JP7569410B2 - system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an interception device that includes a receiver for acquiring physiological variables measured within the body and a high impedance interface.

Nowadays, there is an increasing demand for invasive measurements of physiological variables. For example, when investigating cardiovascular diseases, there is a strong demand for obtaining local measurements of blood pressure and blood flow as a means of assessing the condition of the subject during the measurement. Accordingly, methods and devices have been developed for placing and communicating with miniature sensors in the patient's body at the site where the measurement is to be performed. Typically, miniature sensors are placed at the end of guidewires, which are well known in the art, for use in connection with the treatment of coronary artery disease, for example.

The end of the guidewire is inserted into the patient's body, for example into the opening of the femoral artery, and placed at the desired location. Once the doctor has placed the guidewire at the appropriate location, a miniature sensor allows the measurement of blood pressure and/or blood flow. Measuring blood pressure is one way to diagnose, for example, the severity of the stenosis. Furthermore, a catheter of an appropriate type can be guided over the guidewire. Balloon dilation can then be performed. When measuring peripheral blood pressure (P _d ), the sensor needs to be inserted into a blood vessel peripheral to the stenosis. For obvious reasons, the size of the sensor and the guidewire are rather small, the diameter of the guidewire being typically 0.35 mm.

When diagnosing the severity of a stenosis in a hospital or clinic, a catheter with a first sensor is inserted into the patient proximal to the potential stenosis (usually visualized by fluoroscopy). The sensor is connected to a central monitoring device via electrical leads. The central monitoring device used to monitor the patient's vital status, including blood pressure measured via the first sensor, is called a cath lab monitor. In a stenosis, a blood vessel is narrower than normal, and blood flow is restricted at the stenosis. When a narrowing of a blood vessel is seen on an angiogram, it is recommended to measure fractional flow reserve (FFR) to determine the degree of pressure difference proximal and distal to the stenosis.

FFR is approximated by _Pd / _Pa . FFR is a measure of the pressure distal to the stenosis relative to the pressure proximal to the stenosis. Thus, FFR represents the blood flow of the vessel at the site of the stenosis compared to the blood flow at a site that would be assumed to be free of stenosis. Other physiological parameters may also be measured and transmitted to the cath lab monitor. If the FFR measurement indicates a significant pressure drop in the vessel, the patient may require treatment, for example, by opening the vessel with a balloon or stent, or by coronary artery bypass surgery.

In the prior art, to measure peripheral blood pressure, the aortic pressure sensor is disconnected from the patient and the cath lab monitor. A second sensor is then used to measure _Pd (as described above). This second sensor is inserted into the patient distal to the potential stenosis.
The first and second sensors are connected to a small, easy to use monitoring device with additional functionality. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the pressure signal is connected to a small monitoring device 304 which in turn relays to a cath lab monitor 305.

This method has drawbacks: for example, when connecting a small monitoring device to a running system, it is necessary to disconnect the connector carrying the pressure signal to the cath lab monitor and then reconnect the connector to the cath lab monitor through the small monitoring device. Moreover, in addition to the obvious redundancy of the manual disconnection operation, disconnecting the pressure signal connector means recalibrating the monitor, which is an undesirable procedure.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT It is an object of the present invention to solve or at least mitigate the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.

According to the invention, the above object is achieved by means of the features set out in claim 1. Preferred embodiments are set out in the dependent claims.

To this end, an intercept device for acquiring measured physiological variables of a patient is provided, the intercept device including a receiver and a communication interface.

The intercepting device is typically utilized in a system including a first sensor configured for placement within a patient's body to measure an aortic blood pressure, _Pa , and a second sensor configured to measure a peripheral blood pressure, _Pd , and further including a central monitoring device for monitoring the measured physiological variable, and a communication link between the sensors and the central monitoring device for communicating a signal indicative of the measured physiological variable from the sensor to the central monitoring device.

