A Wearable Ultrasound Methodology for Creating a Real Time Near 3D Model of the Heart

Cardiovascular health is among one of the most important areas of the medical field today. Approximately 2,303 Americans die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) daily. By 2035, approximately 130 million Americans will be affected by CVD leading to an estimated $1.1 trillion in medical cost. The medical industry is steadily moving toward individual medicine. To provide assistance in the cardiovascular field, this paper presents a methodology for creating a real time near 3D model of the heart while accounting for the thoracic cage obstruction. That is, creating a partial 3D heart consisting of the apical and parasternal views that are viewable in real time on a monitor. We discuss a wearable vest consisting of eight ultrasound transducers in a 4x2 arrangement covering the parasternal and apical views of the human heart. The calculations for the overlap of each view and between both views are provided. Also, generalized formulas for the sequential activation of multiple ultrasound transducers with no overlap are given. The presented methodology is capable of real time near 3D modeling without constant attention from a medical professional where the final goal will be abnormality detection.