Patent ID: 11883238
Assignee: EGGERS & ASSOCIATES, LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 0:
1. A method for detecting and quantifying the conductance of a right-to-left cardiac shunt of a patient having a mouth, a right atrium, a skull containing intracranial arteries, a precordium, and a right atrium, comprising the steps of:
[a] controlling a release of a Valsalva maneuver comprising:
[i] placing into the mouth of the patient a first end of a mouthpiece assembly tubing, the mouthpiece assembly tubing also having a second end for connecting to a solenoid-driven vacuum/pressurization assembly;
[ii] actuating the solenoid-driven vacuum/pressurization assembly;
[iii] operating a controller for the solenoid-driven vacuum/pressurization assembly to either providing pressure resistance against air exhaled into the mouthpiece assembly by the patient or to allowing the exhaled air to pass therethrough, the controller including a timer;
[iv] providing a display screen for guiding the patient through the performance of the Valsalva maneuver; and
[v] operating the controller to actuate the solenoid-driven vacuum/pressurization assembly to rapidly discontinue the pressure resistance against air exhaled into the mouthpiece assembly by the patient as directed by the detection of the arrival of microbubble containing contrast agent in the right atrium so as to end the Valsalva maneuver upon the detection;

[b] providing a microbubble counting cell and an image sensor associated with software-based image analysis;
[c] estimating a number of microbubbles injected into the patient by recording one or more images of the microbubble counting cell using the image sensor combined with the software-based image analysis;
[d] providing a monitor to enable an operator to specify of a total volume of contrast agent for injecting into the patient;
[e] positioning one or more first Doppler ultrasound transducer arrays adjacent to targeted intracranial arteries at one side of the patient skull or a pair of first Doppler ultrasound transducer arrays adjacent to targeted intracranial arteries at both sides of the patient skull; and
[e] positioning a second Doppler ultrasound transducer on the patient precordium to detect the arrival of microbubble-containing contrast agent in the patient right atrium.