Apparatus for Preventing Nerve Damage Positional Injury During Surgery

• US 20100056959A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arthur C. Perry, Joseph C. Mallinger, Raymond I. Linovitz
• Original Assignee: Arthur C. Perry, Joseph C. Mallinger, Raymond I. Linovitz
• Inventors: Linovitz, Raymond I., Mallinger, Joseph C., Perry, Arthur C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,972,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/587
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/08021 of the patient or his organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins

Abstract

A method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery includes providing a nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system including a site sensor with a transducer in the form of a transducer element and a ring extending outward from the transducer element, and a monitor connected to the site sensor; adhering the ring of the site sensor to the patient so that the transducer element forms a protective barrier in front of the area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery; using the system to continuously monitor pressure on the protective barrier formed by the transducer element in front of the area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the site sensor and monitor; and causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of a pressure condition when monitored pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. Apparatus for detecting pressure on an area of a patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, comprising:

at least one site sensor to detect pressure on at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, the at least one site sensor including a transducer in the form of a substantially circular transducer element, and a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element;

the transducer element having a selected area configured to cover said at least one area prone to nerve damage positional injury, whereby the ring is outside said area, and the ring having an inner face which is at least partially coated with a medical-grade, biocompatible adhesive, the adhesive coating being configured to releasably attach the ring to a ring-shaped skin area of a patient surrounding said at least one area during surgery without contacting the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

a pressure monitor unit connected to the at least one site sensor to monitor pressure on the circular transducer element; and

the pressure monitor unit including an alarm which is actuated when the monitored pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the transducer is of cupped, convex shape having a concave inner surface configured to face said at least one area of the patient during surgery.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a removable backing layer of annular shape corresponding to the shape of the annular ring which covers the inner surface and coating of the ring when the site sensor is not in use.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the site sensor comprises a pair of identical site sensors, each site sensor configured for covering a respective orbital area of a patient during surgery with the annular ring surrounding and not contacting the orbital area, both site sensors being connected to the pressure monitor and the alarm being actuated when the monitored pressure at either site sensor is greater than the predetermined threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one site sensor includes multiple site sensors, one for each of multiple areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, and each site sensor is connected to the pressure monitor.

26. A method of monitoring pressure on an area of a patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during extended surgical procedure, comprising:

positioning a substantially circular transducer element of at least one site sensor over at least one area of a patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

adhering a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element to a skin area of the patient surrounding the at least one area so that the substantially circular transducer element forms a protective barrier in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery and the ring is adhered to the skin area outside the at least one area of the patient without contacting the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

connecting the at least one site sensor to a monitor;

continuously monitoring pressure on the protective barrier formed by the substantially circular transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the at least one site sensor and monitor;

alerting medical personnel of a pressure condition on the protective barrier formed by the substantially circular transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery if the monitor and site sensor determine the pressure condition exists on the protective barrier formed by the substantially circular transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery; and

readjusting the patient'"'"'s position to alleviate the pressure condition.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one site sensor includes multiple site sensors, one for each of multiple areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, and the method further includes adhering the ring surrounding the substantially circular transducer element of each of the multiple site sensors to the patient circumferentially around the respective areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery such that the rings do not contact the respective areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery.

28. The method of claim 26, further including the transducer causing a change in signal to the monitor upon detection of the pressure condition, and the monitor detecting the change in signal and causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition.

29. The method of claim 26, further including the monitor causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition when detected pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

30. A method of monitoring pressure on an area of a patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during extended surgical procedure, comprising:

providing a nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system including at least one site sensor with a transducer in the form of a substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element and a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element, and a monitor connected to the at least one site sensor;

adhering the ring of the at least one site sensor to the patient circumferentially around the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery so that the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element forms a protective convex barrier in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery and the ring is adhered to the patient without contacting the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

using the nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system to continuously monitor pressure on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the at least one site sensor and monitor; and

causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of a pressure condition when monitored pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the at least one site sensor includes first and second site sensors, one for each orbital area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, and the method further includes adhering the annular rings of the first and second site sensors to the patient circumferentially around the respective left and right orbital areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, whereby the rings do not contact the orbital areas.