Methods and sensors for monitoring internal tissue conditions
First Claim
1. A probe for sensing a tissue condition comprising:
- a first optical fiber with a distal tip to transmit light to the tissue;
a second optical fiber with a distal tip to receive returned light from the tissue;
the distal tips of the first and second optical fibers are disposed between a light absorbing surface and a light transmitting surface;
the light transmitting surface is in contact with the tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to fiberoptic sensors embedded within a surgical drain to monitor the condition of tissue proximate to the surgical drain and methods of processing data from the sensors. The light transmitting and collecting tips of the optical fibers are adapted to enable sideways interrogation of the adjacent tissues using optical techniques to measure the tissue condition. The light transmitting and collecting tips of the optical fibers may be bent at angle, disposed between a light absorbing and transmitting sheets, or uncladded to enable sideways emission and collection of light. Processing methods for reducing the site dependency of the measured data, maximizing the signal to noise ratio, and increasing the measurement sensitivity to changes in the tissue condition are described.
48 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A probe for sensing a tissue condition comprising:
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a first optical fiber with a distal tip to transmit light to the tissue;
a second optical fiber with a distal tip to receive returned light from the tissue;
the distal tips of the first and second optical fibers are disposed between a light absorbing surface and a light transmitting surface;
the light transmitting surface is in contact with the tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A probe for sensing a tissue condition comprising:
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a first optical fiber with a distal segment to transmit light to the tissue;
a second optical fiber with a distal segment to receive returned light from the tissue;
the side portion of the distal segment of the first optical fiber is not cladded to emit light on the tissue;
the side portion of the distal segment of the second optical fiber is not cladded to collect returned light from the tissue, the distal segment of the first optical fiber and the distal segment of the second optical fiber are optically insulated from each other. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A probe for sensing a tissue condition comprising:
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a first optical fiber with a distal tip that is bent at a first angle to transmit light to the tissue;
a second optical fiber with a distal tip that is bent at a second angle to receive returned light from the tissue;
the distal tips of the first and second optical fibers are optically insulated from each other. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of sensing a tissue condition, comprising:
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implanting a surgical drain within a body cavity in proximity to a tissue to be monitored, wherein the surgical drain includes a sensing system;
the sensing system is configured to irradiate the tissue with energy and to measure an energy portion returned from the tissue;
recording a first spectrum of the energy portion returned from the tissue at a known tissue condition;
recording subsequent spectra of the energy portion returned from the tissue;
comparing the first spectrum to the subsequent spectra to monitor change in the tissue condition relative to the known tissue condition over time. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification