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:
non-invasively applying ultrasound energy to a cranium of a patient via first and second ultrasound transducers attached at disparate locations about the cranium of the patient; 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, wherein the non-invasive application of the ultrasound energy occurs in the field.