Ultrasound-guided noninvasive measurement of a patient's central venous pressure

Central venous pressure (CVP) is an important physiological parameter, the correct measure of which is a clinically relevant diagnostic tool for heart failure patients. A current challenge for physicians, however, is to obtain a quick and accurate measure of a patient's CVP in a manner that poses minimum discomfort. Current approaches for measuring CVP involve invasive methods such as threading a central venous catheter along a major vein, or tedious physical exams that require physicians to grossly estimate the measurement. Our solution proposes a novel noninvasive method to estimate central venous pressure using ultrasound-guided surface pressure measurement. Specifically, our device works in conjunction with an ultrasound machine and probe that is used to visualize the interior jugular (IJ) vein below the surface of the skin on a patient's neck. Once the interior jugular vein is located, our device detects the pressure on the skin required to collapse the IJ and correlates this value to a central venous pressure reading reported to the operator. This quick and noninvasive measurement is suitable for emergency situations or primary care settings where rapid diagnosis of a patient's CVP is required, and prevents the need for further invasive and costly procedures. The measurement procedure is also simple enough to be performed by operators without extensive medical training.