Fluidic heart-sound monitor and esophageal stethoscope
| Title: | Fluidic heart-sound monitor and esophageal stethoscope |
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| Patent Number: | 5,076,284 |
| Publication Date: | December 31, 1991 |
| Appl. No: | 07/607,432 |
| Application Filed: | October 23, 1990 |
| Abstract: | A heart-sound monitor and esophageal stethoscope which makes use of fluidic aminar proportional amplifiers (LPAs). These LPA's are used to sense and amplify incoming acoustic pressure signals, such as heart signals. Moreover, the fluidic monitor is able to monitor a fetus heartbeat while eliminating the acoustic interference present from the mother's heartbeat. In this case, the LPA acts not only as an amplifier, but as an acoustic filter as well. |
| Inventors: | Joyce, James W. (Rockville, MD); Srour, Nassy (Silver Spring, MD); Scanlon, Michael V. (Springfield, VA); Tenney, Stephen M. (Rockville, MD); Mon, George (Potomac, MD); Gills, John P. (Washington, DC) |
| Assignees: | The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army (Washington, DC) |
| Claim: | We claim |
| Claim: | 1. A medical acoustic monitoring device comprising |
| Claim: | means for sensing the acoustic signal from a patient; |
| Claim: | a fluidic laminar proportional amplifier; |
| Claim: | flexible tubing means connecting said sensing means to said fluidic laminar proportional amplifier, said tubing means for transmitting said acoustic signal to said fluidic laminar proportional amplifier; |
| Claim: | an acoustic relaying device; and |
| Claim: | additional tubing means connecting said amplifier to said acoustic relaying device for transmitting an amplified acoustic signal from said fluidic laminar proportional amplifier to said acoustic relaying device. |
| Claim: | 2. The medical acoustic monitoring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for sensing the acoustic signal from a patient is a stethoscope chestpiece. |
| Claim: | 3. The medical acoustic monitoring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said acoustic relaying device may be a stethoscope headset. |
| Claim: | 4. The medical acoustic monitoring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for sensing the acoustic signal from a patient is an esophageal tube. |
| Claim: | 5. The medical acoustic monitoring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said acoustic relaying device may be a loudspeaker. |
| Claim: | 6. The medical acoustic monitoring device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said acoustic relaying device may be a tape recorder. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 128/773; 128/715 |
| Current International Class: | A61B 702 |
| Patent References Cited: | 2699465 January 1955 Hamilton 3185778 May 1965 Giannini et al. 3732631 May 1973 Petrovick 4248241 February 1981 Taechi |
| Primary Examiner: | Kamm, William E. |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Elbaum, Saul Krosnick, Freda L. |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.05076284 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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