PORTABLE DEVICE TO INITIATE AND MONITOR TREATMENT OF STROKE VICTIMS IN THE FIELD

摘要

Methods and apparatuses are provided for initiating stroke treatment “in the field” and/or during the transport of the patient to a care facility. The capability is provided to adjust automatically to the individual “therapeutic window” for each single patient, which is crucial because of the significant differences in skull morphology between humans of different age, gender and race. Further, the methods and apparatuses are based on the use of non-invasive application of ultrasound, as well as the non-invasive application of ultrasound in combination with an acoustically active agent, such as microbubbles, where stable cavitation of the microbubbles caused by the ultrasound may be relied upon as an underlying mechanism for both the therapeutic application as well as its control.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
intravenously administering an acoustically active agent to the patient, wherein the acoustically active agent comprises microbubbles; applying first and second single use ultrasound transducers to the cranium of a patient, the first and second single use ultrasound transducers applied at disparate locations about the cranium of the patient, wherein the disparate locations include temporal bone regions forward of the ears of the patient, and wherein each of the first and second single use ultrasound transducers are connected to a portable, battery-operated power and control device; non-invasively applying ultrasound energy to the cranium of a patient via the first and second single use ultrasound transducers, wherein the ultrasound energy excites the acoustically active agent; and controlling application of the ultrasound energy such that the first and second ultrasound transducers alternately apply the ultrasound energy in pulses to the cranium of the patient, and wherein the controlling application of the ultrasound energy further comprises controlling a power of the ultrasound energy, and wherein the intravenous administration, the single use ultrasound transducers, and the portable, battery-operated power and control device allow application of the ultrasound energy to occur in the field and prior to arrival of the patient at a care facility, to counteract effects of at least one of: myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, and a cerebrovascular accident due to ischemia.