242 results about "Fetal heart" patented technology

The invention provides an integrated patch for the non-invasive monitoring of a laboring woman. The patch incorporates biopotential electrodes for sensing fetal ECG and EMG indicative of myometrial activity. The patch also incorporates a processor for extracting labor activity and fetal heart activity after filtering out maternal ECG from the composite biopotential signal present on the abdomen of the pregnant woman. The fetal monitor patch is thin, flexible, and incorporates a battery and biopotential amplifier network. In the preferred embodiment, the patch is disposable and worn continuously during labor or later stages of pregnancy. In a hospital embodiment for intrapartum monitoring, the patch wirelessly transmits fetal heart activity and myometrial activity to a bedside monitor or a remote monitoring station.

A continuous, non-invasive fetal heart rate measurement is produced using one or more ultrasonic transducer array patches that are adhered or attached to the mother. Each ultrasound transducer array is operated in an autonomous mode by a digital signal processor to obtain data from which fetal heart rate information can be derived. Each ultrasonic transducer array patch comprises a multiplicity of subelements that are switchably reconfigurable to form elements having different shapes, e.g., annular rings. Each subelement comprises a plurality of interconnected cMUT cells that are not switchably disconnectable. The use of cMUT patches will provide the ability to interrogate a three-dimensional space electronically (i.e. without mechanical beam steering) with ultrasound, using a transducer device that is thin and lightweight enough to stick to the patient's skin like an EKG electrode. The ultrasound device can track the fetal heart in three-dimensional space as it moves due to the mother's motion or the motion of the unborn child within the womb.

A system for monitoring a fetus during gestation comprises an input for receiving a plurality of electric signals measured on a surface of a maternal body; and means for providing a fetal electrocardiogram based on the received electric signals and based on an orientation of the fetus, wherein the fetal electrocardiogram represents a projection of a fetal cardiac potential vector according to a predetermined projection direction that is fixed with respect to the fetus. The fetal vector electrocardiogram is projected according to the projection direction. An at least partial representation of a fetal vector electrocardiogram is provided in dependence on the plurality of electric signals and indicative of a time path of an electrical field vector generated by a fetal heart of the fetus.

The invention relates to a method of monitoring a fetal heart rate, the method comprising: providing a first measurement head (104) and a second measurement head (106) and a sensor (200), the sensor (200) being comprised in the first measurement head (104) or the second measurement head (106), the sensor (200) being adapted to sense the maternal heart rate, the first measurement head (104) being adapted to sense maternal-fetal related medical data and the second measurement head (106) being adapted to sense the fetal heart rate, measuring the maternal heart rate by acquiring maternal heart rate data using the sensor (200), measuring the fetal heart rate by acquiring fetal heart rate data using the second measurement head (106), acquiring the maternal-fetal related medical data, detecting maternal-fetal heart rate coincidences by analyzing the maternal heart rate data and the fetal heart rate data.

An abdominal sonar includes an ultrasound transducer array with a plurality of ultrasound transducers. The abdominal sonar further includes at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor receives reflected ultrasound signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer and converts the received reflected ultrasound signals into an audio signal. A system for monitoring a pregnancy includes an ultrasound transducer array and at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the ultrasound transducer array and the at least one ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor converts received raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms into an audio signal. A wireless transmitter broadcasts the received audio signal. A wireless receiver receives the broadcast audio signal. A patient monitor extracts the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms from the audio signal and processes the waveforms to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and an indication of uterine activity.

A method and apparatus for monitoring the condition of a fetus to assess a degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition is provided. A signal indicative of a fetal heart is processed to derive a degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition. The data indicative of the degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition indicates a likelihood that the condition of the fetus belongs to a class in a group of classes, where each class in the group of classes is associated with a pre-defined fetal condition. Data indicative of the degree of risk of developing a permanent neurological condition is then released. In one example, a neural network is used to obtain data indicating the likelihood that the condition of the fetus belongs to a class in the group of classes.

The invention provides a fetal heart rate signal processing method and a device thereof. The time-domain process and the frequent-domain process are combined, so as to obtain a fetal heart rate processing method which can satisfy the real-time requirements and has better stability; and the processing method is used on a fetal monitor, so as to lead the obtained intermediate monitoring data to be more accurate. The processing method can correct some special intermediate monitoring data produced in the monitoring process, so as to lead doctors to use the corrected intermediate monitoring data as a diagnosing reference, thus greatly reducing the occurrence of errors in judging the fetal heart.

