Mucosal sensor adaptor

• US 20050203362A1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunlife Science Inc.
• Original Assignee: Weil Institute Of Critical Care Medicine
• Inventors: Castillo, Carlos, Bisera, Joe, Weil, Max Harry, Young, Clayton
• Granted Patent: US 8,369,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/353
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/682 Mouth, e.g., oral cavity; tongue; Lips; Teeth

Abstract

Devices for treating a patient by measuring a condition, such as the partial pressure of CO₂, at a location on a mucosal membrane surface in the mouth region of the patient, includes a sensor (14, 16) with an end (44, 46) that lies against the mucosal surface, and a seal (20) that extends 360° around the sensor end and presses against the mucosal surface. The sensor end and the seal lie on the first end portion (24) of a holder (22) which has a second end portion (26) that presses against the outside of the patient at a location opposite the sensor and seal. The holder is a clasp which can be formed as a single piece of resilient material that extends in a loop, or which can be formed in the manner of a clothespin with a spring that pivots two bars to urge their end portions towards each other.

Claims

1. A mucosal tissue sensing apparatus which includes a sensor arrangement and a holder for holding the sensor arrangement at a mucosal surface of mucosal tissue in the mouth region of a patient, wherein:

said sensor arrangement includes a sensor with a sensor end, a seal that has a seal axis, said seal extending 360°

around said axis and forming a hollow microenvironment within said seal, said sensor lying in said microenvironment;

said seal having a sealing surface that faces generally in a first direction along said seal axis to seal to the mucosal surface of the patient;

said holder is constructed to apply a spring force that continually presses said seal and said sensor end toward the mucosal surface;

said sensor end being positioned to lie against the mucosal surface when said holder presses said seal against the mucosal surface, to thereby hold the sensor end against a location on the mucosal surface while sealing the area immediately around the location.

2. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:

said seal is formed of elastomeric material, and said sensor end is recessed from said seal surface when said seal is not compressed.

3. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:

said holder is a clasp with opposite first and second end portions, said clasp being constructed to resiliently press said end portions toward each other while allowing said end portions to be resiliently separated;

said sensor arrangement is mounted on said clasp first end portion.

4. The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein:

said seal axis lies in a horizontal plane;

said clasp comprises a bent bar having a middle portion and said first and second end portions, said first end portion has a vertical thickness, and said middle portion has a horizontal width and has a vertical thickness that is less than the thickness of said first end portion and that is no greater than said horizontal width, whereby to facilitate passage of the clasp middle portion between the lips of the patient.

5. The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein:

said clasp is in the form of a bar that is bent in about a 360°

loop, said loop being large enough to fit around the patient'"'"'s jaw so said first end portion can press against a location under the patient'"'"'s tongue while the second end portion can press against an under-chin area on the outside skin of the patient or said end portions can press against the cheek of the patient.

6. The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein:

said clasp is in the form of a bar that is bent in about a 180°

loop and that has a correspondingly bent bar axis, said loop being large enough to fit around a person'"'"'s cheek so said first end portion can press against the inside of the patient'"'"'s cheek while said second end portion presses against the outside of the cheek;

said seal axis extends primarily perpendicular to said bar axis.

7. The apparatus described in claim 3 wherein:

said clasp includes first and second bars that form said first and second end portions, and a separate spring that urges said bars to pivot to move said end portions closer together.

8. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:

said seal comprises a suction cup that holds by vacuum to the mucosal surface.

9. Apparatus for sensing CO₂ at a mucosal surface of a patient'"'"'s mouth, comprising:

a sensor arrangement comprising a CO₂ sensor with an end, and a seal that extends 360°

around said sensor end;

a clasp with first and second end portions that are biased toward each other, said sensor arrangement mounted on said clasp first end portion;

said clasp first end portion lying in the patient'"'"'s mouth with said sensor end pressing against a mucosal surface location on mucosal tissue at the inside of the patient'"'"'s mouth, with said seal pressing against an area of the mucosal surface that extends 360°

around said mucosal surface location, and with the clasp second end portion pressing against the outside of the patient at a location approximately opposite said mucosal surface location.

10. The apparatus described in claim 9 wherein:

said mucosal surface location lies at the inside of a cheek of the patient, and said clasp second end portion lies against the outside of said cheek of the patient.

11. The apparatus described in claim 9 wherein:

said mucosal surface location lies under the tongue of the patient and said clasp second end portion lies against the outside of the under chin of the patient.

12. A method for assessing the condition of a patient, by using a CO₂ sensor to measure CO₂ at a mucosal surface of the mouth region of the patient, comprising:

mounting the sensor on a first end of a clasp and establishing a seal on said first end of said clasp with the seal extending 360°

around an end portion of the sensor, and placing said first end of said clasp in the patient'"'"'s mouth with the seal lying against a location on said mucosal surface;

placing an opposite second end of the clasp on the patient at an outside location opposite said sensor end portion, and biasing said seal and sensor end portion against the mucosal surface by biasing the clasp second end against said outside location while the clasp ends remain continually biased toward each other.

13. The method described in claim 12 wherein:

said step of placing includes placing said seal and sensor against a location that lies under the tongue of the patient with the seal and sensor pressing generally downward toward the patient'"'"'s feet;

said step of placing the opposite second end of the clasp comprises placing the second end against the under chin of the patient, and includes connecting the first and second end portions of the clasp by a clasp middle portion that extends over the teeth, through the lips and around the jaw of the patient and that biases the end portions toward each other.

14. The method described in claim 12 wherein:

said step of placing includes placing said seal and sensor against a location that lies against an inside of a cheek of the patient, with the seal and sensor pressing against a mucosal surface of the cheek;

said step of placing the opposite second end of the clasp comprises placing the second end against the outside of the cheek of the patient, and includes connecting the first and second end portions of the clasp by a clasp middle portion that extends between the lips of the patient and that biases the end portions toward each other.