The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Massachusetts General Hospital Corporation

Other

James H Philip

Stephen A Raymond

Daniel B Raemer

Gary R Strichartz

Martyn A Vickers, Jr

Ronald S Newbower

Ronald J Hurley

Roman Portnoy

Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for accessing an internal body region using a catheter. The catheter includes a catheter body and a medication lumen positioned within the catheter body for delivering medication to the internal body region. An inflation lumen is positioned within the catheter body. A balloon is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, and the balloon is configured to move between a collapsed position and an expanded position as fluid enters the balloon through the inflation lumen. An anchor covers at least a portion of the balloon on an outer surface of the catheter body and includes a movable section with a first retracted position and a second deployed position. Upon inflation of the balloon, the movable section of the anchor moves radially outward from the first contracted position to the second deployed position to secure the catheter in the internal body region.

Regional anesthesia catheter with anchor

A system for determining anesthetic state of a subject includes a brain monitor configured to measure at least one parameter of brain activity of the subject and to provide at least one brain monitor output signal indicative of the measured at least one parameter, a stimulator configured to apply a non-surgical stimulus perturbation to the subject and to provide at least one stimulus output signal indicative of timing and intensity of non-surgical stimuli applied to the subject, an analyzer coupled to the brain monitor and the stimulator and configured to receive the at least one brain monitor output signal and the at least one stimulus output signal, to determine a stimulus difference between the non-surgical stimulus intensity in the absence of the perturbation and in the presence of the perturbation, to determine a monitor difference between the a first value of the at least one parameter in the absence of the perturbation and a second value of the at least one parameter in the presence of the perturbation, to make a comparison of the stimulus difference and the monitor difference, and to provide an indication of the comparison, and a display coupled to the analyzer and configured to receive the indication of the comparison, and in response to receiving the indication of the comparison to provide at least one of an audible sound and a visual image indicative of the indication of the comparison.

Anesthetic-state determing

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for locating and identifying the function of specific peripheral nerves. In one embodiment, the present invention takes the form of a nerve stimulator which is used to locate nerves to assist in the administration of regional anesthesia. In another embodiment, the nerve stimulator is used to locate, identify the function of, and guard against the inadvertent cutting of specific nerves during surgical procedures. The apparatus of the present invention includes a stimulus delivery means, a response-detecting means and a means for automatically modulating the magnitude of the stimulus.

Apparatus for locating a nerve and for protecting nerves from injury

Method for locating a nerve and for protecting nerves from injury during

An improved system for monitoring the fluid flow through a fluid delvery system to a patient wherein the fluid flow rate is varied in a predetermined sequential manner. Corresponding changes in pressure in the line connecting the vein of a patient and the pump are detected and are used to derive signals indicative of the resistance or impedance in the line, which in turn can be used to determine whether the vein is normal, whether it is phlebitic, whether it is occluded, whether infiltration of the canula into the patient's soft tissue has occurred, or whether the continuity of tubing to the vein has been interrupted.

Intravenous fluid flow monitor

A rate calculator for calculating, displaying and continuously updating the rate of occurrence of events. Manually entered signals indicative of the occurrence of an observed event trigger a resettable counter for counting the number of events. A clock is activated by the first entry signal for measuring the time duration from the first entry and a processor responds to the counter and the clock for cumulatively calculating the rate of occurrence of each event from the second event on. A display of the calculated rate is provided for visual perception.

Manual entry rate calculator having continuous updating capability

Method and apparatus for measuring cardiac output in which a traceable signal in the form of thermal energy or an injectate is applied to the blood flow through the heart having a plurality of frequency components with the traceable signal detected at a heart output vessel and analyzed at the plural frequency components to provide cardiac output rate and ejection fraction information. The traceable signal is preferably heat energy applied as a very low frequency modulation of a high frequency signal at a fundamental and further harmonic or as a square wave in which multiple harmonics are present. At least two frequency components of the square wave are then separately analyzed. A multiple frequency system in addition to permitting analysis of previously undetectable heart output characteristics additionally permits determination of whether the source of the traceable signal is properly located within the heart such as in the ventricle.

Growing community of inventors

Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America

James H Philip