The interceptor device is configured to arrange a communication interface in the communication link for communicating a signal indicative of at least the aortic blood pressure to the interceptor device receiver. The interceptor device receiver is further configured to have at least one high impedance input connected to the communication link in parallel with the central monitoring device. A signal indicative of the aortic blood pressure _Pa is communicated to the high impedance input via the communication interface. The interceptor device receiver is further configured to receive a signal indicative of the measured peripheral blood pressure _Pd from the communication link. The blood pressure signals from each sensor may be used to calculate the FFR.

The present invention has the advantage that a central monitoring device, for example a so-called cath lab monitor, can be directly connected to the sensor using suitable connection means. After connection, the sensor and the central monitoring device are balanced, i.e. the aortic and peripheral blood pressures are respectively zeroed so that an accurate pressure reference level is introduced into the measurement system. Once balanced, an intercepting device, for example a RadiAnalyser®, can be connected in parallel with the central monitoring device to the communication link connecting the sensor to the central monitoring device, via a high impedance interface formed by the receiver and the communication interface of the intercepting device. That is, the intercepting receiver can "listen" on the communication link and thus access and monitor the measured aortic blood pressure without significantly affecting the pressure signal. In the prior art,
As soon as the second monitoring device is connected between the sensor and the central monitoring device, the connector carrying the pressure signal to the central monitoring device must be disconnected and connected to the second monitoring device. The pressure signal is then carried from the second monitoring device to the central monitoring device. This prior art procedure requires an additional balancing step: first, balancing the sensor with the second monitoring device, and then balancing the second monitoring device with the central monitoring device.

In an embodiment, the communication links are arranged to transmit signals representative of the measured aortic pressure to the central monitoring device via a wired connection and to the intercepting receiver via a wireless connection formed by the communication interface. The signals representative of the measured peripheral blood pressure are transmitted to the central monitoring device using a wired or wireless channel and to the intercepting receiver using a wireless channel, although wired channels can of course also be used. Obviously, many combinations are possible. It is also conceivable to transmit one or both of the measured blood pressure signals to the intercepting receiver using a wired connection.

The peripheral blood pressure signal is preferably transmitted to the intercept receiver using a wireless channel, whereas transmission of the aortic blood pressure signal to the intercept receiver via a wired connection remains advantageous over the prior art, but in order to avoid the deployment of additional cables, transmission to the intercept receiver over a wireless channel is preferred.

However, whatever the particular combination, the intercept receivers are connected in parallel to the central monitoring device via the high impedance communication interface of the intercept device. In this way, by appropriately using the wired and/or wireless channels, the central monitoring device can
In the embodiment, the intercept receiver is connected to the central monitoring device via a high impedance interface and balanced, without affecting the transmitted aortic blood pressure signal. Therefore, the number of steps required, including calibration and reconnection of cables, is reduced in these embodiments. Obviously, connecting the intercept receiver to the central monitoring device in parallel via a high impedance communication interface can solve some of the problems in the prior art.

In a further embodiment, the central monitoring device provides power to the communication interface. In a further embodiment, the communication interface includes a battery for powering the interface. In yet another embodiment, the battery can be charged by the central monitoring device.

In these embodiments, the user can simply connect the communication interface (wireless or wired) to the aortic sensor device and the central monitoring device using appropriate connectors without having to consider the power of the communication interface. From the user's point of view, the power supply is fully automated. As a more efficient configuration, the communication interface can be pre-loaded onto the sensor cable, allowing the user to simply and directly connect the cable to the central monitoring device while starting the measurement procedure.

A further advantage of connecting the intercept receiver wirelessly to the communications link in parallel with the central monitoring equipment is that
This means that the intercepting receiver does not require a cable.

Additionally, this patent specification describes numerous method steps or actions.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the appended claims and the following description.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various features of the present invention can be combined to create embodiments other than those described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an exemplary sensor guide structure that can be used in the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a prior art sensor device for measuring physiological variables within the body. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how a prior art FFR measurement is performed using the sensor equipment described in connection with FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an interception device of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of an interception device of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of an interception device of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing yet another embodiment of an interception device of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of an interception device of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is known in the prior art to attach sensors to guidewires and place them through guidewires into the blood vessels of a living body to detect physical parameters such as blood pressure or temperature. A sensor includes an element that directly or indirectly senses a parameter. Numerous patents have been issued to the present assignee describing various types of sensors for measuring physiological parameters. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,067, temperature can be measured by observing the resistance of a conductor with a temperature sensitive resistor. Other exemplary sensors can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,167,763 and 6,615,667, in which blood flow exerts pressure on a sensor, which produces a signal indicative of the pressure. All of the devices and methods described therein, including those for measuring physical parameters, are incorporated herein by reference.

One or more signal transmission cables are connected to the sensor for powering the sensor and transmitting signals indicative of the measured physiological variables to a control unit located outside the body, acting as an interface device. The cables are also routed along the guidewire for exiting the blood vessel through a connector assembly to an external control unit. The control unit can be configured to perform the function of the signal converter mentioned above, i.e., converting the sensor signals to a format recognized by the ANSI/AAMI BP22-1994 standard. Moreover, the guidewire typically includes a central metallic wire (core) that serves as a support for the sensor.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary sensor attached to a guidewire, i.e., sensor guide structure 101. For purposes of illustration, the sensor guide structure is divided into five sections 102-106. Section 102 is the most distal section, i.e., the section inserted deepest into the blood vessel. Section 106 is the most proximal section, i.e., the section located closest to a control unit (not shown). Section 102 includes a radiopaque coil 108, e.g., made of platinum, with an arcuate tip 107. A stainless steel solid metal wire 109 is also attached to the platinum coil and its tip. The metal wire in section 102 forms a thin conical tip and serves as a safety wire for the platinum coil 108. The metal wire 109 in section 102 tapers gradually toward the arcuate tip 107, so that the anterior portion of the sensor guide structure is gradually softer.

At the transition between sections 102 and 103, the lower end of coil 108 is attached to wire 109 by adhesive or, alternatively, soldering to form joint 110. For example,
A thin outer tube 111 made of a biocompatible material such as polyimide starts at junction 110 and runs down the entire length to section 106. The outer tube 111 is treated to provide a smooth outer surface with low friction against the sensor guide structure. The metal wire 109 is significantly widened at section 103 and a slot 112 is provided in the widened section in which a sensor element 114, e.g. a pressure gauge, is placed. The sensor requires electrical energy to operate. The widening of the metal wire 109 with attached sensor element 114 allows the sensor element 114 to move easily around sharp bends in the blood vessel section.
The stress on 4 is reduced.

From the sensor element 114, a signal transmission cable 116 is provided, which typically includes one or more electrical cables.
Extending from the sensor element 114 down section 106 to an interface device (not shown) located on the outside of the body. Voltage is supplied to the sensor via a signal transmission cable 116 (or multiple cables). A signal indicative of the measured physiological variable is also transmitted along the signal transmission cable 116. To obtain good flexibility of the front part of the sensor guide structure, the metal wire 109 is substantially thinner at the beginning of section 104. To facilitate pushing the sensor guide structure 101 into the blood vessel, the metal wire 109 is substantially thinner at the end of section 104 and at the end of section 106.
5, the metal wire 109 is thicker. In the portion 106, the metal wire 109 is made as rough as possible to make it easier to handle, and a slot 120 is provided therein to allow the cable 116 to be attached, for example by adhesive.

The use of a guidewire 201 as shown in Figure 1 is shown diagrammatically in Figure 2. The guidewire 201 is inserted into the femoral artery of a patient 225. The location of the guidewire 201 and the sensor 214 within the body is shown by dotted lines. The guidewire 201, and more particularly its electrical transmission cable 211, is also connected to the control unit 222 via a wire 226 which is connected to the cable 211 using any suitable connection means (not shown), such as an alligator clip connector or other known connector. It is desirable to keep the wire 226 as short as possible to facilitate handling of the guidewire 201. If the wire 226 were omitted,
As a result, it may be desirable to attach the control unit 222 directly to the cable 211 via a suitable connector. The control unit 222 provides voltage to a circuit including the wire 226, the cable 211 of the guidewire 201, and the sensor 214. Additionally, a signal indicative of the measured physiological variable is transmitted from the sensor 214 to the control unit 222 via the cable 211. Methods for introducing the guidewire 201 are well known to those skilled in the art.
Signals indicative of the peripheral blood pressure measured at 4 are transmitted from the control unit 222 to one or more monitoring devices, either by wireless communication or by wired connection, as defined by ANSI/A
It is preferable to use the AMI BP22-1994 standard.

The voltage supplied to the sensor from the control unit can be an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) voltage. Generally, when an AC voltage is applied, the sensor is usually connected to a circuit that includes a rectifier that converts the AC voltage to a DC voltage to drive the sensor selected to sense the physical parameter under investigation.

Figure 3 shows how FFR is measured today, using the sensors described in connection with Figures 1 and 2. A first sensor 308 (not located inside the patient) measures the aortic blood pressure _Pa in a known manner. A second sensor 309 is inserted into the patient 301 to measure the peripheral blood pressure _Pd . A communication link is provided between the sensor and a second monitoring device 304, such as a RadiAnalyzer®, which, as is well known in the art, measures the peripheral blood pressure Pd and the aortic blood pressure Pd.
After analyzing the data received from one or both sensors, the data is used to display the data to the user. The receiving function of the present invention can be tied to or built into such a unit. From the second monitoring device 304, each channel is connected to a central monitoring device 305, also called a cath lab monitor. In one or both monitoring devices, the two pressures are used to calculate the FFR as _Pd / _Pa . Now, as mentioned above, the prior art method has disadvantages. Connecting a second small monitoring device to a running system requires disconnecting the connectors that carry the pressure signals to the cath lab monitor and reconnecting these connectors to the cath lab monitor via the small monitor. Furthermore, disconnecting the pressure signal connectors means recalibrating the monitoring device, which is an undesirable procedure. First, the second monitoring device 304 must be calibrated to the peripheral blood pressure channel 302. Then, the second monitoring device 304 must be calibrated to the aortic blood pressure channel 303. Finally, the second monitoring device 304 must be balanced against the first monitoring device 305, which is achieved by the two blood pressure channels 304 extending between the monitoring devices.
This means zeroing the 2,303, for a total of four calibration/balance steps.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention that alleviates the problems noted in the prior art.
In the embodiment, the peripheral blood pressure channel 402 conveys signals measured by the on-board sensor 409 in the patient 401 to the control unit 406 via a wired connection. The control unit 406 can perform signal conditioning (described below) to transmit the peripheral blood pressure signals to the intercept receiver 404 and the central monitoring device 405. In another embodiment, the signal conditioning can be performed by the intercept receiver 404. (In such an embodiment, the functions of the control unit 406 are incorporated into the intercept receiver. Thus, the channel 402 is connected from the patient to the intercept receiver and then from the intercept receiver to the central monitoring device 405.) A suitable control unit is a connector for a sensor guide wire assembly, such as a female connector for a pressure wire, although other control units can also be used. Thus, signals indicative of the measured peripheral blood pressure are transmitted to the intercept receiver 404 and the central monitoring device 405 using the wired peripheral blood pressure channel 402. In this particular embodiment, a signal indicative of aortic blood pressure measured by an external sensor 408 is transmitted over a wired channel 403 to both an intercept receiver 404 and a central monitoring device 405.
An interface 407 for wired communication of the interception device is disposed on the input side of the interception receiver 404. The interface 407 for wired communication transmits a signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure to the interception receiver 404.
The interface 407 may be electrically attached to the conductors in the channel 403 through a high impedance device (e.g., a resistor).
can sense the electrical signals in the channel 403 by sensing the magnetic and/or electric fields proximate the channel 403 that are created by the electrical signals passing through the electrical conductors in the channel 403. The eavesdropping interface 407 is positioned with a high impedance input so that the eavesdropping device does not affect the signals traveling on the aortic channel 403.
In this way, when the intercepting device of the present embodiment is used, only three calibration/balance steps are required, and therefore no calibration of the intercepted signal is required. Furthermore, when the cath lab monitor is in operation, there is no need to disconnect any device in order to connect the intercepting monitoring device (i.e., usually, RadiAnalyzer (registered trademark)) to the central monitoring device (cath lab monitor). As can be seen from Fig. 4, the intercepting receiver 404 is connected in parallel to the central monitoring device 405 to a communication link including a peripheral channel 402 and an aortic channel 403. This makes it very easy for medical personnel to operate.

