Method and apparatus for locating and distinguishing blood vessels

Abstract

An apparatus and a method are disclosed for displaying, on a confidence gauge comprising a set of lights, a confidence level of whether a blood vessel is an artery or a vein, wherein a number of illuminated lights of the set of lights indicates the confidence level.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 displaying, on a confidence gauge comprising a set of lights, a confidence level of whether a blood vessel is an artery or a vein, wherein a number of illuminated lights of the set of lights indicates the confidence level.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 transmitting a signal directed to a blood vessel via a Doppler ultrasound waveform apparatus;   receiving, by the Doppler ultrasound waveform apparatus, a reflected signal from the blood vessel;   determining, by a processing device, whether the blood vessel is an artery or a vein based on a blood flow velocity in the blood vessel; and   determining a phase of a Doppler shift and transmitting the results to a file.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a Doppler ultrasound waveform apparatus comprises the confidence gauge, further comprising:
 determining a location of the blood vessel; and   displaying an indication of the location of the blood vessel.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel is located in a human arm, further comprising:
 determining that the blood vessel is an artery when a blood flow velocity is between 60 cm/sec and 100 cm/sec; and   determining that the blood vessel is a vein when the blood flow velocity is between 10 cm/sec and 20 cm/sec.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 determining a high confidence level that the blood vessel is an artery when the blood flow velocity is between 75 cm/sec and 85 cm/sec; and   determining a high confidence level that the blood vessel is a vein when the blood flow velocity is between 14 cm/sec and 16 cm/sec.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining the blood flow velocity based on an equation, wherein the equation is:
     V   blood =( C   tissue /2 cos(α))( f   o   −f   doppler );
   wherein:   V blood  is the blood flow velocity in the blood vessel;   C tissue  is a speed of sound in soft tissue;   α is an angle of incidence of an ultrasound waveform apparatus;   f o  is a resonant frequency of the ultrasound waveform apparatus; and   f doppler  is a frequency of Doppler shifted echo.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the resonant frequency is between and includes 1.0 MHz and 10.0 MHz. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus comprising:
 a memory; and   a processing device communicably coupled to the memory, the processing device to display on a confidence gauge comprising a set of lights, a confidence level of whether a blood vessel is an artery or a vein, wherein a number of illuminated lights of the set of lights indicates the confidence level.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 transmit a signal directed to a blood vessel via a Doppler ultrasound waveform;   receive a signal reflected from the blood vessel; and   determine whether the blood vessel is an artery or a vein based on a blood flow velocity in the blood vessel.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising a Doppler ultrasound waveform having a resonant frequency between and including 1.0 MHz and 10.0 MHz. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to execute operations comprising:
 displaying, on a confidence gauge comprising a set of lights, a confidence level of whether a blood vessel is an artery or a vein, wherein a number of illuminated lights of the set of lights indicates the confidence level.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 transmitting a signal directed to a blood vessel via a Doppler ultrasound waveform apparatus;   receiving, by the Doppler ultrasound waveform apparatus a reflected signal from the blood vessel; and   determining, by a processing device, whether the blood vessel is an artery or a vein based on a blood flow velocity in the blood vessel.