Sensor clip assembly for an optical monitoring system

• US 10,179,201 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Barrett, Louis L., Peterson, David W., Stowell, Matthew A., Law, Perry N.
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US15/686,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20170348473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0406 specially shaped apparatus housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14535 for measuring haematocrit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14557 specially adapted to extracorporeal circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/36 Other treatment of blood in a by-pass of the natural circulatory system, e.g. temperature adaptation, irradiation ; Extra-corporeal blood circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3609 Physical characteristics of the blood, e.g. haematocrit, urea
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/367 Circuit parts not covered by the preceding subgroups of group A61M1/3621
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3313 used specific wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/207 hematocrit
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2/22 of resilient material, e.g. rubbery material F16B2/205 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and sensor clip assemblies for optically monitoring blood flowing through a blood chamber are provided. A sensor clip assembly includes emitters and photodetectors positioned on opposing arms, a signal conditioning circuit for conditioning raw analog signals generated by the photodetectors while the sensor clip assembly is fastened to a blood chamber, and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the conditioned analog signals to raw digital data. The sensor clip assembly may output the raw digital data to an external device and receive synchronized control signals from the external device, or the sensor clip assembly may include a microcontroller for performing calculations on the raw digital data and providing synchronized control signals internally. Parameters of blood flowing through the blood chamber such as hematocrit, oxygen saturation, and change in blood volume may be calculated from the raw digital data derived from the raw analog signals generated by the photodetectors.

Claims

1. A system for optically monitoring blood, the system comprising:

a sensor clip assembly, comprising;

a housing;

an emitter within the housing, configured to emit light through a verification filter to which the sensor clip assembly is fastened, wherein the verification filter is associated with the sensor clip assembly;

a photodetector within the housing, configured to detect light from the emitter that has passed through the verification filter; and

a microcontroller within the housing, configured to verify accuracy of the sensor clip assembly based on whether readings corresponding to light detected by the photodetector are within a predetermined tolerance range; and

 

a host device, in communication with the sensor clip assembly, wherein the host device comprises a display configured to display a result of the verification to a user.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display is configured to present an option to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly after a number of failed verifications.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the host device is further configured to receive a user input to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the host device is further configured to request user input of a verification filter identification code corresponding to the verification filter in response to receiving the user input to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the microcontroller is configured to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly in response to a correct verification filter identification code being received.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein performing field recalibration comprises calculating new correction values to be applied for the sensor clip assembly.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the microcontroller is configured to attempt field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly in response to a correct verification filter identification code being received, and the display is configured to notify the user that field recalibration failed if the microcontroller was not able to perform field recalibration.

8. A method for operating a sensor clip assembly for optically monitoring blood, the method comprising:

fastening the sensor clip assembly to a verification filter, wherein the verification filter is associated with the sensor clip assembly;

emitting, by an emitter of the sensor clip assembly, light through the verification filter to obtain readings corresponding to light detected by a photodetector of the sensor clip assembly;

verifying, by a microcontroller within a housing of the sensor clip assembly, the obtained readings are within a predetermined tolerance range; and

displaying, via a host device in communication with the sensor clip assembly, a result of the verification to a user.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

presenting, via the host device, an option to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly after a number of failed verifications.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, via the host device, a user input to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

requesting, via the host device, user input of a verification filter identification code corresponding to the verification filter in response to receiving the user input to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

performing, by the microcontroller, field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly in response to a correct verification filter identification code being received.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein performing field recalibration comprises calculating new correction values to be applied for the sensor clip assembly.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

attempting, by the microcontroller, field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly in response to a correct verification filter identification code being received; and

notifying, via the host device, that field recalibration failed in response to the microcontroller not being able to perform field recalibration.

15. A sensor clip assembly for optically monitoring blood, the sensor clip assembly comprising:

a housing;

an emitter within the housing, configured to emit light through a verification filter to which the sensor clip assembly is fastened, wherein the verification filter is associated with the sensor clip assembly;

a photodetector within the housing, configured to detect light from the emitter that has passed through the verification filter; and

a microcontroller within the housing, configured to verify accuracy of the sensor clip assembly based on whether readings corresponding to light detected by the photodetector are within a predetermined tolerance range.

16. The sensor clip assembly according to claim 15, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly.

17. The sensor clip assembly according to claim 16, wherein performing field recalibration comprises calculating new correction values to be applied for the sensor clip assembly.

18. The sensor clip assembly according to claim 15, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to perform field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly after a number of verification failures.

19. The sensor clip assembly according to claim 15, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to confirm user input of a correct verification filter identification code prior to performing field recalibration for the sensor clip assembly.