APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROPER TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY PROBE POSITIONING BY USING CAMERA FOR ULTRASOUND IMAGING

• US 20160262722A1
• Filed: 05/25/2016
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visera Technologies Company Limited (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Visura Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: MARMOR, David B., CLYBURN, Morgan, BOLING, C. Lance
• Granted Patent: US 10,045,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00018 using electrical cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00103 designed for single use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/053 being detachable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2733 Oesophagoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4416 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities, e.g. combination of ultrasound and X-ray acquisitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method includes releasably attaching an image capture assembly to a distal portion of a TEE device. Next, the TEE device coupled to the image capture assembly is inserted into an oral cavity of the patient. With the image capture assembly releasably attached to the distal portion of the TEE device, image data of an esophagus of the patient captured by the image capture assembly is displayed. While viewing the display of image data, the TEE device coupled to the image capture assembly can be moved within the esophagus. With both the TEE device and the image capture assembly disposed within the esophagus, the image capture assembly is detached from the TEE device. With the image capture assembly detached from the TEE device, and with the TEE device disposed at least in part within the esophagus, the image capture assembly is removed from the patient.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

releasably attaching an image capture assembly to a distal portion of a transesophageal echocardiography endoscopic (TEE) device;

inserting, after the releasably attaching, the TEE device coupled to the image capture assembly into an oral cavity of a patient;

viewing, after the releasably attaching, a display of image data of an esophagus of the patient captured by the image capture assembly;

while viewing the display of image data, moving the TEE device coupled to the image capture assembly within the esophagus;

with both the TEE device and the image capture assembly disposed within the esophagus, detaching the image capture assembly from the distal portion of the TEE device; and

removing, after the detaching, via the esophagus, and with the TEE device disposed at least in part within the esophagus, the image capture assembly from the patient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture assembly includes an image capture device, an illumination device separate from the image capture device, and a coupling member,

the releasably attaching the image capture assembly including releasably attaching the coupling member to the distal portion of the TEE device, the method further comprising:

illuminating the esophagus with the illumination device when the TEE device coupled to the image capture assembly is disposed within the esophagus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture assembly is coupled to a retrieval tension member extending from the image capture assembly through the esophagus and out the oral cavity of the patient when the image capture assembly is disposed within the esophagus,

the removing the image capture assembly including applying tension to the retrieval tension member to remove the image capture assembly from the patient via the esophagus of the patient.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the tension corresponds to a force of about 14-18 Newtons applied to the image capture assembly.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the retrieval tension member includes a tension member coupler, the TEE device includes a body portion disposed proximal to the imager head, the removing the image capture assembly includes pulling a portion of the retrieval tension member proximally with the retrieval tension member slidably disposed about the body portion of the TEE device to define a removal profile of the retrieval tension member relative to the TEE device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing, outside the patient, the image data captured by the image capture assembly to produced processed image data, the graphical representation of the image data based on the processed image data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture assembly is reconfigurable between a first configuration, in which the image capture assembly has a first cross-sectional area and a second configuration, in which the image capture assembly has a second cross-sectional area smaller than the first cross-sectional area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture assembly is coupled to a retrieval tension member extending from the image capture assembly through the esophagus and out a mouth of the patient when the image capture assembly is disposed within the esophagus, the method further comprising:

outside the patient, releasably attaching a proximal coupler to a proximal portion of the TEE device, the proximal coupler being coupled to the retrieval tension member.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

viewing a graphical representation of image data captured by the TEE device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical representation of the image data captured by the TEE device and the graphical representation of the image data captured by the image capture assembly are displayed on a display device in operable communication with both the image capture device and the TEE device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture assembly includes a coupling member,

the releasably attaching the image capture assembly including releasably attaching the coupling member to the distal portion of the TEE device such that the coupling member circumscribes the distal portion of the TEE device,

the TEE device including an imaging array, the method further comprising:

viewing a display of image data of a heart of the patient captured by the imaging array, the image data of the heart captured by the imaging array being based on sound waves received at the imaging array through a portion of the coupling member, the portion of the coupling member being substantially transparent to the sound waves.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

an image capture assembly configured to be removably coupled to an imager head of a transesophageal echocardiography endoscopic (TEE) device, and inserted into an esophagus of a patient when removably coupled to the imager head of the TEE device;

a retrieval tension member coupled to the image capture assembly and configured to extend from the image capture assembly through the esophagus and out the patient when (1) the image capture assembly is removably coupled to the TEE device, and (2) the TEE device is disposed within a target imaging location of the esophagus.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a distal end portion of the retrieval tension member is coupled to the image capture assembly, the apparatus further comprising a proximal coupling member coupled to a proximal end portion of the retrieval tension member and configured to removably attach to a proximal end portion of the TEE device outside the patient when the TEE device is disposed within the target imaging location of the esophagus.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the image capture assembly includes an image capture device configured to capture image data within the esophagus, an illumination device configured to illuminate a portion of the esophagus, and a coupling member configured to releasably attach the image capture assembly to the TEE device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the image capture device is communicatively coupled to an image data processing device configured to process image data captured by the image capture device when the image capture device is disposed within the esophagus, the image processing device being located outside the patient when both the image capture device and TEE device are disposed within the target imaging location of the esophagus.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an optical fiber, the image capture device being communicatively coupled to the image data processing device via the optical fiber.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the imager head of the TEE device includes an imaging array, the image capture assembly configured not to obstruct the imaging array when the image capture assembly is removably coupled to the imager head of the TEE device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a portion of the image capture assembly is configured to be transparent to energy transmitted from and received by the imaging array to allow the energy to pass through the portion of the image capture assembly when the image capture assembly is removably coupled to the imager head of the TEE device.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the image capture assembly includes at least one of an ultraviolet light filter or an infrared filter.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a coupling member operably attached to the image capture assembly, the coupling member configured to releasably attach the image capture assembly to the TEE device when the coupling member is in a first configuration, and release the image capture assembly from the TEE device when the coupling member is in a second configuration.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a controller in operable communication with the coupling member when the controller is disposed outside the patient and both the image capture device and the TEE device are disposed within the target imaging location of the esophagus, the controller configured to transition the coupling member between the first configuration and the second configuration.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the coupling member includes a mechanical latch.

23. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the image capture device includes a seal configured to withstand bodily fluid of at least one of the esophagus or a stomach of the patient.

24. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the retrieval tension member defines a lumen therethrough, the apparatus further comprising a communication line extending from the image capture assembly through the lumen of the retrieval tension member to outside the patient when both the image capture assembly and the TEE device are disposed within the target imaging location of the esophagus.

25. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the retrieval tension member has a medial portion disposed proximal to the image capture assembly, the TEE device having a body portion disposed proximal to the imager head of the TEE device, the medial portion of the retrieval tension member including a tension coupler configured to slidably engage with the body portion of the TEE device to limit a maximize distance between the medial portion of the image capture assembly and the body portion of the TEE device.

26. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the imager head of the TEE device includes an imaging array, the image capture assembly including a coupling member configured to circumscribe a portion of the imager head of the TEE device when the image capture assembly is removably coupled to the imager head, a portion of the coupling member being substantially transparent to ultrasound transmissions to and from the TEE device.