Method and apparatus for determining vascular health conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for assessing a patient's vascular health including endothelial function by monitoring changes in hemodynamic parameters responsive to the introduction of a vasostimulant. The invention provides a thermal energy measurement apparatus including a thermal energy sensor adapted to measure temperature of a body part while not substantially changing the temperature of the body part, and a display or recorder coupled to the thermal energy sensor, wherein the thermal energy sensor measures the temperature of the body part before and subsequent to the provision of a vasostimulant, and the display or recorder reports the temperature of the body part prior to the provision of the stimulant and the temperature of the body part after provision of the stimulant. Also provides are methods and apparatus providing for a second thermal energy sensor on a corresponding contralateral site to the site subject to the vasostimulant and simultaneously monitoring and recording of temperature of the contralateral site as a measure of neurovascular status and microvascular reactivity.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 USC §120 to PCT application PCT / US2005 / 018437, filed May 25, 2005, and published as WO2005 / 118516, which claims priority under 35 USC §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 574,255, filed May 26, 2004; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 585,773, filed July 6, 2004; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 626,006, filed Nov. 8, 2004, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 628,173, filed Nov. 15, 2004, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of assessing a patient's vascular health including endothelial function by monitoring changes in hemodynamic parameters responsive to the introduction of a vasostimulant. BACKGROUND [0003] The unpredictable nature of heart attack and the need for cost-effective screening in large group of asymptomatic a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] The disclosures herein relate generally to vascular health and neurovascular conditions and more particularly to a method and apparatus for determining vascular reactivity and thereby determining one or more health conditions by monitoring changes in temperature. According to one aspect of the invention, the pattern of temperature change

Problems solved by technology

The unpredictable nature of heart attack and the need for cost-effective screening in large group of asymptomatic at-risk populations is the major problem in cardiovascular healthcare.

The epidemic of CVD is growing fast in under developed societies where advanced and expensive therapies are unavailable.

In the past 50 years over 200 risk factors of atherosclerosis have been reported, however, individual prediction of cardiovascular events remains problematic.

New developments in noninvasive imaging of atherosclerosis, particularly molecular imaging, are very promising, however, screening large populations to identify the subpopulation most in need of sophisticated imaging modalities remains a major challenge.

Although these blood tests are essential in final risk stratification and guiding therapy, given the increasing number of these tests and their less-than-desirable predictive value, measurement of a p

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