A method for monitoring a patient using an ultrasonic probe includes attaching a conformable two-dimensional piezoelectric transducer array having a plurality of phased array piezoelectric transducer elements on an epidermal surface of a patient so that the conformable two-dimensional piezoelectric transducer array conforms to a shape of the epidermal surface. The conformable two-dimensional piezoelectric transducer array is attachable to the epidermal surface by van der Waals forces alone. The plurality of phased array piezoelectric transducer elements is operated as a phased array to transmit a focused ultrasonic beam to a specified location in the patient to be monitored. Ultrasound waves are received from the patient using the array. An indication of the received ultrasound waves is displayed.

A modularized ultrasound apparatus utilizes a PC system such as PC case, thermal management subsystem, power supply unit, motherboard, CPU, memory, hard drive, GPU, to build an ultrasound system by inserting frontend modules integrated on PCIe expansion cards as modularized components into the PC system's PCIe expansion subsystem.

An acoustic wave probe (2) includes a reception circuit (13) that generates a sound ray signal from a reception signal of a transducer array (11); a Doppler processing unit (15) that performs Doppler processing on the sound ray signal to generate Doppler data; a Doppler image generation unit (16) that generates a Doppler image; a compression processing unit (17) that compresses the Doppler image; a wireless communication circuit (18) that wirelessly transmits the compressed Doppler image to the information terminal; and a processing frequency setting unit (19) that sets a processing frequency F2 of the compression processing such that the processing frequency F2 becomes a frequency higher than twice a processing frequency F1 of the Doppler processing, and at least the reception circuit (13), the Doppler processing unit (15), the Doppler image generation unit (16), and the compression processing unit (17) are disposed on the same substrate (24).

An invasive/interventional device or probe includes a control handle operably connected to an imaging system and an insertion tube. The control handle includes a body, a movement control mechanism disposed at least partially within the body and having one or more control elements disposed on the body, one or more gears rotatably disposed within the body, operably connected to the control elements, and one or more cables engaged with the gears, the cables extending outwardly from the body and adapted to be engaged with a tip of the interventional medical device. The control handle further includes a motion locking mechanism disposed at least partially within the body, the motion locking mechanism having one or more brake rods biased into engagement with the gears and a release switch engaged with the brake rods to selectively position the brake rods into or out of engagement with the gears.

A puncture information processing device of an embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to acquire position information on a passage through which a puncture needle for puncturing a living body passes when an ultrasonic probe provided with the passage is inserted into the living body, and derive a body surface puncture position on a body surface of the living body to be punctured with the puncture needle passing through the passage on the basis of the acquired position information on the passage.

An anchoring system and related methods are provided for treatment of dilated hearts and of functional valve regurgitation, the system comprising one or more self-expandable or manually expandable anchors and associated devices for fixating a valve splint within the heart. For example, a spade-shaped assembly may be configured to be deployed in a right ventricle of the heart and to stabilize a puncturing instrument to puncture the septum. Various puncturing instruments may also be part of the anchoring system, including one or more of a flexible needle having a multiplicity of slits disposed along the length of the needle, a trocar catheter with a retractable head, and a catheter needle having a blunt introducer to protect nearby tissue within the heart during advancing a guidewire. A cutter catheter and puncture location catheter may also be part of the system and be used during treatment.

A system for providing navigational guidance to a sonographer acquiring images is disclosed. The system may provide haptic feedback to the sonographer. The haptic feedback may be provided through an ultrasonic probe or a separate device. Haptic feedback may include vibrations or other sensations provided to the sonographer. The system may analyze acquired images and determine the location of acquisition and compare it to a desired image and a location for obtaining the desired image. The system may calculate the location for obtaining the desired image based, at least in part, on the acquired image. The system may then provide the haptic feedback to guide the sonographer to move the ultrasonic probe to the location to acquire the desired image.

A maternal and fetal monitoring system includes a detection probe configured to conduct physiological measurements on a maternal abdomen, the detection probe comprising a probe housing configured to be attached to the maternal abdomen, and a plurality of electrodes integrated into the probe housing and configured to acquire biopotential physiological data from the maternal abdomen. At least one controller is configured to calculate fetal heart rate (fHR) values, maternal heart rate (mHR) values, and/or uterine activity (UA) values based on both the physiological measurements and the biopotential physiological data, and a graphical display communicatively connected to the controller to receives and visually presents the calculated fHR values, mHR values, and/or UA values.

Ultrasound imaging systems for automatically adjusting settings according to an position and/or orientation of one or more interfaces. The ultrasound imaging systems can include a probe configured to send and receive ultrasound signals for performing a medical exam, a medical procedure, or both; and a processor configured to: select a diagnostics mode or a procedural mode based on an operating orientation of the ultrasound imaging system or a portion thereof, and adjust one or more settings of the imaging system according to the selected diagnostics mode or the selected procedural mode.

The invention relates to a medical sensor system with a probe sheath with a sheath distal end configured for insertion through an insertion opening into a lumen of a patient. A pressure signal channel between the sheath ends contains a pressure sensor at the sheath distal end configured to measure pressure in the pressure signal channel and produce a corresponding pressure measurement signal. A sheath retraction mechanism portion of the probe sheath has: i. an extended sheath configuration wherein the sheath distal end extends through the insertion opening into the lumen and encloses the pressure measurement sensor in physical isolation from the lumen, and ii. a retracted sheath configuration wherein the sheath distal end is longitudinally retracted back from the lumen towards the insertion opening so as to expose at least a portion of the pressure measurement sensor to the lumen.