METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING FLOW RATES OF EXCRETED OR SECRETED BODY FLUIDS

摘要

The invention relates to an apparatus and method to determine and monitor the flow rates and volume of fluids excreted or secreted by the body.;The invention achieves the above objects by providing an apparatus comprising;
a measuring unit comprising a conduit made of a material having a low thermal conductivity and supporting at least two thermistors; an upstream thermistor serving as a compensation thermistor and a downstream thermistor located as far downstream as possible from said upstream thermistor and pre-heated to and kept at pre-defined temperature which is warmer than the fluid temperature to be metered; andmeans for applying small electric voltages to the thermistors to enable generation of an electric signal; anda control and display unit being operatively connected to the measuring unit.

主权项

1. An apparatus for determining the flow rate and amount of a selected secreted or excreted body fluid, comprising:
a) a measuring unit comprising a conduit made of a material having a low thermal conductivity and supporting at least two thermistors; an upstream thermistor serving as a compensation thermistor and a downstream thermistor located as far downstream as possible from said upstream thermistor and pre-heated to a temperature which is warmer than the fluid temperature to be metered; b) means for applying a constant small electric voltages to said thermistors to enable generation of an electric signals, said signals flowing through said upstream thermistor being sufficiently low to prevent substantial heating of said thermistor; and c) a control and display unit being operatively connected to said measuring unit, said control unit including means for calculating the difference between the electrical resistance of said upstream and said downstream thermistors and then calculating the flow rate based on the electrical signal difference being a function of the body fluid flow rate and then calculating the accumulated amount of fluid based on the internal cross section of said conduit in which said fluid flows; and comprising a display for displaying the flow rate (optionally) and displaying the accumulating volume of body fluid being metered.