STAND-ALONE CONTINUOUS CARDIAC DOPPLER AND ACOUSTIC PULSE MONITORING PATCH WITH INTEGRAL VISUAL AND AUDITORY ALERTS, AND PATCH-DISPLAY SYSTEM AND METHOD
A stand-alone continuous cardiac Doppler or acoustic pulse monitoring patch provides visual and auditory signals that a pulse or heartbeat is detected or not detected in a human subject. The invention is a small patch with a peel-away adhesive surface that is applied to the skin of the subject, preferably near a large artery. For the Doppler monitor, the patch includes a pad formed of a conductive medium to enhance transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves. For the acoustic monitor, the pad has a sound focusing portion that permits entry of sounds and focuses the sounds toward a microphone, and the pad also has a sound insulating portion surround the sound focusing portion. The patch includes an integral power source. The Doppler patch has transmitters and receivers to send and detect reflected ultrasonic waves and a transducer to convert the reflected waves into an electrical signal. The acoustic patch has a microphone to detect the sound of a heartbeat and a transducer to convert the sound energy into an electrical signal. A processor analyzes the Doppler wave signals or the acoustic signals. A light indicates the presence and strength of a pulse detected from the Doppler wave signals or a heartbeat detected by the microphone. A speaker and a vibrator may also to indicate the presence and strength of a pulse or a heartbeat. The Doppler effect of waves reflecting from blood pumped from a heart is used to detect a pulse in the subject. The presence of a pulse or heartbeat is analyzed by the processor to determine the frequency and strength of blood flow or beating of the heart. The processor causes the light, speaker or vibrator to blink, beep or vibrate at a rate to indicate the frequency of rhythmic blood flow or heartbeat.