It is preferable to pre-install the wired communication interface 407 on a standard communication cable for connecting the aortic pressure sensor 408 to the central monitoring device 405. Such cables and connectors are well known in the art, but they can also be designed for easy connection to such a cable, for example by preparing an assembly including a suitable connector and a transmission unit. In the latter case, the connector of the aortic channel 403 to the central monitoring device 405 is disconnected and reconnected via the prepared assembly. Such a procedure requires reconnection of the cable, but does not require a new calibration.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention that alleviates the problems noted in the prior art.
In the embodiment, the peripheral blood pressure channel 502 transmits signals measured by an internal sensor 509 in the patient 501 to the control unit 506 via a wired connection. Thus, signals indicative of the measured peripheral blood pressure are transmitted to the intercept receiver 504 and the central monitoring device 505 using the wired peripheral blood pressure channel 502. In this particular embodiment, signals indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure are transmitted to the central monitoring device 505 via the wired channel 503 by an external sensor 508. A wireless communication interface 507 of the inventive intercept device is disposed at a suitable position along the aortic channel 503, for example at the input side of the central monitoring device 505. The wireless intercept interface 507 transmits signals indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure to the wireless communication capable intercept receiver 504. The intercept interface 507 is configured with a high impedance input, so that the intercept does not affect the signals transmitted on the aortic channel 503.
In this way, when using the intercepting device of this embodiment, only three calibration/balance steps are required, so that calibration of the intercepted signal is not required. Furthermore, when the cath lab monitor is in operation, there is no need to make any disconnection to connect the intercepting receiver (i.e., generally, RadiAnalyzer (registered trademark)) to the central monitoring device (cath lab monitor). As can be seen from Fig. 5, the intercepting monitoring device 504 is connected in parallel with the central monitoring device 505 to the communication link including the peripheral channel 502 and the aortic channel 503. This makes it very easy for medical personnel to operate.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention which alleviates the problems noted in the prior art.
In FIG. 6, the peripheral blood pressure channel 602 that carries the signal measured by an internal sensor 609 inside the patient 601 is wireless. This channel is based on the ANSI/AAMI BP22-19
The control unit 606 transmits the measured peripheral blood pressure in accordance with IEEE 94. A suitable control unit is a control unit for the PressureWire Airis®, but other control units may be used. Thus, a signal representative of the measured peripheral blood pressure is transmitted as a wireless peripheral blood pressure to the intercept receiver 604 and to the central monitoring device 605 using the channel 602. At the same time, in this particular embodiment, a signal representative of the aortic blood pressure measured by the external sensor 608 is transmitted to the central monitoring device 605 via the wired channel 603. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the central monitoring device is adapted for communication with the control unit 606 and capable of wireless communication, possibly using a dongle attached to the central monitoring device input. A wireless communication interface 607 of the intercept device of the invention is arranged at a suitable position along the aortic channel 603, for example at the input side of the central monitoring device 605. The wireless intercept interface 607
transmits a signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure to a wirelessly enabled intercepting receiver 604 .
The tapping interface 607 is configured with a high impedance input so that the tapping does not affect the signal traveling on the aortic channel 603.
With the intercepting device of this embodiment, only three calibration/balance steps are required, so that calibration of the intercepted signal is not required. Furthermore, when the cath lab monitor is in operation, there is no need to disconnect any device in order to connect the intercepting receiver (i.e., generally, the RadiAnalyzer (registered trademark)) to the central monitoring device (cath lab monitor). As can be seen from FIG. 6, the intercepting receiver 604 is connected in parallel to the central monitoring device 605 to a communication link including a peripheral channel 602 and an aortic channel 603. This makes it very easy for medical personnel to operate.

Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment of the present invention which alleviates the problems mentioned in the prior art. In Fig. 7, the peripheral blood pressure channel 702 which carries the signal measured by an integrated sensor 709 inside the body of a patient 701 is wireless. This channel is based on the ANSI/AAMI BP22-
1994. Thus, a signal indicative of the measured peripheral blood pressure is transmitted over the wireless portion of the peripheral blood pressure channel 702 to the intercept receiver 704 and to the central monitoring device 705. At the same time, in this particular embodiment,
A signal indicating the aortic blood pressure measured by the external sensor 708 is transmitted to the central monitoring device 705 and the intercepting receiver 704 via the wired channel 703. An intercepting device wired communication interface 707 is arranged at a suitable position along the aortic channel 703, for example, at the input side of the central monitoring device 705. The intercepting interface 707 transmits a signal indicating the measured aortic blood pressure to the intercepting receiver 704. The intercepting interface 707 is arranged with a high impedance input, so that the intercepting does not affect the signal transmitted on the aortic channel 703. Thus, with the intercepting device of this embodiment, calibration of the intercepted signal is not required, since only three calibration/balance steps are required. Furthermore, when the cath lab monitor is in operation, there is no need to make any disconnection to connect the intercepting receiver to the central monitoring device. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the intercepting receiver 704 is connected in parallel to the central monitoring device 705 in a communication link including the peripheral channel 702 and the aortic channel 703. This makes operation extremely easy for medical personnel.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 4-7, the communication interface can be powered by the central monitoring device. Thus, medical personnel can connect the cable on which the communication interface is located to the central monitoring device without having to worry about connecting an external power source to the communication interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can be arranged with a battery for power supply. Furthermore, the communication interface can be arranged with a rechargeable battery that can be charged by the central monitoring device.

8 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention which alleviates the problems mentioned in the prior art. In FIG. 8, the peripheral blood pressure channel 802 which carries the signal measured by the on-board sensor 809 inside the patient 801 is wireless and conforms to ANSI/AAMI BP22-19.
9.4. Thus, the wireless portion of the peripheral blood pressure channel 802 is used to transmit signals indicative of the measured peripheral blood pressure to the intercept receiver 804 and the central monitoring device 805. In a particular embodiment, the wireless portion of the aortic channel 803 is used to transmit signals indicative of the aortic blood pressure measured by the external sensor 808 to the intercept receiver 804 and the central monitoring device 805. A wireless intercept interface 807 of the intercept device is placed at a suitable position along the aortic channel 803. The wireless intercept interface 807 transmits signals indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure to the wirelessly capable intercept receiver 804 and to the wirelessly capable central monitoring device 805. The intercept receiver and the central monitoring device can each be adapted for wireless communication with the communication interface 807 by means of a dongle attached to their respective input.
8.07 is provided with a high impedance input, so that the tapping does not affect the signal transmitted on the aortic channel 803. Thus, with the tapping device of this embodiment, there is no need to calibrate the tapped signal, since again, only three calibration/balance steps are required. Furthermore, as mentioned above, when the cath lab monitor is in operation, there is no need to disconnect any device in order to connect the tap receiver to the central monitoring device. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the tap receiver 804 is connected to a communication link including the peripheral channel 802 and the aortic channel 803, and the central monitoring device 805 is connected in parallel. This makes it very easy for medical personnel to operate.

If the sensor inserted into the patient's body is not compatible with the communication standard used by the cath lab monitor or other equipment used in connection with the FFR measurement, as is indeed the case at present, the peripheral blood pressure signal is converted by a signal conversion unit located in the peripheral blood pressure channel of the communication link such that the converted signal, i.e. the output of the signal conversion unit, complies with the communication standard used. As mentioned above, the standard used in this type of equipment is typically ANSI/AAMI BP22-1994. The signal conversion unit is typically provided in the guidewire connector.