Apparatus for monitoring a fetal heart-beat is able to extract one or more fetal electrocardiograms (fECGs) from a composite signal detected at the abdomen of a pregnant woman. The apparatus includes specific low-noise components: a plurality of low-noise electrodes (1-3, R) for placement on the abdomen during pregnancy and a low-noise signal recording and processing means (34). Screened leads are also used, as required. Signals indicative of voltages developed between each abdominal electrode (1-3) and a reference electrode (R) are recorded in a plurality of signal channels. Data within each channel is digitised and processed in order to generate a plurality of separated source signals, at least one of which relates to the fECG of a single fetus. Single-channel fECGs may be reconstructed using the source signals identified as belonging to the same fetus.

A seamless, smart fetal monitoring garment and methods of using thereof. The system includes a knitted or interwoven garment having a multiplicity of conductive textile electrodes for sensing maternal and fetal electrical vital signals. The maternal and fetal electrical vital signals are selected from a group including maternal heart rate, fetal heart rate and electromyogram (EMG) activities including uterine activities. The method includes wearing the garment, acquiring electrical mixed common, maternal and fetal vital signals from surface region of a pregnant woman, using the plurality of textile electrodes, optimally weighted summing-up the acquired signals, analyzing the summed-up signals to thereby extract the maternal signal and the fetal signal, including determining their heart rates, and including detecting health hazards and in some embodiments, including detecting a uterine contraction sequence suggesting the need to be hospitalized for birth giving.

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus which performs ultrasonic diagnosis with respect of a fetal heart. An area change measurement section calculates an area of a specific heart chamber (left ventricle) in the fetal heart in frame units. Further, the area change measurement section generates a graph representing the area which is calculated in frame units. The maximum value and the minimum value are specified in the graph to thereby specify end-diastole and end-systole. Based on this information, a heart rate and a cardiac cycle with regard to the fetal heart are calculated. Further, an ejection fraction is also calculated from an end-diastolic area and an end-systolic area.

The invention discloses an electronic partogram system and a parameter calculating method based on a magnetic field tracing and positioning technology. The electronic partogram system comprises a magnetic field tracing and positioning module, an ultrasonic image module, a fetal heart rate and uterus shrink pressure module and an electronic partogram workstation. The magnetic field tracing and positioning module comprises a magnetic field generation device for generating a magnetic field and a magnetic induction sensor. According to the invention, through monitoring parameters such as a fetal head position, a fetal head direction, cervical dilatation, a fetal heart rate, uterus shrink pressure in a delivery process, an electronic partogram can be full-automatically or semi-automatically generated on a measuring time point, so that a doctor can dynamically monitor the delivery process through the electronic partogram. Simultaneously, due to the utilization of a full-automatic parameter calculating operation mode and a semi-automatic parameter calculating operation mode, through monitoring fetal head parameters and pelvis parameters, pelvic disproportion can be forecasted on the measuring time point; and through monitoring the fetal heart rate and the uterus shrink pressure of a mother/ a fetus, multi-parameter monitoring is realized.

The invention relates to the field of biomedical signal processing, in particular to a signal detection method and device based on multi-chip ultrasonic sensors. The method comprises the following steps: dividing the multi-chip ultrasonic sensors into M groups according to the preset standard; carrying out fetal heart signal acquisition in preset duration; obtaining the signal quality parameter of each chip group according to the acquired fetal heart signal; obtaining the chip group with the best signal quality through comparison; carrying out fetal heart signal acquisition and output on the chip group and stopping acquisition of other chip groups; detecting whether the signal quality parameter of the chip group is less than the preset threshold every preset duration, if so, repeating theabove steps, and if no, continuing fetal heart signal acquisition and output. The method and the device have the following beneficial effects: the burdens of the medical workers are lightened; more accurate intermediate processing data are obtained; meanwhile, the sound field combined by the chips is uniform; and only a group of chips work in a combined manner in the normal custody process, thus neither increasing power consumption nor increasing ultrasonic output quantity.

A system and associated method include an AECG/PCG sensor configured to generate an AECG/PCG signal in response to a monitored fetal heart. The system also includes an US transducer configured to generate an US signal in response to the monitored fetal heart. The system also includes a computer configured to assess the quality of the AECG/PCG signal, and compare the assessed quality of the AECG/PCG signal with a selectable threshold value. The computer is also configured to disable the US transducer and process the AECG/PCG signal to provide a fetal heart rate estimate as long as the assessed quality of the AEC/PCG signal exceeds the selectable threshold value. The computer is also configured to enable the US transducer and process the US signal to provide a fetal heart rate estimate only if the assessed quality of the AEC/PCG signal is equal to or less than the selectable threshold value.

