Patent ID: 7344504

Claim:
A venous distensibility evaluation index measuring apparatus comprising: a venous occluding section; a pressure adjusting section; a clock section; an electrode section; an impedance conversion section; an impedance transition gradient calculating unit; a storage section; a venous distensibility evaluation index determining unit; and a display section; wherein said venous occluding section causes a vein in one part of body regions to be in a pressed condition; said pressure adjusting section adjusts a pressure used to cause the vein in the one part of the body regions to be in the pressed condition by increasing or decreasing the pressure, which is to be supplied to said venous occluding section; said clock section measures an elapsed time since said venous occluding section has started the pressing operation of said vein in the one part of the body regions; said electrode section supplies a current at a predetermined frequency to a vein in a location more distant from the heart with respect to that of said venous occluding section yet in the same circulation path as said vein of the one part of the body regions, while detecting a voltage, when said clock section measures said elapsed time; said impedance conversion section generates said current at the predetermined frequency to be supplied by said electrode section, while converting said voltage detected by said electrode section in combination with the supplied current into an impedance; said impedance transition gradient calculating unit arithmetically calculates a gradient of a rate of change in impedance to the elapsed time based on said impedance converted in said impedance conversion section and said elapsed time measured by said clock section; said storage section stores previously data indicative of a relation between the gradient of the rate of change in impedance to the elapsed time and a first venous distensibility evaluation index; said venous distensibility evaluation index determining unit specifies said first venous distensibility evaluation index corresponding to said gradient of the rate of change in impedance to the elapsed time calculated by said impedance transition gradient calculating unit from said relation data stored previously in said storage section; and said display section indicates said first venous distensibility evaluation index specified by said venous distensibility evaluation index determining unit.