Patent Document ID: 9911365
Application ID: 14733805
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A neonatal echocardiographic simulator comprising: (i) a neonatal mannequin; (ii) a magnetic tracking system comprising: (a) a control module connected to a computer; (b) a magnetic pulse wave generator positioned on the mannequin and connected to the control module; (c) a transducer fitted with a sensor, said transducer configured to detect magnetic pulse waves from the generator and connected to the control module; the control module reading data from the generator and the transducer, and transmitting the data to the computer; (iii) the computer comprising a display monitor and a memory, the memory comprising; (a) data comprising exactly seven 4D echocardiographic image volumes taken from five echocardiographic windows of neonate patients, including the left parasternal, apical, subcostal, right parasternal and suprasternal, each 4D echocardiographic image volume recorded directly from the neonate patients using a window selected from the five echocardiographic windows and then virtually positioned under a corresponding window on the mannequin, said exactly seven 4D echocardiographic image volumes being used for optimal simulation of echocardiography of the neonate patients; (b) said plurality of 4D echocardiographic image volumes comprise exactly one volume located under the left parasternal window, exactly one volume located under the apical window, exactly two volumes located under the subcoastal window, exactly one volume located under the right parasternal window, and exactly two volumes located under the suprasternal window; (c) said each 4D echocardiographic image volume having an apex oriented to the window on the mannequin corresponding to the cardiac window on the neonate patient from which the 4D echocardiographic image volume was recorded, and further within the mannequin each 4D echocardiographic image volume is oriented towards a specific anatomical location for slicing to generate real-time 2D echocardiographic simulation; said slicing of the 4D echocardiographic image volume done from a point on the mannequin corresponding to the window associated with the 4D echocardiographic image volume; (d) said slicing of the 4D echocardiographic image volumes is done on the mannequin from same point of origin that the original 4D echocardiographic image volumes were recorded from a neonate and virtually positioned under their corresponding echocardiographic windows on the mannequin, said point of origin being the apex of the 4D echocardiographic image volume; (e) said slicing is done from the same point of origin by a use of roll, pitch and yaw orientation of the transducer, and coordinates of a 2D slice of the 4D echocardiographic image volume are obtained through the use of roll, pitch and yaw of the transducer and not using X, Y Z coordinates of the transducer; (f) said coordinates obtained through the use of roll, pitch and yaw are used to activate video clips of color flow, Doppler, M-Mode, said video clips obtained from the same neonate from whom the original 4D echocardiographic image volume being sliced was recorded; (g) 26 2D slices are obtained from the seven 4D image volumes to provide a complete range of echocardiographic evaluation in neonates and infants, and said video clips are related to the 26 2D slices; (h) non-transitory program instructions associated with the computer transmit the data relative to the corresponding window stored in the memory of the computer, the transmitting of the data relative to the corresponding window initiated when the sensor of the transducer is located at the corresponding window on the mannequin; and (i) wherein when a trainee places the transducer at an appropriate echocardiographic window, the 4D echocardiographic volume of a neonatal heart which has already been virtually positioned and oriented underneath that window will become available for slicing, and through the use of roll, pitch and yaw of the transducer which controls a cutting plane, a continuous range of 2D echocardiographic loops will be displayed on the computer monitor, and upon encountering any of the 26 2D slices, the trainee will have the option of recalling the related video clips of color flow, Doppler and M-mode by touching an appropriate knob on the monitor or a key on a keyboard of the computer; and a calculation package enables the trainee to perform a range of hemodynamic measurements comprising freezing or pausing the video clip and performing evaluations of heart functions and measurements on various parts of the heart including size of a valve, ventricle, and degree of contraction.