A method for obtaining fetal heart rate which includes: transmitting an ultrasonic pulse wave towards an abdomen of a pregnant woman according to a preset period; receiving a pulse echo and a fetal heart echo corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse wave in each period, and processing the pulse echo and the fetal heart echo independently to obtain a corresponding pulse rate of the pregnant woman and the fatal heart rate; outputting the fetal heart rate when a difference value between the fetal heart rate and the pulse rate of the pregnant woman is not lower than a preset threshold. Furthermore, a system and an apparatus for obtaining fetal heart rate are also provided. The method and terminal for obtaining a fetal heart rate improves accuracy of the obtained fetal heart rate.

The invention discloses a method for calculating a non-baseline part of a fetal heart rate curve. The method is characterized in that a non-baseline section is characterized in that the maximum offset between the fetal heart rate value and a base value of the non-baseline section is not less than Dmin, and the duration time is not shorter than Tmin and not longer than Tmax; a suspected non-baseline section is characterized in that the maximum offset between the fetal heart rate value and a base value of the suspected non-baseline section is not less than Dmin, and the duration time is longer than Tmax; for the suspected non-baseline section, the base value bmp of the suspected non-baseline section is adjusted each time, so that the duration time of the suspected non-baseline section is shortened, and then whether the suspected non-baseline section meets the characteristics of the non-baseline section is judged again. According to the methods for calculating the non-baseline part and a baseline of the fetal heart rate curve, the fetal heart rate curve baseline can be accurately recognized especially for the fetal heart rate curve in which acceleration and deceleration frequently occur, and the problem that the baseline can not be accurately estimated through an algorithm based on a numerical treatment method is solved. Meanwhile, the method is high in calculation efficiency, and solves the problem that an algorithm based on an artificial intelligence method is low in efficiency.

A biomagnetic field measuring apparatus for performing (1) processes for removing a magnetic field waveform generated by a maternal heart from a waveform of a biomagnetic field measured, (2) processes for obtaining a template waveform of a magnetic field waveform generated by the fetal heart from a waveform, from which the magnetic field waveform generated by the maternal heart has been removed, (3) processes for obtaining a waveform of a cross correlation coefficient between the waveform, from which the magnetic field waveform generated by the mother's hears was removed, and the template waveform, and (4) a process for detecting peaks from a waveform of the cross correlation coefficient, and displaying times of appearance of the detected peaks on a display unit.

The invention relates to a fetal heart rate detection method based on a PC, which comprises the following steps: a fetal heart probe is connected to the PC; an excitation circuit generates a signal, and the signal is transmitted to the belly of a pregnant woman by the transmitting end of an ultrasonic transducer, and then input to an analog multiplier as a carrier; the receiving end of the ultrasonic transducer receives reflected waves, converts the reflected waves into an electric signal and inputs the electric signal to the analog multiplier; the analog multiplier demodulates the signal, the output differential electric signal is processed by an amplifying circuit and a filter circuit, and a singlechip carries out AD sampling; the PC sends out an acquisition start command, and the singlechip transmits the processed signal to the PC; and the fetal heart probe resets after stopping acquisition. The invention adopts an integrated fetal heart probe and solves the problem of on-line working between the fetal cardiotachometer and the PC. The invention can record, store, display and print the fetal heart rate in real time, and can also have the functions of automatic alarming and forgery prevention.

The invention relates to the technical field of maternal and infant monitoring, in particular to a fetal movement and uterine contraction intelligent monitoring system and method. The fetal heart rate, fetal movement and uterine contraction intelligent monitoring system comprises an adhesion layer, a flexible circuit board and a protection layer which are stacked sequentially; the adhesion layer is provided with multiple suckers used for attaching to a belly and a uterine fundus of a pregnant woman, the interior of each sucker is provided with at least one flexible micro pressure sensor, when the sucker is attached to the belly and the uterine fundus of the pregnant woman, the flexible micro pressure sensor is attached tightly to skin of the pregnant woman; pressure to the skin due to cardiac pulsation of the fetus and fetal movement is collected by the flexible micro pressure sensor attached to the belly of the pregnant woman, the pressure to the skin due to the uterine contraction is collected by the flexible micro pressure sensor attached to the uterine fundus of the pregnant woman; the flexible circuit board is used for processing and analyzing a pressure signal collected by the flexible micro pressure sensor, and displaying through display equipment. The intelligent monitoring system can simultaneously monitor the fetal heart rate, the fetal movement and the uterine contraction, the measuring precision is high, and the pregnant woman can be self-monitored at home.

