Computation of systolic / diastolic flow indices for coronary bypass surgery

This paper describes a method to calculate the systolic/diastolic indices of the blood flow that pass through an artery or vein under test. The method analyzes the Doppler and the ECG signals, associating and synchronising them in order to calculate the indices. The maximum of the R and T waves, are calculated using a continuous wavelet transform. Simultaneously, the pseudo-instantaneous mean frequency is calculated from the Doppler blood flow signal. A projection of the R and T wave mark over the pseudo-instantaneous Doppler mean frequency curve is used for computing the indices. The paper shows preliminary results from real signals obtained from a carotid artery, an humeral artery and an aortic artery, demonstrating the effectiveness of the method. Further results will be obtained through a formal experimental protocol during coronary bypass surgery.