio frequency (RF) signal. A slave radio frequency motion sensor may determine a second radio frequency signal which minimizes interference with the first RF frequency. In some versions, interference may be reduced with additional transmission adjustments such as pulse width reduction or frequency and/or timing dithering differences. In some versions, apparatus may be configured with multiple sensors in a configuration to emit the radio frequency signals in different directions to mitigate interference between emitted pulses from the radio frequency motion sensors.

Radio frequency motion sensors may be configured for operation in a common vicinity so as to reduce interference. In some versions, interference may be reduced by timing and/or frequency synchronization. In some versions, a master radio frequency motion sensor may transmit a first radio frequency (RF) signal. A slave radio frequency motion sensor may determine a second radio frequency signal which minimizes interference with the first RF frequency. In some versions, interference may be reduced with additional transmission adjustments such as pulse width reduction or frequency and/or timing dithering differences. In some versions, apparatus may be configured with multiple sensors in a configuration to emit the radio frequency signals in different directions to mitigate interference between emitted pulses from the radio frequency motion sensors.

A method and a device for detecting OSAHS provided that the method comprises: acquiring a vibration signal of a subject during sleep, and determining a breathing signal of the subject (S1), wherein the breathing signal comprises an inspiration signal generated upon inspiration and an expiration signal generated upon expiration; acquiring strength of a first vibration signal within a specified frequency range and superimposed on the inspiration signal, and strength of a second vibration signal within a specified frequency range and superimposed on the expiration signal adjacent to the inspiration signal (S2); and comparing, according to a preset method, the strength of the first vibration signal with the strength of the second vibration signal, and determining, according to a comparison result, whether the subject is snoring (S3). Since the detection is performed synchronously with breathing, the invention can prevent interference caused by coughing, speaking and other acoustic signals transmitted in the air, thereby significantly increasing accuracy in determining OSAHS. Moreover, the method and device of the invention can be realized by only making a minor modification to software in existing sleep sensors without incurring additional hardware costs.