Patent ID: 11857356
Assignee: SIEMENS HEALTHCARE LIMITED
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 32:
33. An apparatus for capturing medical images of a body, the body being a human body or a body of an animal, the apparatus comprising:
an x-ray imaging modality configured to,
perform a monitoring scan including detecting first medical imaging data corresponding to x-ray data, and
perform an x-ray imaging scan of the body; and

a control device coupled to the x-ray imaging modality, the control device configured to
determine a start time for starting manual contrast administration,
produce first images of the body based on the x-ray data,
detect a signal level at a defined position in the body from the first images,
compute a first time interval based on a characteristic time interval between the start time for starting the manual contrast administration and a time at which the signal level at the defined position in the body reaches a threshold level,
compute an end time for ending the manual contrast administration such that the end time for ending the manual contrast administration precedes an end of the x-ray imaging scan by the first time interval, a timing of at least one of the start time for starting the manual contrast administration, a beginning of the x-ray imaging scan or the end of the x-ray imaging scan being based on user-selected points in time, and the user-selected points in time being based on an examination protocol, a contrast agent or a patient characteristic,
output a first advance signal at a first defined time before the start time for starting manual contrast administration,
output a first indication at the start time instructing performance of the manual contrast administration,
output a second advance signal after computing the end time, the second advance signal being a color-coded signal or an audio signal, and
output a second indication at the end time for ending the manual contrast administration, the second indication instructing termination of the manual contrast administration, and the second advance signal being output at a second defined time before the second indication is output.