Hand-held apparatus for noninvasive measurement of a heart performance metric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12495976-B2
Application number	US-202418775339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2024
Priority date	Mar 12, 2021
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

Apparatuses, machine-accessible storage media, and methods for noninvasively measuring a heart performance metric, such as left ventricular filling pressure, are described. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a housing shaped to be grasped by a hand; a tower protruding from a surface of the housing positioned to conform to a finger of the hand when grasping the housing; a tactile sensor disposed on a curved surface of the tower and adapted to measure blood pressure pulsatility in a digital artery of the finger and output pulsatility signals indicative of the blood pressure pulsatility; a graphical user interface for orchestrating a test of the performance metric of the heart and displaying results of the test.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . At least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a heart performance measurement apparatus, will cause the heart performance measurement apparatus to perform operations comprising: applying a clamping force, with a strap positioned and oriented to apply pressure to a finger while a housing of the heart performance measurement apparatus is grasped by a hand, to the finger against a curved surface of a tower of the heart performance measurement apparatus protruding from a surface of the housing to flatten a digital artery for applanation tonometry, wherein applying the clamping force comprises adjusting the clamping force by adjusting a strap tightness to identify a clamping force that provides a maximal pulsatility amplitude; monitoring pulsatility signals output from a tactile sensor disposed in or on the curved surface; and generating pulsatility data, based upon the pulsatility signals, from which a performance metric of the heart is determined.

2 . The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 1 , further providing instructions that, when executed by the heart performance measurement apparatus, will cause the heart performance measurement apparatus to perform further operations, comprising:
monitoring an expiratory effort with an expiratory subsystem of the heart performance measurement apparatus while monitoring the pulsatility signals; recording the pulsatility data while the expiratory effort is within a threshold range; and recording the pulsatility data following cessation of the expiratory effort.

3 . The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 2 , further providing instructions that, when executed by the heart performance measurement apparatus, will cause the heart performance measurement apparatus to perform further operations, comprising:
analyzing the pulsatility data recorded during the expiratory effort and recorded following the expiratory effort to determine the performance metric, wherein the performance metric comprises a left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP); and displaying a result of the analyzing with a graphical user interface of the heart performance measurement apparatus positioned opposite the tower.

4 . The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 3 , further providing instructions that, when executed by the heart performance measurement apparatus, will cause the heart performance measurement apparatus to perform further operations, comprising:
prompting a user to commence an expiration effort after sensing pulsatilty signals; displaying, with the graphical user interface, an expiratory effort meter that provides real-time feedback for guiding the expiratory effort into the threshold effort range; prompting the user to cease the expiration effort; and releasing the clamping force.

5 . The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 3 , further providing instructions that, when executed by the heart performance measurement apparatus, will cause the heart performance measurement apparatus to perform further operations, comprising:
displaying, with the graphical user interface, a pulsatility meter in real-time indicating whether the pulsatility signals from the tactile sensor are registering blood pressure pulsatility in the digital artery of the finger.

6 . The at least one non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the clamping force by adjusting a strap tightness comprises operating a motor thereby tightening the strap.

Assignees

• Verily Life Sciences Llc

Inventors

• Fong Shannon
• Bennett Eric
• Debusschere Brian Derek

Classifications

• A61B2562/0247

  Pressure sensors · CPC title

• A61B2560/0456

  Apparatus provided with a docking unit · CPC title

• A61B5/7475

  User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick · CPC title

• A61B5/7425

  Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image · CPC title

• A61B5/097

  Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices · CPC title