The invention discloses a digital pulsed ultrasound transmitting device for a fetal monitor, relating to the field of medical equipment. The digital pulsed ultrasound transmitting device comprises an ultrasound probe and an ultrasound transmitting circuit which are connected with each other, wherein the ultrasound probe employs a plurality of wafers which integrates transmission and reception functions into a whole and has the transmitting frequency of 1.0 MHz, the wafers are arranged on the radiation surface of the probe uniformly. The digital pulsed ultrasound transmitting device has wide ultrasound transmission acoustic beams, and is hardly affected by fetal movement and uterine contraction during detection upon a fetal heart signal in a monitoring process, so that the monitoring result is more accurate and reliable; the transmitting circuit generates a transmission electric excitation square wave signal of 1.0 MHz by using a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) digital circuit, the transmission electric excitation square wave signal is coupled to the ultrasonic probe by a resonant amplification circuit so as to generate an ultrasonic wave of 1.0 MHz; and the digital pulsed ultrasound transmitting device is low in transmission frequency, less in attenuation in an ultrasound propagation process, strong in reflection echo, high in flexibility, low in noise, strong in anti-interference ability, and steady and reliable in performance.

The invention relates to a method and a device for improving the accuracy of Doppler fetal heart rate data. The method comprises steps of respectively performing hardware zero-crossing checking processing and self-correlation processing on preprocessed fetal heart Doppler envelope signals so as to obtain a first fetal heart rate and a second fetal heart rate; updating a corrected heart rate zone with the most second fetal heart rate occurrence probability through the first fetal heart rate; enabling a measured interval to be more accurate through updating the corrected heart rate zone with the most second fetal heart rate occurrence probability so as to obtain the more accurate and higher-statistic probability corrected heart rate zone with the most second fetal heart rate occurrence probability; and furthermore, obtaining the more accurate human body heart rate value. By utilizing the method, the monitoring intermediate data is adjusted and corrected so as to improve the detection accuracy, less hardware resources are needed, and the method is low in cost and easy to implement.

The invention discloses a fetal heart audio signal processing device and fetal monitoring equipment. The fetal heart audio signal processing device comprises a fetal heart audio signal detection front end, a frequency shift input end, a frequency shift processing module and a frequency shift output end, wherein the fetal heart audio signal detection front end is used for generating ultrasonic beams and acquiring fetal heart audio signals based on the ultrasonic beams; the frequency shift input end is coupled with the output end of the fetal heart audio signal detection front end; the frequency shift processing module is coupled with the frequency shift input end; the frequency shift output end is coupled with the frequency shift processing module; the frequency shift processing module is used for carrying out frequency shift processing on the fetal heart audio signals, input via the frequency shift input end, of the fetal heart audio signal detection front end; the fetal heart audio signals subjected to frequency shift processing are output via the frequency shift output end. The device and the equipment, which are provided by the invention, can achieve the effects of improving the playing effects of the fetal heart audio signals in audio playing equipment and improving the possibility of extensive use of fetal monitoring.

The invention discloses an intelligent terminal for extracting the heart rate of a fetus, which comprises a processor and a Bluetooth communication module. The processor is loaded with a signal receiving module, a signal processing and extracting module, a wavelet transform module and a fetal heartbeat extraction module. According to the intelligent terminal for extracting the heart rate of the fetus, maternal abdominal wall mixed signals are used as input signals, the maternal abdominal wall mixed signals are preprocessed by low-pass filtering and moving average filtering, then a channel of the maternal abdominal wall mixed signals with electrocardiosignals of the best quality is selected with the method of signal quality evaluation as the signal to be processed, energy at all moments within the 20-40 Hz band of the signal is calculated by means of Mexican hat wavelet transform, maternal QRS waves are identified from an energy time series and removed, and peaks corresponding to the remaining energy time series are the fetal electrocardiosignals. The whole process is simple and easy to implement, and the fetal electrocardiosignals can be effectively extracted from the maternal abdominal wall mixed electrocardiosignals, providing a guarantee for a doctor on the diagnosis and treatment of fetal diseases.