A new imaging technology that can be used with an electrocardiogram to aid the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac and pulmonary conditions.
Background :
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a new imaging technology that can be used with an electrocardiogram (EKG) to aid the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac and pulmonary conditions. Examples include guiding lung recruitment in patients on a ventilator and detecting lung collapse. EIT is low-cost and provides high temporal resolution, without using ionizing radiation. An EKG is a long-standing diagnostic technology used to measure the heart's electrical activity.
Technology Overview :
State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced that this technology is a recipient of the latest round of seed funding through the SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF), which provides grants to faculty inventors and scientists. This technology from SUNY's University at Albany and Colorado State University allows technicians to simultaneously obtain ECG and EIT data from the same set of electrodes. Simultaneous multiple-current-source EIT uses an independent current source for each electrode, providing better control of the applied current density and increasing sensitivity to small changes, such as those caused by blood movement in the thorax. This sensitive EIT system can produce a regional ventilation-perfusion index for assessing lung health. The simultaneous acquisition of ECG waveforms provides precise cardiac timing, which is useful for interpreting EIT images. Additionally, combining time-aligned multi-electrode ECG waveforms with EIT data can both enhance EIT image reconstructions and enable reconstruction of the heart’s current-density source, providing additional clinical diagnostic capability. The combined EIT/ECG system is a more powerful clinical tool than either modality alone.
Advantages :
• Precise timing between the EIT images and the ECG.
• Produces a representation of the electrical activity in the heart and performs inverse electrocardiography.
• Allows the technician to monitor respiratory, pulmonary, and electrical activity, including a regional ventilation-perfusion index.
Application : The technology can be used to diagnose and monitor lung and/or heart disease in patients of all ages and for a wide range of conditions.
Intellectual Property Summary : Patent application 63/667,278 filed on 07/03/2024
Licensing Status : This technology is available for licensing.
About the Research Foundation for the State University of New York:
As the nation's largest research foundation supporting the nation's largest public university system, The Research Foundation for SUNY powers research and innovation to address today's most pressing problems and shape a better future for generations to come. The Research Foundations supports SUNY researchers leading the way globally in AI for the public good, quantum technologies, next-generation semiconductors, biotech and medicine, energy and climate solutions, and more. The Research Foundation for SUNY is a private, nonprofit educational corporation that is tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). To learn more, please visit us online at rfsuny.org .
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu .