SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING AN AMOUNT OF A BLOOD COMPONENT IN A VOLUME OF FLUID

• US 20170184442A1
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gauss Surgical, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gauss Surgical, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: SATISH, Siddarth, MILLER, Kevin J., HYOUNG, Peter S., HOSFORD, Andrew T., HSIEH, Eric W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/60 Containers for suction drainage, adapted to be used with an external suction source containers not adapted for subjection to vacuum A61M1/69
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/76 Handpieces specially for suction-irrigation A61M1/774, aspiration tips A61M1/84
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3393 by weighing the reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/20 Blood composition characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/04 for weighing fluids, e.g. gases, pastes
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/52 Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture with walking sticks A45B3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 21/28 Frames, Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4925 measuring blood gas content, e.g. O2, CO2 , HCO3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

System and methods for analyzing the contents of a fluid canister are provided for use in healthcare settings. The system includes optical and weight sensors to analyze the canister contents.

Claims

1. A system for assessing a fluid canister, comprising:

a mounting structure with a canister recess and an imaging device recess, an inter recess wall between the canister recess and the imaging device recess;

a scale coupled to the mounting structure and configured with at least one measurement element in communication with the canister recess; and

a scale communication module configured to transmit weight information from the scale to a computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement element comprises a piezoelectric element.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging device recess comprises a data interface in wired communication with the communication module.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first aperture located in the inter-recess wall.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first aperture includes a window and seal between the window and the inter-recess wall.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising a second aperture located in the inter-recess wall.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein in the inter-recess wall comprises a curved portion with a concave surface facing the canister recess.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the inter-recess wall further comprises a flat portion facing the imaging device recess.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the canister recess comprises a movable surface.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid canister configured to removably reside in the canister recess, and wherein the reflective insert is configured to reside inside the fluid canister.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a reflective insert configured to reside within the fluid canister.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the inter-recess wall comprises a first aperture located at a vertical height corresponding to the reflective insert when placed at a bottom of the fluid canister when the fluid canister is fully seated in the canister recess.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the fluid canister has a frusto-conical shape.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the inter-recess wall has a vertical angle matching a frusto-conical angle of the fluid canister.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising an imaging device configured to be removably inserted into the imaging device recess.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the imaging device is a computing device comprising an imaging assembly configured to acquire canister images from canister located in the canister recess and a processor configured to receive weight information from the communication module.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to acquire a canister image with the imaging assembly upon detecting a weight change using the weight information.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device further comprises a computing communication module configured to transmit the canister images and weight information from the computing device.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the fluid canister comprises an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet is configured to be coupled to a vacuum source.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is configured to acquire canister images at the same acquisition rate that the processor is configured to acquire weight information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the acquisition rate is in the range of about one acquisition every 1 to 5 seconds.

33. The blood monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system comprises an optical emitter aligned with the first window and configured to illuminate the reflective insert through the translucent section of the canister.

34. The blood monitoring system of claim 33, wherein the imaging system further comprises a camera aligned with the second window.

35. The blood monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the processor is configured to transform an image captured by the camera into an estimated concentration of a blood component in a fluid within the canister and to estimate an amount of the blood component in the canister based on the estimated concentration of the blood component and an output of the weighing scale.

22. A method of assessing a fluid canister, comprising:

detecting the weight a fluid canister attached to a vacuum system;

generating an image of the fluid canister; and

determining a hemoglobin value of the fluid canister using the image.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the imaging is initiated upon detecting a change in the weight of the fluid canister.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising modifying the hemoglobin value using the weight.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

draining the fluid canister; and

setting a tare weight of the fluid canister after draining the fluid canister.

26. A blood monitoring system, comprising:

a canister,

a mount;

a weighing scale;

an imaging system, and

a processor;

wherein the canister defines an internal volume and comprises a translucent section.

27. The blood monitoring system of claim 26, further comprising a reflective insert arranged within the internal volume and adjacent and offset from the translucent section.

28. The blood monitoring system of claim 27, wherein the mount is configured to engage an exterior surface of the canister.

29. The blood monitoring system of claim 28, wherein the mount defines a first window configured to seal over the exterior surface of the canister proximal the translucent section.

30. The blood monitoring system of claim 29, wherein the mount further defines a second window adjacent the first window and configured to seal over the exterior surface of the canister proximal the translucent section.

31. The blood monitoring system of claim 30, wherein the first window is substantially optically isolated from the second window.

32. The blood monitoring system of claim 26, wherein the weighing scale is coupled to the mount and is configured to output a signal corresponding to a weight of contents in the canister.