Patent ID: 9526438
Filing Date: 2016-12-27
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A microwave stethoscope measurement apparatus comprising: a microwave transmission sensor and a microwave reception sensor in spaced-apart side-by-side configuration adapted to be placed on a patient's chest to over a selected heart-lung location in the body of the patient for monitoring lung water content and other vital signs of the patient, wherein the sensors are mounted on a single chest patch to be placed on the patient's chest, a microwave-frequency transmission/reception module coupled to said microwave transmission sensor to provide a microwave radiating signal from the patient's chest to the selected heart lung location in the patient's body from said microwave transmission sensor on the chest patch, and coupled to said microwave reception sensor to receive a microwave scattering signal returned from tissues at the selected heart-lung location in the patient's body to said microwave reception sensor on the chest patch, said returned microwave scattering signal being provided to said microwave-frequency transmission/reception module to be digitally analyzed for monitoring of lung water content; wherein the side-by-side microwave transmission and reception sensors are spaced apart a separation distance of 1-3 cm between sensors in lateral chest orientation on the chest patch in order to minimize attenuation of the returned microwave signal and/or electromagnetic coupling between the sensors so as to provide an optimal returned microwave signal for analysis of lung water content and other vital signs of the patient.