Thus, to receive a measurement signal indicative of peripheral blood pressure, an intercept receiver is typically connected to the signal conversion unit, either by wire or wirelessly, which requires calibration. In the case of aortic blood pressure, the intercept receiver is connected to the aortic blood pressure channel of the communication link via a high impedance input to the intercept interface, which enables the intercept receiver to intercept the aortic blood pressure channel. Intercepting does not require calibration.

In the future, if the sensor inserted into the patient's body becomes compatible with the communication standard used by the cath lab monitor and other equipment used in connection with FFR measurement, the peripheral blood pressure signal will not need to be converted by the signal conversion unit. In such a case, the intercepting receiver can be connected to both the aortic blood pressure channel and the peripheral blood pressure channel via their respective high impedance inputs, either by wired or wireless connection. Thus, the intercepting device receiver will be able to intercept the aortic blood pressure channel and the peripheral blood pressure channel. Again, the intercepting does not require calibration. With such a configuration, the intercepting device of the present invention will only require two calibration steps, namely, the calibration of the peripheral blood pressure channel and the aortic blood pressure channel to the central monitoring device.

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific exemplary embodiments, many different changes, modifications and the like will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the described embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (15)

an aortic pressure sensor configured to measure an aortic pressure of the individual and to provide a sensor signal indicative of a measured aortic blood pressure;
a peripheral sensor configured to measure a parameter in a blood vessel of the individual and provide a signal indicative of the measured parameter;
a receiver configured to receive both (i) the signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value measured by the aortic pressure sensor, and (ii) the signal indicative of the parameter measured by the peripheral sensor, the receiver having a display configured to display data based on at least the measured aortic blood pressure value and the measured parameter;
a communications interface configured to (i) receive signals indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value from the aortic pressure sensor via a wired connection between the aortic pressure sensor and the communications interface , the wired connection consisting only of conductors of a cable extending from the aortic pressure sensor to the communications interface; and (ii) transmit signals indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value to the receiver via a wireless connection between the communications interface and the receiver;
A system comprising: 2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is configured to be electrically attached to the electrical conductors at a location between the aortic pressure sensor and a monitoring device such that the signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value is intercepted without affecting the signal traveling in a wired aortic channel. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications interface is configured to sense at least one of a magnetic field and an electric field proximate a wired aortic channel generated by the signal passing through the electrical conductor at a location between the aortic pressure sensor and a monitoring device, thereby intercepting the signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value without affecting the signal traveling through the wired aortic channel. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to (i) receive the signal indicative of the measured parameter via a connection between the peripheral sensor and the control unit, and (ii) transmit the signal indicative of the measured parameter to the receiver via a wireless connection between the control unit and the receiver. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is pre-installed with a standard communication cable that forms a wired aortic channel connecting the aortic pressure sensor to a monitoring device. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one standard communication cable forming a wired aortic channel connecting the aortic pressure sensor and a monitoring device, the communication interface being connectable to the at least one standard communication cable, and the connector of the wired aortic channel being detachable from the communication interface. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface has at least one battery for power supply. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication interface is configured to allow the at least one battery to be charged via the monitor device. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to be powered by a monitoring device. The system of claim 4, wherein the control unit is further configured to transmit the signal indicative of the measured parameter to the monitoring device via a wireless connection between the control unit and the monitoring device. The system of claim 4, wherein the control unit is further configured to transmit the signal indicative of the measured parameter to the monitoring device via a wired connection between the control unit and the monitoring device. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive the signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value from the aortic pressure sensor and to transmit the signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure value to the receiver without calibration. The system of claim 10, wherein the signal indicative of the measured parameter transmitted by the control unit to the monitoring device is in a format conforming to the ANSI/AAMI BP-22 standard. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal indicative of the measured aortic blood pressure is provided to a monitor device without substantially affecting the measured aortic blood pressure value. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral sensor has a temperature-sensing resistor, and the parameter is a temperature based on a resistance value of the temperature-sensing resistor.