Multiplanar ultrasonic vascular sensor assembly and apparatus for movably affixing a sensor assembly to a body

• US 20070016030A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inceptio Medical Technologies LC
• Original Assignee: Inceptio Medical Technologies LC
• Inventors: Stringer, Bradley
• Granted Patent: US 7,806,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/489 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/42 Details of probe positioning or probe attachment to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4227 characterised by straps, belts, cuffs or braces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8913 using separate transducers for transmission and reception
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8925 the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5206 Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for cannulation of blood vessels. The apparatus comprises a sensor assembly including two linear transducer arrays oriented perpendicular to each other to form a “T” shape to provide ultrasound images of at least one blood vessel in a portion of a patient'"'"'s body in two perpendicular planes. The sensor assembly includes a housing having a graphically marked surface to facilitate orientation of the sensor assembly on the patient and guidance of a needle towards a desired target vessel during the cannulation procedure. The housing is configured to engage a frame element having a pair of wings extending laterally therefrom, the wings each bearing a magnet to cooperate with a reference location element secured to a patient'"'"'s skin and bearing magnetically responsive shims thereon to place, align and secure the sensor assembly to the patient'"'"'s skin at a desired location.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sensing the presence and orientation of one or more vessels within a portion of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

a sensor assembly including;

a housing having disposed therewithin;

a first linear, ultrasonic transducer array comprising a plurality of elements; and

a second linear, ultrasonic transducer array comprising a plurality of elements and positioned perpendicular to the first linear, ultrasonic transducer array to form a “

T”

shape therewith;

wherein the housing includes an exterior surface bearing a grid system comprising a set of longitudinal grid markings parallel to a body of the “

T” and

a set of transverse grid markings parallel to a head of the “

T.”

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a frame element engaged with the housing at a location adjacent a face of the sensor assembly for placement proximate the skin of a patient.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further including a pair of wings extending laterally from locations adjacent opposing sides of the frame element, each wing of the pair carrying a magnet.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a needle guide proximate one end of the frame element on a sidewall thereof between the wings.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the needle guide comprises a marking on the sidewall.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the frame element includes tab elements extending upwardly from opposing sidewalls thereof, and the housing is engaged with the sidewalls of the frame element and the tab elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each tab element includes a downwardly facing shoulder thereon engaged with a surface of the housing.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an elongated, protective, flexible sheath open at one end thereof, the frame element clamping a portion of another, closed end of the sheath against the face of the sensor assembly.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further including an acoustic transmission gel disposed between the portion of the closed end of the sheath and the face of the sensor assembly.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, further including a reference location element for securing to the skin of a patient over a target vessel, the reference location element comprising a film carrying or two elements of magnetically sensitive material spaced about a same distance as a distance between the magnets, each element being of a magnetically sensitive material and having at least one greater lateral dimension than a lateral dimension of one of the magnets, the film including an adhesive thereon for affixation to the patient'"'"'s skin.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a beamformer operably coupled to the first and second linear, ultrasonic transducer arrays;

a dual B-mode digital scan converter operably coupled to the beamformer for converting signals therefrom to images respectively depicting a transverse sectional view of the one or more vessels in the body portion and a longitudinal sectional view of the one or more vessels in the body portion;

a host computer operably coupled to the dual B-mode digital scan converter; and

a display device operably coupled to the host computer and configured to display the transverse sectional and longitudinal sectional images.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the display device is configured to display a grid system having markings substantially the same as the grid system of the sensor assembly and to correlate the displayed grid system to the grid system of the sensor assembly.

13. A frame element for receiving at least a portion of a sensor assembly therewithin, the frame element comprising:

a plurality of sidewalls defining a central opening therebetween configured to accept

at least a portion of a sensor assembly housing; and

a pair of wings extending laterally from sidewalls on opposing sides of the frame

element, each wing of the pair carrying a magnet.

14. The frame element of claim 13, further comprising a pair of tabs extending upwardly from opposing sidewalls located between the wings.

15. The frame element of claim 14, wherein each tab of the pair includes an outwardly flared distal end.

16. The frame element of claim 14, wherein each tab of the pair includes a downwardly facing shoulder thereon facing the central opening.

17. The frame element of claim 13, wherein the central opening is substantially rectangular.