ASSESSING BLOOD SUPPLY TO A PERIPHERAL PORTION OF AN ANIMAL

摘要

A post-operative, arterial patency monitoring system for monitoring patency of an artery of a limb comprising: a first probe positioned adjacent a first tissue area of a limb for producing first output signals dependent upon a first arterial blood supply to the first tissue area; a second probe positioned adjacent a second different tissue area of the limb for producing second, different output signals dependent upon a second arterial blood supply to the second tissue area; and means for processing the first output signals to produce a first arterial blood supply metric for the first arterial blood supply and a second, different, arterial blood supply metric for the first arterial blood supply; means for processing the second output signals to produce the first arterial blood supply metric for the second arterial blood supply and the second arterial blood supply metric for the second arterial blood supply; means for using a predetermined function that takes as its arguments at least the first and second arterial blood supply metrics for the first arterial blood supply to produce a combined arterial patency metric for the first blood supply; means for using the predetermined function that takes as its arguments at least the first and second arterial blood supply metrics for the second arterial blood supply to produce a combined arterial patency metric for the second arterial blood supply; means for comparing the combined arterial patency metric for the first arterial blood supply with the combined arterial patency metric for the second arterial blood supply; and means for determining the patency of a first artery that provides the first arterial blood supply using a difference between the combined arterial patency metric for the first arterial blood supply and the combined arterial patency metric for the second arterial blood supply.