Apparatus for supporting a person in a prone position comprises a support stand and a platform movably mounted to the support stand by a linkage, in which the platform is movable on the linkage between a first position and a second position, in which the platform comprises an upper portion in a first plane and a lower portion comprising a concavity relative to the first plane.

The invention relates to a method of controlling a respiratory assistance apparatus delivering a flow of gas, particularly a flow of air, comprising the steps of measuring at least one parameter indicative of said flow of gas; converting said at least one parameter indicative of said flow of gas into at least one signal indicative of said flow of gas; processing said at least one signal indicative of the flow of gas in order therefrom to deduce at least one item of information relating to cardiac massage being performed on a patient in cardiac arrest; on the basis of said at least one deduced item of information, automatically selecting a given ventilation mode from among a number of stored ventilation modes, and controlling the respiratory assistance apparatus by applying the selected ventilation mode. Respiratory assistance apparatus capable of implementing said control method.

The invention relates to a respiratory-aid apparatus (1) capable of supplying a stream of gas to a patient (P), comprising a gas-transport pipe (2) for transporting a stream of gas, such as air; measurement means (6) designed to measure at least one parameter representing the stream of gas and to supply at least one signal corresponding to said at least one parameter representing said stream of gas, for example the gas flow rate or pressure; signal-processing means (8) designed to process said at least one signal from the measurement means (6) and to deduce therefrom at least one piece of information (I1, I2, I3) characterising a cardiac massage performed on a patient; and display means (7) designed to display said at least one piece of information (I1, I2, I3) characterising a cardiac massage from the signal-processing means (8). The signal-processing means (8) are preferably capable of determining information representing the work (W.sub.V, W.sub.T) provided by the massage or pressure and/or flow rate amplitudes resulting from the massage. The invention also relates to a monitoring method capable of being implemented by such a respiratory-aid apparatus (1).

Vision-assist devices and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a vision-assist device includes an image sensor for generating image data corresponding to a scene, a processor, and an inertia measuring unit. The inertia measuring unit is configured to measure forces acting on the image sensor and the orientation of the image sensor. The processor is configured to receive the image data from the image sensor and process the force and orientation of the image sensor so as to determine a tilt of the image sensor. The processor is further configured to process the image data based on at least the tilt of the at least one image sensor so as to generate a corrected image data, wherein the corrected image data does not include the tilt.

A computer-implemented method and a navigation system are described for guiding a visually impaired user to avoid obstructions and impediments while walking. The user may wear a plurality of subassemblies of the system. The tilt and rotation of the user's head may be monitored using one of the subassemblies worn on the user's head. Based at least in part on the tilt and rotation of the user's head, vertical and horizontal firing angles used by a distance measuring unit in each of the subassemblies may be calculated to transmit and receive laser signals to perform measurements. The user is then provided with navigation instructions and alarms based on whether an obstruction or an impediment is detected that is closer than a predetermined distance to the user while the user is walking based on the measurements.

Methods and apparatuses for dispersing a compound within the patient are described. In one embodiment, an effective amount of a compound may be present in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient and a force may be applied to the torso of the patient sufficient to enhance the convection of the cerebrospinal fluid. In another embodiment, a bolus including a compound may be injected into the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient. The volume of the bolus may be between about 5% and 30% of the total volume of the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient.

A system and method for mechanical CPR can include a device for providing compressive force to various locations on a patient, and biological monitoring systems to measure the effectiveness of the various locations of compressive force in pumping blood through the patient. The system can also include providing decompressive force to increase the efficacy of blood flow.

Among other things, in one aspect, we describe a system for assisting with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The system includes at least one sensor; and one or more processors configured for calculating a chest compliance relationship based on data received from the at least one sensor, and determining a neutral position of chest compression based at least in part on a feature of the chest compliance relationship. The system can take the form of an active compression-decompression device.

A passive stent for retaining an organ in an expanded state configured to adhere and substantially conform to an external surface of the organ may include an inner layer, an outer layer, and a middle layer that is enclosed by the inner layer and the outer layer, comprising a plurality of components configured to interlock and maintain the organ in an expanded state upon application of a vacuum. A method for retaining an organ in an expanded state may include applying at least one force to the organ to place the organ in the expanded state; applying a passive stent to an external surface of the organ; and applying a vacuum to the passive stent sufficient to cause a plurality of components of at least one layer of the passive stent to interlock, where the at least one layer is configured to maintain the organ in the expanded state after interlocking.

A vibrotactile stimulation device intended to be applied against a body medium (MC) to be stimulated, produced in the form of a functional unit, comprising a vibrating effector suitable for applying, to said medium, pulses of mechanical vibrational energy, and a controller for controlling the effector according to stimulation rules. The functional unit further houses a first electrode suitable for cooperating with at least one second electrode separated from the first electrode in order to supply signals representative of a cardiac activity and a muscular activity on the medium to be stimulated, said controller being sensitive to cardiac activity and muscular activity signals in order to influence the stimulation. The stimulation device may be used for body stimulation in combating sleep apnea, with improved detection.