International Business Machines Corporation

Johns Hopkins University

Boston University

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (a*star)

James H Anderson

Robert J Von Gutfeld

Kenneth R Jonkman

Wieslaw Lucjan Nowinski

James F Ziegler

John C Murphy

James D Fonger

Yaoping Wang

Chee-Kong Chui

Scott J McAllister

Yiyu Cai

William R Brody

Matthias D Ziegler

Sally E Mitchell

The invention provides a system for virtually designing a medical device conformed for use with a specific patient. Using the system, a three-dimensional geometric model of a patient-specific body cavity or lumen is reconstructed from scanned volume images such as obtained x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), ultrasound (US), angiography or other imaging modalities. Knowledge of the physical properties of the cavity/lumen is obtained by determining the relationship between image density and the stiffness or elasticity of tissues in the body cavity or lumen and is used to model interactions between a simulated device and a simulated body cavity or lumen.

Simulation method for designing customized medical devices

The invention describes methods for locating a treatment device disposed within a living body by means of magnetic fields that are produced by Barkhausen jumps, principally from amorphous tag wires with high permeability that exhibit reentrant flux reversal. When wires of this type are attached to concealed treatment devices such as catheters, interrogation or scanning of the tag wire by a low frequency ac magnetic field affords an accurate means for locating the treatment devices using a sensor coil to detect the magnetic field signal from the wire locating tag. The strength of the field detected by the position of a sensor coil with respect to the locator tag is used to determine the location of the tag. A favorable signal to noise detection ration is obtained as the signal emitted by the wire is at a very high frequency compared to that of the frequency of the interrogation field.

System of providing medical treatment

A transseptal left atrial cannulation system which provides drainage of left atrial blood without the need for thoracotomy. A guide wire and a long needle assembly are inserted into a catheter. A cannula rides over the exterior of this catheter. The guide wire may be advanced past the needle assembly and through a catheter through the distal end of the catheter to assist in directing the system to the right atrium. The cannulation system is inserted in a femoral vein located in the groin. Both the guide wire and needle assembly are long enough to allow a substantial length to extend out of the body at the groin for manipulation even when the distal ends of the guide wire and needle assembly are positioned in the heart. When the catheter distal end is positioned adjacent the septum in the right atrium, the guide wire is withdrawn from the catheter orifice and the needle assembly moves past the guide wire and through the catheter orifice to a position adjacent to the septum. The needle pierces the septum and the catheter moves over the needle assembly to further dilate the septal hole. The cannula attached to the catheter also moves through the septal hole, further dilating it, and resting with the holes in the left atrium. The guide wire, the needle assembly, and the catheter are withdrawn from the cannula. Oxygenated blood from the left atrium drains through the cannula to the extracorporeal pump and back to the body through an arterial cannula.

Percutaneous transseptal left atrial cannulation system

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MD, United States of America

James H Anderson