Optical Blood Pressure and Velocity Sensor
First Claim
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1. A device comprising:
- a) an elongated sheath, b) at least one waveguide disposed within said elongated sheath, c) at least one Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) in optical communication with said waveguide and disposed with a single arm in tactile communication with the environment external to said sheath, d) means to receive and detect fluctuations in light intensity arising from the transmission of external pressure fluctuations to the MZI.
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Abstract
A single point implantable optical sensor measures in vivo changes in blood pressure and velocity. An optical fiber waveguide in a catheter transmits light to M-Z interferometer. The wave propagation of fluctuating blood pressure in a living organism is measured by recording the time dependence optical signal losses as the wave traverse each leg of the M-Z device. The time lag between the pressure induced transmission losses at each spaced apart leg is used to calculate blood velocity at the location of the sensor. A plurality of the sensors may be distributed along or catheter in communication via a common optical waveguide.
18 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A device comprising:
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a) an elongated sheath, b) at least one waveguide disposed within said elongated sheath, c) at least one Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) in optical communication with said waveguide and disposed with a single arm in tactile communication with the environment external to said sheath, d) means to receive and detect fluctuations in light intensity arising from the transmission of external pressure fluctuations to the MZI. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A device comprising,
a) an elongated sheath, b) at least one waveguide disposed within said elongated sheath, c) at least one Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) in optical communication with said waveguide and disposed with a single arm in tactile communication with the environment external to said sheath, d) a detector in optical communication with the MZI to detect fluctuations in light intensity arising from the transmission of external pressure fluctuations to the MZI.
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16. A method of measuring at least one of blood pressure and velocity, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an MZI in optical communication between a light source and photodetector and in tactile communication with blood, b) measuring the time variant attenuation of light from the source as modulated by MZI under the influence of blood pressure fluctuations, c) calculating the instantaneous pressure from the time variant light attenuation. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification