An enhanced stethoscope device and method for operating the enhanced stethoscope are provided. The enhanced stethoscope device generally operates by providing stethoscope sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and other sensors to obtain a series of measurements about a subject. The series of measurements may be correlated, such as by machine learning, to extract clinically relevant information. Also described are systems and methods for ultrasonic beamsteering by interference of an audio signal with an ultrasonic signal.

Intravascular systems can include a catheter having a proximal end, a distal end, a sensor located at the distal end configured to provide sensor information representative of one or more intravascular properties of a patient, and a plurality of magnetic domains. A magnetic pickup can be configured to output a pickup signal based on the magnetic field at the magnetic pickup produced by the plurality of magnetic domains. An intravascular processing engine can be in communication with the catheter sensor and the magnetic pickup. The intravascular processing engine can receive sensor information from the sensor and a position signal representative of the pickup signal. The intravascular processing engine can be used to determine position information related to the position of the catheter sensor and combine the received sensor information and corresponding determined position information.

Disclosed is a device, system and method for use with sensors including an accelerator, a gyroscope and magnetometers to determine position and orientation of a probe. The probe may be attached to, or incorporate other instruments such as ultrasound transducer and surgical instruments. Each of the sensors generate sensor data, including calibration data. The system may also have a second position sensor in proximity to the probe. The system also has a processing engine receiving the sensor data for calculating the position and orientation of the probe relative to the second position sensor.

A micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT). The MUT includes: a substrate; a membrane suspending from the substrate; a bottom electrode disposed on the membrane; a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode and an asymmetric top electrode is disposed on the piezoelectric layer. The areal density distribution of the asymmetric electrode along an axis has a plurality of local maxima, wherein locations of the plurality of local maxima coincide with locations where a plurality of anti-nodal points at a vibrational resonance frequency is located.

Systems and methods for non-invasive fat reduction can include targeting a region of interest below a surface of skin, which contains fat and delivering ultrasound energy to the region of interest. The ultrasound energy generates a thermal lesion with said ultrasound energy on a fat cell. The lesion can create an opening in the surface of the fat cell, which allows the draining of a fluid out of the fat cell and through the opening. In addition, by applying ultrasound energy to fat cells to increase the temperature to between 43 degrees and 49 degrees, cell apoptosis can be realized, thereby resulting in reduction of fat.

A displacement measurement apparatus includes an ultrasound sensor transmitting ultrasounds to an object in accordance with a drive signal, and detecting ultrasound echo signals generated in the object to output echo signals; a driving and processing unit supplying the drive signal to the sensor, and processing the echo signals from the sensor to obtain ultrasound echo data; and a controller controlling the driving and processing unit to yield an ultrasound echo data frame at each of plural different temporal phases based on the ultrasound echo data obtained by scanning the object. The ultrasound echo data has one of local single octant spectra, local single quadrant spectra, and local single half-band-sided spectra in a frequency domain. The ultrasound echo data is obtained from plural same bandwidth spectra. A data processing unit calculates a displacement at each local position or distribution thereof in at least one of axial, lateral, and elevational directions by solving simultaneous equations derived at each local position via implementing a predetermined displacement measurement method on the ultrasound echo data yielded at the plural different temporal phases with respect to at least one of the axial, lateral, and elevational carrier frequencies and the phase, or the one of the local single octant spectra, the local single quadrant spectra, and the local single half-band-sided spectra.

The invention provides for a medical instrument (100, 300, 400, 500) comprising a magnetic resonance imaging system (102). The medical instrument further comprises a subject support (120) with a support surface (121) configured for supporting at least a portion of the subject within an imaging zone (108). The subject support comprises a radar array (125) embedded below the support surface. The medical instrument further comprises a radar system (124) for acquiring a radar signal (144) from the subject. The medical instrument further comprises a motion detection system (122) configured for acquiring a movement signal (146). Execution of machine executable instructions (140) causes a processor (130) to: continuously (200) receive the radar signal; continuously (202) receive the movement signal; continuously (204) calculate a combined motion signal (148) from the radar system and the movement signal; and control (206) the magnetic resonance imaging system with the pulse sequence commands to acquire the magnetic resonance imaging data, wherein the acquisition of the magnetic resonance imaging data is controlled using the combined motion signal.

A method for tracking an interventional medical device in a patient includes interleaving, by an imaging probe external to the patient, a pulse sequence of imaging beams and tracking beams to obtain an interleaved pulse sequence. The method also includes transmitting, from the imaging probe to the interventional medical device in the patient, the interleaved pulse sequence. The method further includes determining, based on a response to the tracking beams received from a sensor on the interventional medical device, a location of the sensor in the patient.

A transducer assembly operable to transmit ultrasonic energy in a desired direction towards a zone adapted to be acoustically coupled to an object or area of interest is provided that has: a transducer layer; a backing layer disposed behind said transducer layer with respect to the desired direction; a back-matching layer disposed between the transducer layer and the backing layer to reflect towards said transducer layer part of the ultrasonic energy directed from the transducer layer to the backing layer; and a heat transfer layer disposed between the back-matching layer and the backing layer to drain heat from the transducer assembly. A process for manufacturing a transducer assembly is also disclosed.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprise an ultrasonic probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and receive a response signal reflected from the object, an image generator configured to create an ultrasound image of the object based on a first ultrasound signal and a first response signal and a controller configured to control transmission order and transmission intervals of the ultrasound signal and estimate a position of the ultrasonic probe based on a second ultrasound signal and a second response signal. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the current position of the ultrasonic probe is estimated using an ultrasound signal transmitted for creation of an ultrasound image without attachment of an extra sensor, so the position of the ultrasonic probe may be estimated more economically and effectively.